Pennsylvania Lockouts, Utility Shutoffs & Retaliation
Pennsylvania rules on lockouts, utility shutoffs & retaliation for renters and landlords, with the statute or official page behind each answer. Last verified: 2026-10-22.
Short answer: The Pennsylvania Attorney General's tenant guide states that landlord self-help eviction is prohibited: a landlord may not change the locks to remove a tenant and must instead give the required notice to quit and go through the court eviction process. PA Attorney General, Consumer Guide to Tenant and Landlord Rights; Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 §§ 501, 505.1
The rules in Pennsylvania
| Lockouts and illegal eviction | The Pennsylvania Attorney General's tenant guide states that landlord self-help eviction is prohibited: a landlord may not change the locks to remove a tenant and must instead give the required notice to quit and go through the court eviction process. Belongings left after a tenant moves out may be disposed of only under the Act's abandoned-property procedure, which requires written notice and a 10-day retrieval period (with up to 30 days of storage on request). Pennsylvania has no state law in the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 that sets statutory damages for an illegal lockout. Reviewed the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 (68 P.S. § 250.101 et seq.) on 2026-10-28; no provision found. |
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| Landlord shutting off utilities | The Pennsylvania Attorney General's tenant guide states that landlord self-help eviction is prohibited: a landlord may not shut off utility service to start an eviction and must use the court process. When a utility plans to cut service because the landlord did not pay the bill, the Utility Service Tenants Rights Act requires the utility to give tenants at least 30 days' notice, and tenants may pay the utility to keep or restore service and deduct those payments from rent. No statewide statutory damages amount for a landlord's utility shutoff was found in the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951. |
| Landlord retaliation | No general statewide anti-retaliation statute. Limited protections: a lease may not be terminated or non-renewed because of participation in a tenants' association (§ 205); retaliation for exercising rights under the Utility Service Tenants Rights Act is prohibited (68 P.S. § 399.11). AG guide confirms 'no general provision' prohibiting retaliation; some municipalities (e.g., Philadelphia Code § 9-804) prohibit it. No statutory presumption period. |
Related questions
Pennsylvania vs. neighboring states
| State | Lockouts and illegal eviction | Landlord shutting off utilities | Landlord retaliation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | The Pennsylvania Attorney General's tenant guide states that landlord self-help eviction is prohibited: a landlord may not change the locks to remove a tenant and must instead give the required notice to quit and go through the court eviction process. Belongings left after a tenant moves out may be disposed of only under the Act's abandoned-property procedure, which requires written notice and a 10-day retrieval period (with up to 30 days of storage on request). PA Attorney General, Consumer Guide to Tenant and Landlord Rights; Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 §§ 501, 505.1 | The Pennsylvania Attorney General's tenant guide states that landlord self-help eviction is prohibited: a landlord may not shut off utility service to start an eviction and must use the court process. When a utility plans to cut service because the landlord did not pay the bill, the Utility Service Tenants Rights Act requires the utility to give tenants at least 30 days' notice, and tenants may pay the utility to keep or restore service and deduct those payments from rent. PA Attorney General, Consumer Guide to Tenant and Landlord Rights; 68 P.S. §§ 399.6, 399.7, 399.9 (as described in the guide) | No general statewide anti-retaliation statute. Limited protections: a lease may not be terminated or non-renewed because of participation in a tenants' association (§ 205); retaliation for exercising rights under the Utility Service Tenants Rights Act is prohibited (68 P.S. § 399.11). 68 P.S. § 250.205; 68 P.S. § 399.11 (per AG guide) |
| Delaware | If a landlord or the landlord's agent removes or excludes a tenant from the rental without a valid court order, the tenant may recover possession or end the lease. The tenant may also recover the greater of triple damages or three times the daily rent for the period of exclusion, plus court costs (but not attorneys' fees). 25 Del. C. § 5313 | A landlord may not cut off or terminate utility service because the tenant has not paid rent or utility charges or has otherwise breached the lease. If the landlord substantially fails to provide hot water, heat, water or electricity for 48 hours or more after notice, the tenant may end the lease immediately by written notice or keep two-thirds of the daily rent for the period of the outage; if the tenant stays and the failure continues, the tenant may instead get substitute housing (rent abates and the landlord owes extra costs up to half the abated rent) or withhold two-thirds of the daily rent, and may still recover damages beyond the amount withheld. 25 Del. C. §§ 5312(e), 5308 | Landlord may not seek possession, force the tenant out, raise rent, or cut services after the tenant in good faith complains of a code violation, a government agency cites a violation, the tenant organizes or leads a tenant organization, or the tenant pursues a legal remedy. Rebuttable presumption if the adverse action is within 90 days. Tenant recovers the greater of 3 months' rent or treble damages, plus costs (not attorney fees). 25 Del. C. § 5516 |
