Landlord & tenant · Pennsylvania
the short answer
Your landlord has 30 days to send a written list of any damages and return the rest. No list inside 30 days, and the landlord loses both the right to keep anything and the right to sue you for damage. Money still unpaid after 30 days can be worth double.
source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.
governing statute
68 Pa. Stat. § 250.512
source ↗Checked against the statute on 2026-08-19
deadline
30 days
source ↗Checked against the statute on 2026-08-19
Across the country. 23 of the 47 states written up answer this the same way as Pennsylvania. The shortest is 14 days, as in Alaska; the longest is 60 days, as in Alabama. Compare every state →
penalty
Unpaid after 30 days: double the amount by which the escrow exceeds actual damages. No written list within 30 days: the landlord forfeits all right to withhold anything, and to sue you for damage to the premises.
source ↗Checked against the statute on 2026-08-19
which court
Magisterial district court
source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.
small claims limit
$12,000
source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.
your situation
Everything above is the law as it reaches everyone in Pennsylvania. What it means for you turns on facts only you have. Tell us what happened and we'll ask the same questions a lawyer would — about 90 seconds, free, and anonymous.
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