In Pennsylvania, the landlord is not required to provide a receipt when the tenants rent has been received. The notice you receive must contain the following information: You have the right to deduct your payments to the utility company from your future rent payments. If the utility wont give you notice, PhillyTenant.org suggests contacting the Water Revenue Bureau at 215-685-6300 and asking for an informal hearing request form (or, if its Peco or PGW, you can file an informal complaint with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission at 800-692-7380). Candidate shall have prior experience working for an attorney/law firm as a paralegal. Additionally, the lead paint and disclosure certification law requires landlords to ensure that any property where children 6 years and younger reside is free of lead. They are also liable if the utility company has given written notice to the tenant that such utility service is about to be cut off because of the landlords nonpayment of the utility bill. LANDLORD-TENANT LAW Generally speaking, most aspects of a landlord-tenant relationship are controlled by the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 (68 P.S. The state statutes provide definitions of terms related to landlord tenant laws (also known as PA rental laws), the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants as well as violations and remedies under Pennsylvania Landlord Tenant Law. This article is part of our guide to tenants rights in Philadelphia. If you do need to contact the utility either to take over payments or to request that the account be put in your name, you will need to demonstrate that you are a tenant, Ballenger says. The Landlord/Tenant Act requires your landlord to give you a written eviction notice. For example, if theyre having issues with their internet connection, then you will need to help them troubleshoot the issue. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. In the state of Pennsylvania, a rental agreement is valid wherever a tenant agrees to exchange rent for occupying a property. 250.101 to 399.18. Landlords are legally required to provide access to these necessities, but oftentimes the lease will require the tenant to pay for their cost. The tenant is not the utility customer and they do not qualify for utility projection such as payment arrangements, Customer Assistance Program, or residential energy efficiency and conservation programs. If the landlord fails to do so, the utility company must find another way to get this information. }!2FUG&}|~u:BQJyJ? uT$vO;M7am)}Ny^3Srru8e?[Be@MSV t hJbmd 182qUkMwQu33hGeu Ol F[iDtcL OG>n_on1;B]6z;P:^Sb1 s nvl>|jWnBEE{dc4`az0 [qFk/0-bcjr5h`9\au&:PN uSrGt%.~u{}Q+=]m[3>hU)mpJJnt47ur{z[V@n$`Cz*T P:an $]EP~00j>a8n^1s %.e. Furthermore, the Pennsylvania landlord-tenant laws don't currently include state rent . However, be carefulyou may need to put down a sizable deposit and it may also affect your lease. The tenant shall not destroy, deface, damage, impair, or remove any part of the structure or dwelling unit, or the facilities, equipment, or appurtenances. evidence and priority of payment as is provided by law in the case of the mortgaging of . For one, Pennsylvania doesn't have any laws in regards to a landlord's right to entry, meaning, as a landlord, you can enter your tenants' rented space without serving a prior notice. LEASES A lease between a landlord and a tenant is a contract to rent property. Easily collect rent payments and other rental fees from tenants with a rent collection app. First, the landlord must send a notice to the tenant stating that personal property has been left behind with contact information for the landlord. If a mobile home is abandoned by the tenant(s) for a period of thirty days or more, the owner of the mobile home park or other person or persons responsible for the operation of the park may: Enter the mobile home and secure any appliances, furnishings, materials, supplies or other personal property therein and disconnect the mobile home from any utilities, Move the mobile home to a storage area within the mobile home park or to another location, Assess removal charges and storage charges against the former mobile home residents. Previous landlord/tenant judgments and/or current landlord/ tenant references will be checked. If youve decided that tenants should pay for their own utilities, then this should be stated in the lease agreement. Once the utilities have been shut off, the situation may become more complicated. 250.101 - 250.510-B . If you just want to browse through the Pennsylvania landlord-tenant law, you can find state statutes at 68 Pa. Cons. See Utility Shut-Offs. There is no legal requirement for late fees. Do late fees need to be in the written rental agreement? See Q and A Eviction: My Landlord Has Threatened to Lock Me Out. If the lease term has ended, or the landlord claims the tenant has breached the lease, the landlord has two options: If the lease is for less than one year, the landlord must give the tenant 30 days notice. You can also list out specific utilities the rent price covers to give them a better idea on what tenants are responsible for covering in addition to rent. The attorney listings on this site are paid attorney advertising. Find outhow to decide if you should allow pets in your rental property. But right now, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia have some moratoriums against shutting off utilities due to nonpayment because of the coronavirus. It is more difficult to get service turned back on after shut off. Any sublet that