Pennsylvania Mold, Pests, Heat & AC Rules
Pennsylvania rules on mold, pests, heat & ac for renters and landlords, with the statute or official page behind each answer. Last verified: 2026-10-22.
Short answer: No statute — Pennsylvania has no mold disclosure, remediation or exposure-standard law for rentals. Conditions such as mold are governed by the court-created implied warranty of habitability, which requires the landlord to keep the unit fit and habitable and to fix serious defects… Implied warranty of habitability (Pugh v. Holmes, 405 A.2d 897 (Pa. 1979)), as described in the PA Attorney General's Consumer Guide to Tenant and Landlord Rights
The rules in Pennsylvania
| Mold | No statute — Pennsylvania has no mold disclosure, remediation or exposure-standard law for rentals. Conditions such as mold are governed by the court-created implied warranty of habitability, which requires the landlord to keep the unit fit and habitable and to fix serious defects affecting safety or the ability to live there; the duty cannot be waived by the lease. The Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 contains no general habitability statute. Local property maintenance codes (e.g., Philadelphia, Pittsburgh) may address mold. Tenants should get legal advice before withholding rent or repairing and deducting. |
|---|---|
| Pests & bed bugs | No statute — no state bed-bug or pest law for rentals. The Attorney General lists rodent infestation as an example of an uninhabitable condition under the implied warranty of habitability; the tenant must notify the landlord and allow a reasonable opportunity to fix it. Who pays for extermination is often set by the lease and local codes; the AG guide advises asking before signing. |
| Heat | No state statute sets a heat requirement or minimum temperature for rentals. Lack of heat in winter is treated as an uninhabitable condition under the implied warranty of habitability. Municipal codes (e.g., Philadelphia's property maintenance code) may set minimum indoor temperatures and heating seasons. |
| Air conditioning | No state requirement to provide air conditioning or a maximum indoor temperature. If the lease promises working air conditioning, the lease governs. |
| Smoke and CO detectors | In apartment buildings with three or more units that have a fossil-fuel heater or appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage, the owner must install an approved carbon monoxide alarm near the bedrooms and the fuel-burning heater or fireplace, replace missing or broken alarms before a new tenant moves in, and make sure batteries work at move-in. During the tenancy the tenant must keep the alarm in repair, test it, replace batteries, replace a missing or broken device and tell the owner in writing about problems. Willful failure to install or maintain a required alarm is a summary offense with a fine of up to $50. Sellers of one- and two-family homes must disclose carbon monoxide detector information. Municipalities may adopt equal or stricter carbon monoxide rules (§ 7). No statewide smoke-alarm statute for rentals was identified. |
Related questions
- Does a landlord have to fix mold?
- Who pays for pest control and bed bugs in a rental?
- Does a landlord have to provide heat?
- Does a landlord have to provide air conditioning?
Pennsylvania vs. neighboring states
| State | Mold | Pests & bed bugs | Heat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | No statute — Pennsylvania has no mold disclosure, remediation or exposure-standard law for rentals. Conditions such as mold are governed by the court-created implied warranty of habitability, which requires the landlord to keep the unit fit and habitable and to fix serious defects affecting safety or the ability to live there; the duty cannot be waived by the lease. Implied warranty of habitability (Pugh v. Holmes, 405 A.2d 897 (Pa. 1979)), as described in the PA Attorney General's Consumer Guide to Tenant and Landlord Rights | No statute — no state bed-bug or pest law for rentals. The Attorney General lists rodent infestation as an example of an uninhabitable condition under the implied warranty of habitability; the tenant must notify the landlord and allow a reasonable opportunity to fix it. Implied warranty of habitability (Pugh v. Holmes, 405 A.2d 897 (Pa. 1979)); PA AG Consumer Guide, Part IV.C | No state statute sets a heat requirement or minimum temperature for rentals. Lack of heat in winter is treated as an uninhabitable condition under the implied warranty of habitability. Implied warranty of habitability (Pugh v. Holmes, 405 A.2d 897 (Pa. 1979)); PA AG Consumer Guide, Part IV.C |
