The lease agreement should also state if theyre responsible for setting up those utilities once moved in or include the utility fees in their rent payments. This is a summary of Pennsylvania Landlord-Tenant laws that apply to residential (non-commercial) rentals. Is there a legal requirement for late fees in Pennsylvania? Ask us using the form at the bottom of this article. There are no provisions regarding rent control in Pennsylvania. Click here for a standard sublease template in Pennsylvania. If the tenant contacts the landlord within the 10-day period, the landlord must allow the tenant. Pennsylvania Accepting Applications for Homeowner Assistance Fund, Custody Proceedings - Representing Yourself, Divorce Proceedings - Representing Yourself, Get the latest news items of interest to the legal aid community and it's clients on PALegalAid.Net. If your landlord isnt paying a bill and the utility threatens to shut it off, you have some specific rights under state law. The landlord is not required to collect a security deposit from the tenant. Your landlord is not legally allowed to interfere with your utility service, even if you are behind in your rent. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. It must also be in good repair pursuant to the landlords impliedwarranty of habitability, an implied right in every written or oral residential lease. State and Local Government on the Net and Municode are good sources for finding local governments online. %PDF-1.4 Dealing with Abandoned Belongings If there are tenant's belongings left on the property after the lease has terminated OR the tenant has abandoned the property, the landlord must send the tenant a written notice by first mail informing him or her of the belongings. 2001 - 2023, Pro Bono Net, All Rights Reserved. % Mg*?S~# wD6Zdr
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B qm_o See Q and A Eviction: My Landlord Has Threatened to Lock Me Out. Pennsylvania is Now Accepting Applications for the Homeowner Assistance Fund, PUC Offers Winter Storm Utility Safety Tips, Department Of Human Services Highlights New State Child Care Tax Credit Available To Help Working Families, PUC and PA Department of Human Services Kick Off Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Season, Consumer Alert: What Pennsylvanians Need to Know about the New Debt Collection Regulation Set to Take Effect 11/30/21, If your landlord pays the utility bills, but stops making payment to a utility company, a law called the Utility Service Tenants Rights Act requires the utility company to give you a chance to stop your utility service from being discontinued, [A utility includes the gas and electric companies, and most municipal water/sewer authorities (service must be provided beyond the municipalities' corporate limits), but not to Rural Cooperatives.]. If necessary, call the Public Utility Commission at 1-800-692-7380. Compare top rated Burnham rental lawyer profiles with awards, ratings & customer reviews. However, including utilities in rent will require your assistance if they ever experience issues with utilities. ZN;p)h*Hc0g/Ra &9,\jX?08bCL>w0_c
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q\%eE7S8~ED3BFBy)(}3,CW=9&|=Z:unevN]2Ug>/OrWA$)gtSt5r/ UloX~g/a1)K_6oLznyI7Lb,Lb>w If you dispute your bill or disagree with the meter readings, you must notify the utility company and tell them that you dispute the bill. The medical certification can be renewed two additional times. See Pennsylvania Security Deposit Limits and Deadlines for more on the subject. In Pennsylvania, these often include: Landlord/tenant disputes, such as those related to rental rates, late or unpaid rent, security deposits, disagreements about the habitability of rental property, and other tenant rights and landlord rights . Read the Law: Md. The information provided on this site is not legal advice, does not constitute a lawyer referral service, and no attorney-client or confidential relationship is or will be formed by use of the site. These rights may not be waived by any provisions of a written rental agreement and the landlord may not charge any fee, service charge or additional rent to the tenant for exercising his rights under this act. We're currently seeking a Landlord Tenant/Collections Paralegal to work full-time in our corporate office. If youve decided that tenants should pay for their own utilities, then this should be stated in the lease agreement. You can also check local rental listings to see what other landlords are charging and if theyre including utilities. Please be aware that city and local laws can be more specific and should be followed in lieu of state laws. Federal law requires landlords to disclose known information on lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards before leases take effect. This article is part of our guide to tenants rights in Philadelphia. Therefore, you should consult an attorney before taking or refraining from any action based on the information in this pamphlet. how to decide if you should allow pets in your rental property, Philadelphia-specific residential lease here, Allow tenants to set up recurring payments, Track rental income and expenses in one place. What are the general lease provisions in Pennsylvania? Landlord Tenant Handbook Authored By: North Penn Legal Services Information This Handbook from North Penn Legal Services provides detailed information about renting a residence from a landlord from North Penn Legal Services (NPLS). Are interest payments required on deposits? However, even if you cannot pay the whole amount owed, you can take steps to keep your utility service on. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Below you will find references to Pennsylvanias Landlord-Tenant Act (1951) that govern rental properties and issues related to landlord-tenant law: Pennsylvania Landlord Tenant Act (1951). Find Blair County Pennsylvania Landlord & Tenant attorneys near you. !,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 The landlord must notify the tenant of the deductions within 30 days after the tenant has vacated the premises. Compare top rated Blair County rental lawyer profiles with awards, ratings & customer reviews. And the ability to contest inaccurate water bills are off limits because your landlord does not permit you to establish a customer relationship" with the water department. Tenants have similar rights and responsibilities as those listed for landlords. The landlord must give the tenant written notice of the reason for the eviction and the date that the landlord wants the tenant to vacate the premises. What happens if your landlord doesn't pay the water bill? 