| Maryland | A landlord may not take or threaten to take possession of a home from a tenant (or holdover tenant) by locking the tenant out or any other action. A landlord may retake possession only under a court warrant of restitution executed by a sheriff or constable, or if the tenant has abandoned or surrendered the unit. A tenant who wins can recover actual damages and reasonable attorney's fees and costs, and other remedies remain available. A landlord may take temporary steps such as changing locks to secure an unsecured unit if it makes good-faith efforts to notify the tenant that the tenant can promptly be restored to possession. Md. Code, Real Prop. §8-216 | A landlord may not take or threaten to take possession of a home by 'willful diminution of services' - intentionally interrupting or causing the interruption of heat, running water, hot water, electricity or gas to force the tenant out. A tenant who wins can recover actual damages plus reasonable attorney's fees and costs, and these remedies are not exclusive (Real Prop. §8-216). It is not a violation for a landlord to stop paying for utilities after a final court order awarding possession, if the tenant got reasonable notice and a chance to open an account in the tenant's own name. Where the lease requires the landlord to pay the utility bill, a tenant who pays the utility (or a deposit for new service) may deduct those payments from rent (§8-212.3). Md. Code, Real Prop. §8-216; §8-212.3 | Landlord may not bring or threaten a possession action, arbitrarily raise rent or reduce services, or terminate a periodic tenancy because the tenant made a good-faith complaint (to the landlord or a public agency) about a lease/law violation or a substantial health or safety threat, sued or testified in a suit involving the landlord, joined a tenants' organization, or called police/emergency services. Remedy: damages up to 3 months' rent plus reasonable attorney's fees and costs. Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-208.1 |
| New Jersey | Self-help eviction is banned. No one may enter or hold a home occupied solely as a residence without the occupant's consent except through court eviction process; a person who does so is a disorderly person. Padlocking or changing locks, putting a tenant's belongings outside, or turning the tenant out by force or threats is a 'forcible entry and detainer,' a disorderly persons offense if continued after a warning from police or another official. A tenant who wins an unlawful entry and detainer case gets possession plus all damages caused, court costs, and reasonable attorney's fees; if returning possession is inappropriate, the court awards treble damages instead. N.J.S.A. 2A:39-1, 2A:39-2, 2A:39-8; N.J.S.A. 2C:33-11.1 | No. Shutting off, or causing to be shut off, vital services such as heat, electricity, or water in an effort to regain possession is a 'forcible entry and detainer.' A person who does so after being warned by police or another public official that it is illegal, or who refuses to restore the occupant immediately, commits a disorderly persons offense; a second conviction within five years is a fourth-degree crime. Displaced lawful occupants may re-enter with a police officer present. N.J.S.A. 2C:33-11.1 | A landlord may not serve a notice to quit, sue for possession, or substantially change the tenancy (including refusing to renew without cause) as a reprisal for the tenant: trying to secure or enforce rights under the lease or law; making a good-faith complaint to a government authority about a health or safety violation (after first notifying the landlord and allowing reasonable time to fix it); or organizing, joining, or taking part in a lawful organization. The tenant wins the possession case if reprisal is shown, and may sue for damages and injunctive relief. N.J.S.A. 2A:42-10.10 to -10.13 |
| New York | Self-help eviction is unlawful. Except under a warrant of eviction, other court order, or government vacate order, no one may evict or try to evict a lawful occupant of 30 days or more (or a leaseholder) by force or threat, by removing their belongings or the entrance door, by disabling or changing the lock without giving a key, or by other acts meant to force them out. Intentional violation is a class A misdemeanor, each violation carries a civil penalty of $1,000 to $10,000, and the owner must take reasonable steps to restore the occupant or face up to $100 a day more (up to six months). N.Y. RPAPL § 768 | No. It is unlawful to evict or try to evict an occupant who has lawfully occupied a dwelling unit for 30 consecutive days or more (or has a lease) by a course of conduct that