Philadelphia Landlord Rules

Rental license and Certificate of Rental Suitability

Rental license

Required for every rented dwelling unit, including single-family homes and condos (Phila. Code §9-3902). One license covers all units in a building. The fee is $69 per unit, with no fee for owner-occupied units, and the license must be renewed every year. Renewing more than 60 days late adds 1.5% of the fee for each month since expiration. Letting a family member live in a unit rent-free requires a notarized Affidavit of Non-Rental instead.

Before you can get a license

You need a Commercial Activity License (or an Activity License Number if you live in a building with 4 or fewer units), zoning approval, proof of legal occupancy, no open L&I violations, current City taxes, and a lead certificate or lead exemption on file with the Health Department. An owner who does not live in or keep a business office in Philadelphia must name a managing agent who does.

No license, no rent

An owner without a valid rental license cannot collect rent or recover possession for the period of noncompliance (Phila. Code §9-3901(4), §9-3902). An eviction complaint must attach the license for each month of rent claimed. From November 1, 2026, tenants can also sue for a refund of rent paid while the owner was noncompliant plus actual damages or $1,000 per violation, whichever is greater. Late renewals get a 15-day grace period (Bill No. 250329-AA).

Certificate of Rental Suitability

At the start of each new tenancy, give the tenant a Certificate of Rental Suitability issued by L&I no more than 60 days before the tenancy begins, a copy of your signed suitability attestation, and the City’s Partners in Good Housing handbook (Phila. Code §9-3903). The certificate is free through eCLIPSE but is issued only when the property is licensed and has no open violations. Without it, you cannot collect rent or evict for that period. L&I advises getting a new certificate at each lease renewal as well.

New duties from November 1, 2026

Within 7 days of receiving a new or renewed rental license, post it where all tenants can see it or deliver a copy to each tenant personally or by certified mail, together with a restatement of the no-license, no-rent rule (§9-3901(4)(h)). Email is allowed for 1–2 unit properties if the tenant consents in writing. A tenant may request a current certificate once every 90 days, and you must provide one within 10 days. An eviction filing must include a certificate issued no more than 30 days before enrollment (Bill No. 250329-AA).

Rent increases and retaliation

Rent control

None. Philadelphia does not limit the amount of a rent increase.

Rent increase notice

Written notice at least 60 days before the increase for tenancies of 1 year or more, and at least 30 days for shorter tenancies, including month-to-month. The notice must state the amount of the increase, its effective date and the new rent, and be delivered by hand or by first-class mail with proof of mailing (Phila. Code §9-804(11)(a)). A longer period in the lease controls. Properties under HUD jurisdiction are excluded.

Tenant notice of non-renewal

For tenancies of 1 year or more, a tenant who receives timely notice of a rent increase and will not renew must tell the landlord in writing within 30 days of receiving it (Phila. Code §9-804(11)(b)).

Retaliation

You cannot raise rent, end or change a lease, or refuse to lease in retaliation for code complaints, violations found, joining a tenant organization or exercising a legal right. If you act within 1 year after a violation is found or the tenant exercises a right, you must prove the action was not retaliatory (Phila. Code §9-804(2)). From November 1, 2026, tenants may recover actual damages or $1,000 per violation, up to triple for willful violations, plus attorney’s fees.

Deposits and fees

Security deposit cap

Same as state law: 2 months’ rent in the first year and 1 month after (Phila. Code §9-804(4), adopting 68 P.S. §250.511a). A tenant charged too much or whose deposit is unlawfully kept can recover actual damages or statutory damages of 1 month’s rent, plus attorney’s fees.

Deposit installments

If the first-year deposit is more than 1 month’s rent, the tenant may choose to pay 1 month up front and the rest in 3 equal monthly payments starting the month after the tenancy begins. The total cannot differ from a lump-sum deposit. Landlords with 2 or fewer units, counted across all related entities, are exempt. In effect since December 2025 for leases signed or renewed after September 3, 2025 (Phila. Code §9-804(4), Bill No. 250044-A).

Application fees

The only fee you may charge an applicant is for a background or credit check, capped at the actual cost or $50, whichever is less. Charge no more than one fee per applicant in any 12 months across all your properties, do not run a hard credit pull, and give the applicant a copy of any report (Phila. Code §9-813, in effect since December 2025).

Late fees

No enacted Philadelphia cap on late fee amounts was found as of October 2026, so the state reasonableness standard applies. State the fee and any grace period in the lease. A bill pending in City Council (No. 250101) would bar late fees on rent lawfully withheld for repairs.

Tenant screening and fair housing

Screening criteria

Before accepting an application or fee, give applicants your written screening criteria. Assess each applicant individually. You cannot reject an applicant based only on a credit score, a tenant screening score or an eviction record (Renters’ Access Act, Phila. Code §9-810 and §9-1108).

Eviction records you cannot use

Evictions 4 or more years old, sealed records, cases that did not end in judgment for the landlord, cases withdrawn or settled, judgments by agreement, and cases filed during the COVID-19 emergency period (Phila. Code §9-810).

Rejecting an applicant

Within 3 business days, give written reasons and copies of any third-party reports you relied on. The applicant has 48 hours to say they will dispute and 7 business days to send evidence. Landlords with 5 or more Philadelphia units must then offer an applicant who shows they can meet the tenancy terms the next comparable unit. Owners with 4 or fewer units are exempt from that offer.

