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Issues a tenant can face: The landlord can ask you to evict the property anytime. The landlord can increase the rent anytime. A tenant cannot apply for tax exemption via HRA if they don't have a rent agreement. Rent agreement is an admissible piece of evidence in the court.

If you're having a dispute with your landlord about access to your apartment, here are some places you can go for advice: Philly Tenant Hotline, 267-443-2500. Community Legal Services, 215-981-3700. If you feel your rights are being violated, you can file a complant with the Philadelphia Fair Housing Commission.

Rent and Payment laws It's common for landlords to charge a percentage of the rent (for instance, 5% of the monthly rent) as a late fee. There is no limit in Pennsylvania on how much you can charge as a late rent fee. There is no grace period for the late fee, and it should be clearly stated in the lease agreement.

"Pennsylvania law limits the amount of security deposit a landlord can demand. During the first year of the lease, the security deposit cannot be more than two months' rent. A landlord might ask the tenant to pay a security deposit plus “the last month”.

How Much Can a Landlord Raise Rent in Pennsylvania? Pennsylvania has no statewide legislation regarding rent control, so you can increase rent as much as you see fit. However, you cannot raise the rent in retaliation because the tenant exercised a legal right or filed a complaint of discrimination.

Rent and Late fees There is no statutes regarding late fees in Pennsylvania, but most landlords do charge them. If a tenant hasn't paid rent 10 days after its due date, a landlord is allowed to declare a lease violation and require an appropriate late fee.

Here are some tips on setting rental late fees: In Philadelphia, we are not allowed to charge over 10% of the monthly rent as a late fee. So the rental late fee for a $1000 a month rental can't be more than $100. The lease also stipulates “how” rental payments are to be made.