| Delaware | No statute — general habitability/repair duty applies. Delaware has no mold disclosure or remediation law for rentals. The landlord must comply with all state and local housing codes, provide a unit that does not endanger the health, welfare or safety of tenants, and make all repairs needed to keep the unit in the condition it was, or should have been, at the start of the tenancy. 25 Del. C. § 5305(a)(1)-(2), (4) | Delaware has a bed-bug statute. Before renting, the landlord must visually inspect the unit for evidence of bed bugs and disclose if adjacent units are infested or being treated. After a report of a known or suspected infestation, the landlord must inspect or get a pest management professional to inspect within 120 hours, start professional remediation within 14 days of notice if bed bugs are found, inspect adjacent units within 5 days, notify affected tenants of the findings, and keep written records. The landlord pays for investigation and remediation if the tenant reports within 60 days of move-in or within 30 days of an infestation being found in an adjoining unit; for later reports the tenant shares reasonable remediation costs for the tenant's unit (except in public housing authority properties). Tenants may not knowingly bring in infested belongings. 25 Del. C. § 5317 | Only if the rental agreement says so: the landlord must supply (or arrange) water, hot water, heat and electricity when the lease so specifies. If the landlord substantially fails to provide heat, the tenant may, on written notice, procure substitute housing with rent abating, or keep two-thirds of the per-diem rent while heat is not supplied, among other remedies. State law sets no minimum indoor temperature. 25 Del. C. §§ 5305(b)(2), 5308 |
| Maryland | Yes, by statute (Maryland Tenant Mold Protection Act, effective July 1, 2025). Landlords must give each tenant the state mold information pamphlet when the lease is signed and on request, and ask the tenant to sign an acknowledgment. Within 15 days after written notice of mold from the tenant, a building occupant or the local housing-code agency, the landlord must do a mold assessment. If mold is found, the landlord must remediate it within 45 days after the assessment, or within a reasonable time if 45 days isn't feasible. Assessment and remediation must follow industry guidelines and state and local law. The landlord must keep the property properly ventilated with low indoor humidity, communicate with occupants during the work, and meet minimum livability codes. Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-220; Md. Code, Envir. § 6-1702 (2025 Md. Laws ch. 539, SB 856) | No bed-bug-specific statute. A rodent infestation in two or more units is a listed serious defect: if the landlord fails to fix it within a reasonable time after notice (over 30 days is presumed unreasonable), the tenant may use rent escrow. Other infestations that create a health hazard can also qualify. The state Minimum Livability Code, which adopts the International Property Maintenance Code, applies where no substantially similar local code exists. Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-211(d)(3), (d)(5), (g); COMAR 09.12.54.03-.04 | Lack of heat is a listed serious defect: if the landlord doesn't fix it within a reasonable time after notice, the tenant can use rent escrow. This does not apply when the tenant pays the utility and the lack of heat is from the tenant's own nonpayment. No state statute sets a minimum temperature. The state Minimum Livability Code adopts the 2012 International Property Maintenance Code, which contains heating standards, for housing in localities without a substantially similar local code. Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-211(d)(1); COMAR 09.12.54.03-.04 |
| New Jersey | No statute — the implied warranty of habitability and state/local housing maintenance codes apply. New Jersey has no enacted mold disclosure, testing, or remediation standard for rentals. Marini v. Ireland, 56 N.J. 130 (1970) (implied warranty of habitability); N.J.A.C. 5:10 (Regulations for Maintenance of Hotels and Multiple Dwellings) | In hotels and multiple dwellings (3+ units), the owner must eradicate insects, rats, or other pests when the infestation is in two or more units or in common areas, keep the building ratproof and free of infestation, and have qualified persons perform preventive pest procedures at least once a year (more often if infestation recurs). The state's Truth in Renting guide lists bed-bug information among the items a landlord should provide to tenants. N.J.A.C. 5:10-10.2 | Yes, for buildings of three or more units: from October 1 to May 15, every unit and habitable room must be kept at least 68°F from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and at least 65°F from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. The owner must supply the fuel or energy and keep the heating system in good operating condition, regardless of lease terms, unless the tenant agrees in writing to heat a unit served by its own separately billed heating equipment. N.J.A.C. 5:10-14.3, 5:10-14.4 |
