A Pennsylvania 15-day notice to quit is the written notice a landlord must give before filing to evict a tenant whose lease runs one year or less (including month-to-month) when the lease has expired or the tenant has broken a lease term other than paying rent. Under 68 P.S. ยง 250.501, no eviction complaint can be filed until this notice has been properly served and the 15 days have run.1Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code – The Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951
When the 15-Day Notice Is the Right One
Two situations trigger the 15-day period, and both require that the lease be for one year or less or have no fixed end date:
- The lease term has ended and the landlord does not intend to renew.
- The tenant has violated a lease condition other than failing to pay rent.
Most month-to-month tenancies fall into the “no set end date” category, so the 15-day notice is the default for ending them.1Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code – The Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951
When a Different Notice Period Applies
The 15-day window is wrong for several common situations. Using the wrong notice period is one of the fastest ways to lose at the hearing, so confirm your facts before you draft.
Nonpayment of rent. Pennsylvania requires a 10-day notice for unpaid rent, no matter how long the lease is. The shorter window reflects that the tenant already knew rent was due.1Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code – The Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951
Leases longer than one year. If the lease term exceeds one year, the notice period is 30 days, whether the ground is expiration or a lease violation other than nonpayment.1Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code – The Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951
Mobile home park spaces. Mobile home parks follow their own schedule. A lease of less than one year requires 30 days’ notice for expiration or non-rent violations, and a lease of one year or more requires three months. For unpaid rent, the notice period is seasonal: 15 days if served between April 1 and September 1, and 30 days if served between September 1 and April 1. These rules do not reach apartments or houses.1Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code – The Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951
Federally subsidized housing. Public housing, project-based rental assistance, and other HUD-covered properties operate under a federal floor that can override state timelines. As of early 2026, HUD rules require a 30-day written notice before filing for eviction based on nonpayment at these properties, with specific content about the amount owed and how to seek hardship relief or emergency rental assistance. If your property receives federal subsidy, confirm which rule governs before relying on the state periods.
What the Notice Has to Say
The Landlord and Tenant Act does not prescribe a specific form, but the notice has to carry enough detail to be clear and enforceable. Include:
- The tenant’s full name.
- The complete property address, with the unit number if there is one.
- The reason for the notice: lease expiration or the specific lease violation.
- The date by which the tenant must vacate, calculated as 15 days after the date of service rather than the date the notice is written.
The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts publishes a standardized landlord/tenant complaint form, and local magisterial district court offices often keep notice-to-quit templates available as well.2Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. For the Public Starting from one of those templates reduces the risk of a drafting error that costs you the hearing.
How to Serve the Notice
Three methods of service are valid under the statute, and any one of them is enough on its own:1Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code – The Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951
- Personal service. Hand the notice directly to the tenant. The statute says “served personally on the tenant,” so handing it to a roommate, partner, or relative does not satisfy this method.
- Leaving it at the property. Leave the notice at the main building on the rented premises.
- Conspicuous posting. Post it in an obvious spot, such as the front door of the unit.
Document whatever you do. A timestamped photo of a posted notice, or a witness who watched you hand it over, can decide the case if the tenant later disputes service. A landlord who cannot prove proper service risks having the entire eviction thrown out at the hearing.
Counting the 15 Days
The clock starts on the date of service, not the date on the notice. If you serve on the 1st, the vacate date in the notice should be no earlier than the 16th. Build in an extra day or two if there is any ambiguity about when service occurred, since a notice calculated too tightly is a notice a judge can reject.
After the 15 Days Run
If the tenant has not left by the vacate date, the next step is filing a landlord/tenant complaint at the magisterial district court for the property’s location. In Philadelphia, these filings go through Municipal Court instead.3Philadelphia Municipal Court. Instruction Sheet for the Landlord and Tenant Form At that point the notice itself becomes evidence: bring the original, along with proof of how and when you served it, to the hearing. Without that paperwork, the complaint is vulnerable no matter how clear the underlying lease violation or expiration may be.