Tenant evictions are never fun processes to go through. When it becomes necessary to evict a tenant, the landlord will have to follow the related laws in Pennsylvania. Failure to follow the tenant eviction process can cause a landlord to suffer serious legal consequences.
Proper Notice
There are two reasons that a landlord may legally evict a tenant in Pennsylvania. If a tenant fails to pay rent, the landlord may evict them. Alternatively, if a tenant violates conditions laid out in the lease, the landlord will have grounds for eviction. The type of notice will depend on the offense. For failure to pay rent, a landlord must provide 10 day notice. This notice gives the tenant 10 days to either pay the due amount or vacate the premises. For failure to follow the lease agreement, the landlord must give 15 day notice if the lease term is less than one year or 30 day notice if the lease term is one year or more.
Failure to Comply
If the tenant does not comply with the notice by fixing the problem, paying rent, or vacating the premises, the landlord will be able to file a complaint to the court. The court will then set a hearing date. If the landlord wins the hearing, they must wait 11 days before filing an order of possession. The order of possession will indicate the date by which the tenant has to move out, which will be at least 10 days. On the day after this date, the landlord and sheriff or constable can change the locks and evict the tenant.
Evictions become necessary when tenants become a problem. Thorough tenant screening, however, can significantly limit the amount of evictions that become necessary. Here at Keyrenter, we follow a 13 point screening process to identify high-quality tenants that are unlikely to cause problems. To learn more about the steps of the eviction process in Pennsylvania, contact us at the Keyrenter in Main Line today!
