Rent Increases in Pennsylvania: What Are My Rights?

1. Pennsylvania has no rent control at the state level. No state law limits how much a landlord can raise the rent, and no state law sets a minimum warning time for an increase. The lease you signed and your city's own rules are the protections to check.

   Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General p. 7

   ✓ Sources checked September 11, 2026

2. A rent increase normally starts when the lease renews. First read your lease. Find the renewal date. Check whether the lease renews by itself unless someone gives notice. Respond with any issues before the renewal date, preferably before accepting any conditions. Your options are to accept the new rent, try for a lower number, or give notice that you are moving out.

   Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General p. 7

   ✓ Sources checked September 11, 2026

3. While a fixed lease runs, the rent stays what the lease says. The landlord can raise it early only if the lease allows it or you agree to the change in writing.

   Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General p. 7

   ✓ Sources checked September 11, 2026

4. If you rent month to month, each month is a new term. The landlord can offer a new rent for the next month, and you can say no. Either side can end the tenancy with a written notice given at least 15 days before the term ends.

   Pennsylvania General Assembly 68 P.S. § 250.501(b) Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General p. 1

   ✓ Sources checked September 11, 2026

5. Cities can add stronger rules than the state. One example is Philadelphia. There, a landlord needs a good cause to end or not renew a lease of under 1 year. Good cause means a real reason from a set list. Rules differ city by city, so check your city's guide.

   City of Philadelphia Phila. Code § 9-804

   ✓ Sources checked September 11, 2026

6. Pennsylvania has no general state law against landlord retaliation (punishment for using your legal rights). One example of retaliation is a sudden rent increase right after a repair complaint or code violation. Specific laws still protect you, and some cities ban retaliation fully. Save the increase notice and the dates of your complaints, and you can file a complaint with the city or county's Fair Housing Commission.

   Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General p. 10

   ✓ Sources checked September 11, 2026

7. One statewide rule protects organizing. A tenants' organization is a group of renters acting together. Your landlord cannot end your lease or refuse to renew it because you or a family member joined one.

   Similarly, A landlord cannot set your rent, or raise it, based on who you are. The protected categories are race, color, religion, ancestry, age (40 and older), sex, pregnancy, national origin, family status, and disability. Punishing you for filing a discrimination complaint is also against the law.

   Pennsylvania General Assembly 68 P.S. § 250.205

   ✓ Sources checked September 11, 2026

8. Another statewide protection covers utilities (water, electric, gas). Sometimes a landlord does not pay the utility bill. You can then pay the utility company yourself to keep service on. You can subtract that payment from your rent. The landlord cannot punish you for doing this.

   And finally, after you have lived in the home for 5 years or more, the landlord cannot make the security deposit bigger when the rent goes up.

   Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General p. 10

   ✓ Sources checked September 11, 2026

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