Pennsylvania Tenants
A professional demand letter citing Pennsylvania's security deposit law (68 P.S. § 250.512), the 30-day return deadline, and the double-damages penalty for wrongful withholding. Ready in minutes.
Deadline
30 days
to return your deposit after move-out
Penalty
2× damages
of the amount exceeding actual damages
Statute
§ 250.512
Pennsylvania Landlord and Tenant Act
Under 68 P.S. § 250.512, your landlord has 30 days — measured from the termination of your lease OR from surrender and acceptance of the premises, whichever occurs FIRST — to return your security deposit or provide a written, itemized list of any deductions for damages.
If the landlord fails to provide that written list and refund within 30 days, the landlord loses the right to keep any of the deposit and becomes liable for double the amount wrongfully withheld:
So a $1,500 deposit wrongfully withheld can support a court judgment of $3,000. Most landlords settle quickly once they realize you know the law.
Good to know: Pennsylvania caps deposits at two months’ rent in the first year and one month’s rent thereafter (no increase after five years).
The forwarding-address rule is strict (§ 250.512(e)): Pennsylvania requires you to give your landlord your new address IN WRITING when the lease terminates or you surrender the premises. If you did not, § 250.512(e) relieves the LANDLORD from all liability under the section — not just the double-damages penalty, but the itemized list and the refund duty as well. Because the statute ties this duty to move-out, a demand letter sent afterward states your address for the record but cannot revive a right that was already lost. Our form asks whether you gave one, so your letter reflects your actual position rather than assuming the best case.
Every letter follows the structure courts expect — your facts, the statute, a specific demand, and a deadline. Here's the skeleton; the generator fills the brackets from your answers and computes Pennsylvania's deadlines under § 250.512.
[Date]
[Your name]
[Your forwarding address]
[Landlord's name and address]
RE: Security Deposit — Formal Demand for Return of $[Amount]
I am the former tenant of [rental property address]. You accepted a security deposit of $[Amount], and my tenancy ended on [move-out date]. My forwarding address for return of the deposit is stated above, which I am providing to you in writing.
Under § 250.512, you were required to [return the deposit or provide an itemized statement] within [the statutory period]. That period has passed, and you have done neither. [The specific consequence Pennsylvania law attaches, cited by section.]
I demand return of $[Amount] no later than [deadline]. If I do not receive it, I am prepared to pursue all remedies available under [statute], including filing suit in the appropriate court.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Some cities layer their own security deposit rules on top of state law — and some don't. Here's where Pennsylvania's major cities stand.
30 days after you move out.
No written list within 30 days forfeits all right to withhold; failure to pay the difference within 30 days makes the landlord liable for double the amount by which the deposit exceeds actual damages under § 250.512(c), with the landlord bearing the burden of proving those damages.
68 P.S. § 250.512 and 68 P.S. § 250.511a. We verify these against the statute text itself; the date we last checked is shown on this page.
Philadelphia has local ordinance rules on top of (or instead of) the state default.
Sources & verification
The Pennsylvania rules on this page were verified against the statute text itself:
Last verified against primary sources on .
How we verify this →Laws change. If you spot something out of date, tell us at support@gettenantshield.com and we'll correct it.
Properly formatted, addressed to your landlord by name, citing the exact Pennsylvania statutes that apply to your situation.
68 P.S. § 250.512, § 250.511a, and any others triggered by your circumstances — not generic legalese.
The letter computes the exact dollar amount you're entitled to demand based on your deposit and the deductions at issue.
Download instantly, print, sign, and send via USPS Certified Mail with Return Receipt.
Most Pennsylvania landlords return the deposit within days of receiving a properly drafted demand letter.
Generate my letter — $39