interferes with the occupant's comfort, peace, or quiet, including interrupting or discontinuing essential services. Intentional violation is a class A misdemeanor, and each violation also carries a civil penalty of $1,000 to $10,000. Separately, a landlord or building staff who willfully fails to provide water, heat, light, power, elevator, telephone, or other service required by the lease commits a violation. N.Y. RPAPL § 768; N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235 | Landlord may not serve a notice to quit, sue for possession, or substantially alter the tenancy (including refusing to renew or an unreasonable rent increase) because the tenant made a good-faith complaint to the landlord or a government agency about health/safety, habitability, or housing law violations, took good-faith action to enforce lease or legal rights, or joined a tenants' organization. Retaliation is presumed if the action occurs within one year after the protected act. N.Y. RPL § 223-b |
| Ohio | A residential landlord may not lock a tenant out or take any other step to exclude the tenant (self-help eviction) except through the court process in Chapters 1923, 5303 and 5321; this applies even after the tenant's right to possession has ended. The landlord also may not seize a tenant's furniture or belongings to collect rent without a court order. A landlord who violates these rules is liable for all damages caused plus reasonable attorney's fees. Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.15 | A residential landlord may not cut off utilities or services to force a tenant out, even a tenant whose right to stay has ended; the landlord must use the court eviction process. A landlord who does so is liable in a civil lawsuit for all damages caused to the tenant plus reasonable attorney's fees. Separately, the landlord must supply running water, reasonable hot water and reasonable heat (with limited exceptions). Ohio Rev. Code §§ 5321.15(A), (C); 5321.04(A)(6) | Landlord may not raise rent, reduce services, or bring/threaten an eviction action because the tenant complained to a government agency about a code violation materially affecting health and safety, complained to the landlord about a § 5321.04 violation, or joined with other tenants to negotiate with the landlord. Tenant may use retaliation as a defense, recover possession or terminate, and recover actual damages and attorney's fees. Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.02 |
| West Virginia | Not verified yet | West Virginia's landlord-tenant statutes have no provision that specifically bans a landlord from shutting off utilities to force a tenant out or that sets damages for it. Separately, landlords of units with direct public utility connections must supply running water, reasonable hot water at all times, and reasonable heat from October 1 through the end of April (unless the tenant controls those systems). W. Va. Code § 37-6-30(a)(7); Ch. 37 Arts. 6 and 6A, Ch. 55 Art. 3A (reviewed) | No retaliation statute with protected-act list or presumption period. Retaliatory eviction is a recognized defense: the official answer form lists 'action was filed in retaliation for complaints I made about the premises', and § 55-3A-3(g) preserves possession on appeal in retaliatory-eviction cases. W. Va. Code § 55-3A-3(g); Magistrate Court form MLTAWWO |
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Pennsylvania Lockouts, Utility Shutoffs & Retaliation FAQ
Can a landlord change the locks without a court order in Pennsylvania?
The Pennsylvania Attorney General's tenant guide states that landlord self-help eviction is prohibited: a landlord may not change the locks to remove a tenant and must instead give the required notice to quit and go through the court eviction process. Belongings left after a tenant moves out may be disposed of only under the Act's abandoned-property procedure, which requires written notice and a 10-day retrieval period (with up to 30 days of storage on request). (PA Attorney General, Consumer Guide to Tenant and Landlord Rights; Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 §§ 501, 505.1)
Can a landlord shut off utilities in Pennsylvania?
The Pennsylvania Attorney General's tenant guide states that landlord self-help eviction is prohibited: a landlord may not shut off utility service to start an eviction and must use the court process. When a utility plans to cut service because the landlord did not pay the bill, the Utility Service Tenants Rights Act requires the utility to give tenants at least 30 days' notice, and tenants may pay the utility to keep or restore service and deduct those payments from rent. (PA Attorney General, Consumer Guide to Tenant and Landlord Rights; 68 P.S. §§ 399.6, 399.7, 399.9 (as described in the guide))
Can a landlord retaliate against a tenant for complaining in Pennsylvania?
No general statewide anti-retaliation statute. Limited protections: a lease may not be terminated or non-renewed because of participation in a tenants' association (§ 205); retaliation for exercising rights under the Utility Service Tenants Rights Act is prohibited (68 P.S. § 399.11). (68 P.S. § 250.205; 68 P.S. § 399.11 (per AG guide))
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.