Two months' rent (first year). The return rule is 30 days. The controlling text is 68 Pa. Stat. § 250.511a to 512.
Shared move-in, deduction, and refund workflow: the national state-law hub.
Pennsylvania's deposit ceiling
Two months' rent (first year).
The cap is two months' rent during the first year of a tenancy and drops to one month's rent for the second year and beyond.
Pennsylvania's return deadline
30 days.
You have 30 days after the tenancy ends and the tenant provides a forwarding address to return the deposit with an itemized list of any damages.
The itemized statement rule
A written list of damages is required within 30 days, and a landlord who fails to provide it loses the right to withhold and to sue for damages. The list is a precondition to keeping anything.
Account and interest rules
A deposit over $100 held for more than two years accrues interest payable to the tenant, and deposits must be held in a regulated Pennsylvania institution with the bank disclosed to the tenant.
Exposure for wrongful withholding
Up to 2x for late or unitemized withholding.
A landlord who keeps a deposit beyond 30 days without providing the itemized list is liable for double the amount wrongfully withheld. The forfeiture of the right to deduct, on top of the doubling, makes the 30-day list essential.
Compare Pennsylvania with neighboring states
- New York: one month's rent; return rule: 14 days.
- New Jersey: one and a half months' rent; return rule: 30 days.
- Delaware: one month's rent; return rule: 20 days.
- Maryland: one month's rent; return rule: 45 days.
- West Virginia: no statutory limit; return rule: 60 days.
- Ohio: no statutory limit; return rule: 30 days.
Verified against 68 Pa. Stat. § 250.511a to 512 and official state sources in July 2026. Before withholding money, check the current statute text or ask a local landlord-tenant attorney. General information, not legal advice.