does not comply with the lease clause will constitute a breach of lease and could potentially result in eviction. Do landlords have to pay interest on security deposits in Pennsylvania? There is no required grace period. We receive a high volume of calls each day. 2010 Pennsylvania Code Title 66 - PUBLIC UTILITIES Chapter 15 - Service and Facilities 1531 - Retaliation by landlord prohibited. The tenant then has 10 days from the notice date to contact the landlord. Generally, Pennsylvania landlord-tenant law is landlord friendly. Ann. The tenant may be responsible for electric and gas while the landlord is responsible for water and sewer. Landlord-tenant laws differ by state. Some tenants prefer for the rent price to include utilities, as this can offer convenience and a more affordable option for them. Let us know what you think of our site or make requests for new content. Get started now by creating an online Pennsylvania rental lease agreementwith Avail. (July 2, 1993, P.L.379, No.54, eff. If you do not believe a utility is providing a payment term you can report them to the Public Utility Commission (PUC) at, Show that you paid your bill or show that there is a disagreement (dispute) about your bill. In Pennsylvania, it is illegal for the landlord to retaliate against a tenant who has exercised a legal right, including, complaining to a government agency, such as a building or health inspector, about unsafe or illegal living conditions assembling and presenting your views collectivelyfor example, by joining or organizing a tenant union, or His work has also appeared inPhiladelphia magazine andTechnical.lyPhilly. x\Ks WA,BM4^+-UV*C{=#ummH@ [r)_=}?*S~~:W%2iB~N+b1{S|TYs >R+x=2 Generally, issues impacting utilities are categorized as a maintenance issue that the landlord will need to help with resolving. If your rental property offers utilities your tenants will use, then you may be wondering who should cover any associated fees. Subleasing occurs when the original tenant rents the unit to another individual. If you have not paid, or if you are behind in paying, your utility bills, the utility company can shut off the service to your rental property after giving proper notice. See mold pamphlet here. A written lease may state how many days of notice must be given by the landlord before the landlord can evict. !,ze&G;]Vv')0h-*&mCnLa931mixMUDF?g::Xc&n=1vo!fN5EUDXBc0BEI`:Wa|? b]Rt!!\S}gXg0F|{pZ.!Y*( Y'Zj,iM&hbk 75|k-;*sh,yuL`ZmxTws`XwvrE.Xu It must also be in good repair pursuant to the landlords impliedwarranty of habitability, an implied right in every written or oral residential lease. The utility company should not allow the tenant to be billed for the service until it is confirmed that the wiring has been corrected. In most instances, the tenant will be responsible for handling the bills for each utility. Pennsylvania Security Deposit Limit and Return Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Utility Disclosure: A landlord who has expressly or impliedly agreed in the lease to furnish and pay for water, gas, or electric service to the tenants dwelling is liable to the tenant if the utility company has cut off utility service to the tenants dwelling. One method many landlords and property managers use to charge their tenants for utilities is including the estimated cost in the monthly rent. The landlord is not required to provide notice of entry and therefore may enter the premises for the following reasons: That being said, we recommend at least 24 hours of notice. He grew up in Delaware County's Morton borough and has a degree in journalism from Temple University. But changing the name may be complicated, depending on the situation, and your landlord could fight the change, Ballenger says. In Pennsylvania, the landlord may impose certain penalties if the tenant violates the terms of the rental agreement by subleasing the premises. What are the general lease provisions in Pennsylvania? In Pennsylvania, tenants are allowed to withhold rent when a Government agency or department certifies that the premises are uninhabitable. If the tenant wins, the tenant is legally entitled to stay on the premises. In Philadelphia, the Utility Service Tenants Rights Act applies to the water bill from the Philadelphia Water Department, while the Discontinuance of Service to Leased Premises Act applies to bills from Peco and Philadelphia Gas Works. Furthermore, the tenant may bring a cause of action against the landlord based on retaliatory eviction, which occurs when the tenant believes he or she is being evicted out of retaliation. The U.S. Code is the starting place for most federal statutory research. However, if the tenant fails to pay rent 10 days after rent is due, the landlord is allowed to declare the tenant in default under the lease agreement or accept the rent and the appropriate late fee. Nick Vadala is a staff writer for the Inquirer, writing about arts, travel, food and drink, and civics. See State Laws on Unconditional Quit Terminations and State Laws on Termination for Violation of Lease for details on these types of termination notices in Pennsylvania. Find Plainfield New Jersey Landlord & Tenant attorneys near you. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. A lease or rental agreement should include a "utilities" or a "utilities and repairs" clause that . 68 P.S. State law regulates several rent-related issues, including how much time (10 days in Pennsylvania) a tenant has to pay overdue rent or move before a landlord can file for eviction. 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