Source of income

Philadelphia’s Fair Practices Ordinance bars refusing or treating tenants differently based on lawful source of income, including Housing Choice (Section 8) vouchers (Phila. Code ch. 9-1100). Since December 4, 2024, advertising or saying that vouchers are not accepted is illegal, and voucher paperwork must be completed promptly. The Commission on Human Relations enforces it.

Good cause, eviction diversion and court

Good cause through October 31, 2026

You cannot end or decline to renew a lease of less than 1 year, including month-to-month, without good cause. Good cause includes unpaid or habitually late rent, a material lease breach, nuisance, substantial damage, refusing access after written notice, refusing a renewal on similar terms, or an owner or family member moving in. Give the reasons in writing at least 30 days ahead, by hand or first-class mail with proof of mailing. Otherwise the lease renews month-to-month (Phila. Code §9-804(12)).

Good cause from November 1, 2026

Good cause applies at the end of every lease, whatever its length. Notices to vacate, non-renewals, Notices of Diversion Rights and eviction filings all count as actions to end a tenancy. Written reasons must follow the rent-increase schedule: at least 60 days for tenancies of 1 year or more, 30 days for shorter ones. A sale to a buyer who will live in the unit is good cause with 60 days’ notice and copies of the sale documents. The rule does not apply when the landlord lives in the same unit (Bill No. 250330-AA).

Eviction Diversion Program

Before filing any residential eviction, send the tenant the City’s Notice of Diversion Rights, enroll in the Eviction Diversion Program, and take part in good faith for at least 30 days (Phila. Code §9-811). The program was made permanent in June 2024. The only exception is an eviction needed to stop an imminent threat of harm. An active rental license is required to apply.

Where to file

Evictions are heard in Philadelphia Municipal Court, not by a Magisterial District Judge. The complaint must attach the notice to quit, the rental license for each month of rent claimed, the Certificate of Rental Suitability, the diversion program questionnaire and the lease, and state whether a lead certificate was given. State notice-to-quit periods (10 days for unpaid rent) still apply.

Lockouts

Changing locks, removing doors, shutting off utilities or forcing a tenant out without a court order is illegal (Phila. Code §9-804, ch. 9-1600). Police will order a locked-out tenant let back in if the landlord cannot show a lawful eviction.

Right to counsel

Tenants with income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level in 10 ZIP codes (19121, 19124, 19131, 19132, 19134, 19139, 19141, 19144, 19153, 19154) are entitled to a free lawyer in eviction cases, as of April 2026.

Lead, heat and safety

Lead certification

For units built before March 1978, give the tenant a current lead-safe or lead-free certificate before the lease is signed and upload it, with the dust-wipe results, to the Health Department portal (Phila. Code ch. 6-800). This applies to every new lease, lease renewal, and rental license issuance or renewal, whether or not children live in the unit. A lead-safe certificate must rest on an inspection done within the prior 4 years. Lead-free certificates do not expire. Units built after February 1978 must file an exemption. Without it, the rental license cannot be issued or renewed.

Heat and hot water

In buildings with 2 or more units where the landlord supplies heat, keep each unit at 68°F from October 1 through April 30, and in May and September when the outdoor temperature drops below 60°F. Hot water must be 110–125°F (Philadelphia Property Maintenance Code).

Smoke and CO alarms

One- and two-family rentals need smoke alarms that are hardwired or use sealed 10-year batteries, near the bedrooms and on every level, plus CO alarms outside each sleeping area (battery or plug-in allowed in buildings built before 2010). Non-sprinklered apartment buildings cannot rely on battery-only smoke alarms. Most buildings with 3 or more units need a fire alarm system inspected and certified every year.

Bed bugs

Before leasing, give the tenant the City’s bed bug notice and a written statement of any infestation in the past 120 days, and keep a bed bug control plan (Phila. Code §9-4802).

Repairs and rent abatement from November 1, 2026

Repairs must be made in a reasonably timely manner. An L&I violation that is past its cure date and not under appeal creates a presumption that you breached the warranty of habitability, and the tenant can claim rent abatement. An unfixed unsafe, unfit or imminently dangerous violation allows full abatement, and leaving one uncorrected for 30 days also blocks rent collection. Post those violation notices for tenants at least 24 hours before the cure deadline unless fixed, and give 24 hours’ notice before entering for non-emergency repairs (Phila. Code §9-816, §9-3901(4), §9-3903).

Required disclosures

Local notices and disclosures in Philadelphia

• Certificate of Rental Suitability issued no more than 60 days before the tenancy starts, with the owner’s signed attestation (Phila. Code §9-3903)
• Partners in Good Housing handbook (City of Philadelphia, L&I)
• Lead-safe or lead-free certificate for units built before March 1978, given before the lease is signed (Phila. Code ch. 6-800)
• Bed bug informational notice and written 120-day infestation history (Phila. Code §9-4802)
• Voter registration information (link to the City Commissioners’ How to Register page)
• Building smoking policy, for buildings with 3 or more units
• Written tenant screening criteria, before accepting an application or fee (Phila. Code §9-1108)
• Written rent increase notice, 60 days ahead for tenancies of 1 year or more or 30 days for shorter ones (Phila. Code §9-804(11))
• Notice of Diversion Rights before any eviction (Phila. Code §9-811)
• Copy of the rental license with the no-license, no-rent restatement, within 7 days of issuance or renewal (from November 1, 2026)