Security Deposit Not Returned in Pittsburgh: What Can I Do?
Pennsylvania's Landlord and Tenant Act sets the security deposit rules for Pittsburgh renters. Pittsburgh has no separate deposit rules. Give your landlord your new address in writing when you move out. That step lets you sue for double what your landlord owes if they do not pay within 30 days. For example, double a $1,000 deposit is $2,000. You get this money only if you win your case and your landlord pays. For more detail, see the Pennsylvania state guide.
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In your first year renting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania law caps your security deposit at 2 months rent. If your rent is $900 a month, the most your landlord can collect is $1,800. Your landlord cannot require more than that.
✓ Sources checked September 23, 2026
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From your second year on, the cap drops to 1 month rent. With $900 rent, your landlord may hold at most $900 once your second year starts. If they hold more, ask in writing for the extra money back.
✓ Sources checked September 23, 2026
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After you have lived in the home 5 years or more, a rent increase cannot force your deposit up. Your deposit stays the same even if your rent rises.
✓ Sources checked September 23, 2026
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Build your proof early. At move-in, take photos of any damage that is already there, and keep them. This way you are not blamed for old damage later. At move-out, clean the home and take photos to show its condition the day you leave.
Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network How can I get my security deposit back when I move? Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General p. 11✓ Sources checked September 23, 2026
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Once your deposit has been held for more than 2 years, stricter rules start if it is over $100. That money must sit in an escrow account, a separate bank account that holds your money for you. Your landlord must tell you in writing which bank holds it, the bank's address, and the amount.
✓ Sources checked September 23, 2026
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Starting after your deposit's second anniversary, the interest it earns belongs to you. Your landlord may keep a yearly fee of 1% of the deposit. On a $900 deposit, 1% is $9 a year. Your landlord must pay you the rest of the interest every year, on the date your lease began.
✓ Sources checked September 23, 2026
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Do 2 things when you move out. First, give your landlord your new address in writing and keep a copy. Then return the keys. Send the address by certified mail with a return receipt, so you can prove your landlord got it.
Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network How can I get my security deposit back when I move? Pennsylvania General Assembly 68 P.S. § 250.512(e) Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General p. 11✓ Sources checked September 23, 2026
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Your landlord has 30 days after your lease ends, or after you hand back the keys, whichever comes first. They must send a written list of any damage they say you caused, plus the deposit money left after those repair costs. This 30-day rule does not stop your landlord from keeping deposit money you already owe for unpaid rent or for breaking another lease rule.
✓ Sources checked September 23, 2026
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If no written damage list reaches you within 30 days of your move-out, your landlord loses the right to keep any of your deposit. Your landlord also loses the right to sue you for damage to the home. This applies only if you gave your landlord your new address in writing.
✓ Sources checked September 23, 2026
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Give your landlord your new address in writing when you move out. Then, if your landlord misses the 30-day deadline to pay what they owe you, a court can order them to pay double. Example: your deposit was $1,000, and your landlord proves $200 of damage, so they owe you $800. The court can award you 2 times $800, which is $1,600. In court, your landlord must prove the damage. You do not have to prove the home was in good condition.
✓ Sources checked September 23, 2026
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Your lease cannot take away your rights to the damage list, the 30-day deadline, and double payment. If your lease says you give them up, the court will not enforce that part of your lease.
✓ Sources checked September 23, 2026
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If your Pittsburgh landlord will not return your deposit, you can sue. File in the Magisterial District Court for the district where the rental is. Every Pennsylvania county except Philadelphia uses Magisterial District Judges. Philadelphia's small claims court is called Municipal Court instead.
✓ Sources checked September 23, 2026
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