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. Thats a statutory right, Ballenger says. Legal issues related to real estate and the landlord/tenant relationship come in a variety of forms. Pennsylvania does not have any specific pet laws. If you need legal advice in the event that your landlord isnt paying bills for which they are responsible, Ballenger suggests reaching out for help. However, in Pennsylvania law, tenants who are victims of sexual assault or domestic violence are not protected. 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. Create a Philadelphia-specific residential lease here. 250.101 to 399.18. On one hand, requiring tenants to pay for utilities can alleviate the cost from you, but there are pros and cons to having rent including utilities. Several other landlord-tenant laws in Pennsylvania affect both property owners and renters, including: If you want to read the text of a law itself, such as state security deposit rules, you'll find citations in many of the articles and charts included in the State Landlord-Tenant Laws section of the Nolo site. * Once application is approved, the security deposit equal to one month's rent is due within 3 days, this "holds" the . Termination of utility services to the mobile home. All applicants and occupants 18 and over will be run through the PA Megan's Law database and criminal history will be checked. f^s+w_`Bh(pb! If the tenant wins, the tenant is legally entitled to stay on the premises. Is there a specific interest rate required? Weatherizing, locks, running water, working plumbing, heating and cooling, pest control, and other basics must be in place. Tenants are also protected if a landlord calls the water department and asks for service to the property to be turned off. 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. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Are there any specific required lease renewal provisions in Pennsylvania? Once the utilities have been shut off, the situation may become more complicated. That, Ballinger says, would be considered using the utility to evict you as a tenant, which is partly what state laws are trying to prevent. The landlord must supply the utility company with the names and addresses of the tenants so the utility can provide the tenant with notice. (July 2, 1993, P.L.379, No.54, eff. And if youre a tenant whose landlord hasnt been able to keep up with the bills in their name, that might be a little troubling. Compare top rated Smithmill rental lawyer profiles with awards, ratings & customer reviews. Landlords are required to distribute Truth in Renting to . But changing the name may be complicated, depending on the situation, and your landlord could fight the change, Ballenger says. His work has also appeared inPhiladelphia magazine andTechnical.lyPhilly. For details, see Pennsylvania Termination for Nonpayment of Rent, and Other Rent Rules. There is an anti-retaliation provision in the law that presumes illegal retaliation if an owner seeks to raise the rent or evict a tenant within 6 months of the tenant exercising their rights under the Pennsylvania Utility Code except in cases of nonpayment of rent. If the tenant is withholding rent, he or she tenant can elect to deposit rent into an escrow account rather than pay the landlord directly. The principal publication is Truth in Renting, which is available in both English and Spanish. Before making a decision, we outline everything to know about including rent with utilities, when it makes sense to have tenants pay the fees, and what to include in a lease agreement to ensure everyone is aligned. Copyright 2021 Tenant Union Representative Network. HiUpuT. There is no legal requirement for late fees. It does not store any personal data. Seek legal counsel as soon as possible if you do this. The U.S. Code is the starting place for most federal statutory research. In Philadelphia, the landlord-tenant law is governed by the Philadelphia Property Maintenance Code (Section PM-102.6.4). In Pennsylvania, the eviction process is outlined by the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951. The landlord must be given notice of defects and a reasonable opportunity to make repairs, but he does not have to promise to repair before the tenant withholds rent. 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. Click here for a standard sublease template in Pennsylvania. Under Pennsylvania law and the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), people with disabilities may bring their service animals to all public accommodations, such as government buildings, hotels, restaurants, stadiums, and stores. If your landlord isn't paying a bill and the utility threatens to shut it off, you have some specific rights under state law. If youve been renting a home or apartment for any amount of time, you know that its not uncommon for your landlord to have some utility bills in their name. That can cause issues for some tenants especially if you are low-income. Under Pennsylvania law, landlords must disclose specific information to tenants (usually in the lease or rental agreement), such as the name and address of the banking institution where the security deposit is kept. 2010 Pennsylvania Code Title 66 - PUBLIC UTILITIES Chapter 15 - Service and Facilities 1531 - Retaliation by landlord prohibited. Its also potentially risky to not have water flowing through your pipes, especially in the winter, so ensure everything works. The majority of our Pennsylvania landlords noted that they provide the tenant with at least 48-hours notice before entering the premises. Your rights as a tenant: Check out our tenants' rights guide. Code ( Section PM-102.6.4 ) your rights as a tenant: check out our tenants ' rights guide threatens! And Facilities 1531 - Retaliation by landlord prohibited entitled to stay on situation... Outlined by the landlord within the 10-day period, the tenant July 2,,! 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