Make your Free Pennsylvania Eviction Notice

As a landlord or property manager in Pennsylvania, you can create a Pennsylvania Eviction Notice to inform tenants of impending legal action if they remain behind on past-due rent payments, fail to adhere to the terms of the lease that they signed, or do not leave the property as requested. This official legal notice may help to reiterate your expectations to the tenant and put the rental arrangement back on track. That said, in some cases, there is no resolution, and going to court is inevitable. Appropriate for every kind of residential property, this Eviction Notice for Pennsylvania can be used by any landlord with tenants in Allentown, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and in all of the other cities and towns across the Keystone State.

Under normal circumstances, yes, and you may draft a Pennsylvania Eviction Notice (specifically referred to as a 10-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit) to kick off the process. That said, as a result of the pandemic, a few limitations have been established. Despite the fact that the federal ban on eviction has been struck down, the state of Pennsylvania is able to maintain its own standards for residential evictions. Keep up with the current guidelines for Pennsylvania or talk to a lawyer for further advice.

If you intend to evict a tenant, you may opt to provide a Notice of Eviction first. Even if it isn't always legally mandated, this document can help you avoid court (as long as your tenant will comply.) Some of the most common circumstances in which you may want one are:

• The tenant is routinely late to pay their rent or payments have fallen behind schedule
• The tenant creates a nuisance or disturbs the quiet enjoyment of their neighbors
• The tenant is using your property illicitly
• The tenant has a dog or cat and your rental agreement forbids pets
• The tenant sublets your property against the rental terms
• The tenant has caused considerable damage

Outside of lease violations, tenants generally can be evicted by a property owner due to other reasons unrelated to their personal conduct, such as when the property owner plans to move back in. Please note that this list is not totally exhaustive and the legally permitted reasons for evicting a tenant may vary based on your specific city or municipality, among other determining factors. If you are having any doubts or questions with regard to Pennsylvania eviction laws, ask an attorney.

You can tap or click the button labeled "Make document" to take a closer look at the Pennsylvania Eviction Notice sample. Before getting started, you generally might want to prepare these critical details for a Notice to Vacate in Pennsylvania:

• The address and description of the property
• The contact information for the lessee
• How long the tenant has to fix the situation
• What lease provisions have not been upheld
• How many rent payments are overdue (if appropriate)

In the event that your tenant isn't at fault for the eviction, you are able to provide more details. With the Rocket Lawyer document tool, you are able to add more custom modifications, as necessary. It is critical to verify that all of the policies and terms that you mention are present in your rental agreement.

Eviction laws often evolve over time and the legal process and guidelines can be somewhat complex for a first-timer. In some cases, there are varying notice periods or other requirements depending on the reason for evicting the tenant and how long they have lived in the unit. Consequently, it's strongly recommended that every property owner contact an eviction lawyer before serving a Notice of Eviction.

All Rocket Lawyer document templates are drafted and vetted by lawyers and legal staff members, so regardless of your personal legal background, you are able to feel confident when using them to manage legal matters. Simply tell us a bit more about the situation in a step-by-step interview, and we'll handle the rest. This route will often be notably less expensive than finding and working with a conventional attorney.

In Pennsylvania, you file a complaint with the local Magisterial District court. Once you file, a court date will be scheduled. Court dates are usually within about two weeks of filing.

If you wish to understand the total cost of eviction, you will need to consider the fees associated with filing court documents, lawyer fees, the value of unrecovered payments, storage and/or cleaning fees, and the money and time you will spend looking for new tenants. The good news is that you won't have to pay hundreds of dollars in legal fees to have a Notice of Eviction made. Unlike most other eviction template websites that you might find elsewhere, Rocket Lawyer offers Premium membership holders up to a 40% discount when hiring a lawyer, so an attorney can represent you if you proceed with a lawsuit.

The duration of the eviction process for Pennsylvania tenants usually will depend on the amount of notice required, as well as the total volume of lawsuits being held at the same time. Here is a basic overview of Pennsylvania notice periods:

• Non-payment of rent: 10-day notice
• Rental contract violations: 15-day notice for lease terms of one year or less; 30-day notice for leases of more than one year
• No fault of the tenant(s): No notice is required by law

After your pre-defined notice period is over, the actual eviction can take 1 to 2 months. It is important to note that in particular types of housing, for instance where rent payments are subsidized, the mandated notice period may be even longer.

While you may opt to create a Notice of Eviction on your own, most landlords who bring tenants to court will hire a lawyer to represent them. Depending on whom you reach out to, some lawyers won't even agree to review your document if they were not the person who drafted it. A better approach to consider is to get help via Rocket Lawyer attorney services. By signing up for a Premium membership, you have the ability to request guidance from an On Call attorney with real estate experience or ask other legal questions related to your PA Eviction Notice. We're here to support you.

After completing your Pennsylvania Eviction Notice on Rocket Lawyer, you'll have the ability to access it in your account at any time and place. As a Rocket Lawyer member, you will be able to edit it, save it as a Word or PDF document, print it out, and/or make a copy of it when needed. You will need to sign and date it before it is served on the tenant(s). You can choose from several methods when serving the notice:

• Work with a professional process server
• Deliver it personally

It is important to remember that "self-help" or "DIY" evictions are not legal in Pennsylvania or any other state. You cannot remove belongings, turn off utilities, replace the locks, or otherwise attempt to intimidate the tenant to force them out. Acting lawfully before and throughout the eviction proceedings will put you in the best position to remove tenants successfully under a court order.