Security Deposit Not Returned in Pennsylvania: What Can I Do?
Pennsylvania limits how big a security deposit can be. After you move out, the landlord must return it on a deadline or pay a penalty. This page lists the rules in order, from move-in to court.
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The security deposit is your money. Your landlord holds it only as protection in case you damage the home or do not pay rent. It is not extra income for the landlord.
✓ Sources checked September 21, 2026
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In the first year of a lease, the deposit cannot be more than 2 months of rent. For example, if your rent is $1,200 a month, the most the landlord can collect is $2,400.
✓ Sources checked September 21, 2026
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From the second year of the lease on, the cap drops to 1 month of rent. With $1,200 rent, the landlord may hold at most $1,200 once your second year starts. If they hold more than that, ask in writing for the extra money back.
✓ Sources checked September 21, 2026
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After the deposit has been held for 2 full years, stricter rules start. Deposit money over $100 must sit in an escrow account (a separate bank account that holds your money). The landlord must tell you in writing which bank holds the money, the bank address, and the amount.
✓ Sources checked September 21, 2026
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This rule covers a deposit of more than $100. Once the deposit has been held for more than 2 years, the interest it earns belongs to you. The landlord may keep a yearly fee of 1% of the deposit: 1% of a $1,200 deposit is $12 a year. The landlord must pay you the rest of the interest every year on the date your lease began.
✓ Sources checked September 22, 2026
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After you have lived in the home for 5 years or more, a rent increase cannot force the deposit up. Your deposit stays the same even when the rent rises.
✓ Sources checked September 21, 2026
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Do 2 things when you move out. First, give the landlord your new address in writing and keep a copy. Then return the keys. If you never give the new address in writing, Pennsylvania's deposit penalties stop protecting you.
✓ Sources checked September 21, 2026
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Your landlord has 30 days to act. They must send you a written list of any damage they say you caused. They must also send the deposit money left after those repair costs. The 30 days are counted from the day the lease ends or the day you hand the keys back, whichever comes first.
✓ Sources checked September 21, 2026
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If no written damage list reaches you within 30 days of your move-out, the landlord loses the right to keep any of the deposit. They also lose the right to sue you for damage to the home.
✓ Sources checked September 21, 2026
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The landlord must pay you what they owe within 30 days of your move-out. If they miss that deadline, a court can make them pay 2 times the amount they wrongly held. Example: the deposit was $1,000 and the landlord proves $200 of damage, so they owe you $800. The court can award you 2 times $800, which is $1,600.
✓ Sources checked September 21, 2026
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In court, the landlord must prove the damage they charged you for. You do not have to prove the home was in good condition. If the landlord cannot prove a repair cost, the court does not let them keep that money.
✓ Sources checked September 21, 2026
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The deposit does not only cover damage. If you owe rent or broke a rule in the lease, the landlord can keep deposit money for that too.
✓ Sources checked September 21, 2026
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The lease cannot take these deposit rights away from you. If the lease says you give them up, the court will not enforce that part of the lease.
✓ Sources checked September 21, 2026
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Build your proof early. At move-in, write down all damage that is already there, take photos, keep a copy for yourself, and give a copy to the landlord. At move-out, clean the home and photograph every room on the day you leave.
✓ Sources checked September 21, 2026
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