| New York | No statewide mold statute — the warranty of habitability applies. Every residential lease includes a non-waivable warranty that the premises are fit for human habitation and free of conditions dangerous, hazardous, or detrimental to life, health, or safety. N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235-b | In multiple dwellings, the owner must keep the building and its lot, yards, and passages clean and free from vermin, dirt, filth, and garbage; tenants are answerable for conditions they cause. Failure to rid an apartment of an insect infestation is an example of a breach of the warranty of habitability. No statewide bed-bug disclosure statute. N.Y. Mult. Dwell. Law § 80; N.Y. Mult. Resid. Law § 174; N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235-b | Yes, in multiple dwellings: from October 1 through May 31, the owner must heat all living areas to at least 68°F from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. when it is below 55°F outside, and at least 55°F from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. when it is below 40°F outside. Local regulations may require higher temperatures. N.Y. Mult. Dwell. Law § 79; N.Y. Mult. Resid. Law § 173 |
| Ohio | No statute — general habitability/repair duty applies. Ohio has no mold disclosure, remediation or exposure-standard law for rentals; the landlord must comply with building, housing, health and safety codes and 'do whatever is reasonably necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition.' Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.04(A)(1)-(2) | No statute — no bed-bug or pest-specific state law. The landlord must keep the premises fit and habitable and common areas safe and sanitary; the tenant must keep the part of the premises the tenant occupies safe and sanitary and dispose of garbage in a clean, safe and sanitary manner. Ohio Rev. Code §§ 5321.04(A)(2)-(3), 5321.05(A)(1)-(2) | Yes. The landlord must supply 'reasonable heat at all times' and keep landlord-supplied heating fixtures in good and safe working order, except where the building is not required by law to be equipped for heat or heat is generated by an installation in the tenant's exclusive control on a direct utility connection. No statewide minimum temperature or heating season. Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.04(A)(4), (6) |
| West Virginia | No statute — West Virginia's landlord-tenant law does not mention mold and sets no disclosure or remediation rule. Mold is governed by the general duty to deliver and maintain the unit in a fit and habitable condition, to meet applicable health, safety, fire and housing codes, and to make repairs needed to keep it habitable — unless the problem was caused by the tenant, family or guests' lack of reasonable care. The landlord need not make repairs while the tenant is behind on rent. W. Va. Code § 37-6-30(a)(1)-(2), (4), (c) | No statute — no pest or bed-bug provision in the landlord-tenant chapter. Infestations are handled under the fit-and-habitable duty and applicable health and housing codes; the landlord's duty does not extend to conditions caused by the tenant, family members or guests, or to repairs while rent is in arrears. W. Va. Code § 37-6-30 | Yes. For units served by direct public utility connections, the landlord must supply reasonable heat between October 1 and the last day of April (plus running water and reasonable hot water at all times), unless heat is generated by an installation within the tenant's exclusive control. The landlord must also keep heating facilities it supplies in good and safe working order. No minimum temperature is set by state law. W. Va. Code § 37-6-30(a)(5), (a)(7) |
City rules that may add to state law
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Compare mold, pests, heat & ac in all 50 states and DC →
Pennsylvania Mold, Pests, Heat & AC Rules FAQ
Does a landlord have to fix mold in Pennsylvania?
No statute — Pennsylvania has no mold disclosure, remediation or exposure-standard law for rentals. Conditions such as mold are governed by the court-created implied warranty of habitability, which requires the landlord to keep the unit fit and habitable and to fix serious defects affecting safety or the ability to live there; the duty cannot be waived by the lease. (Implied warranty of habitability (Pugh v. Holmes, 405 A.2d 897 (Pa. 1979)), as described in the PA Attorney General's Consumer Guide to Tenant and Landlord Rights)
Who pays for pest control and bed bugs in Pennsylvania?
No statute — no state bed-bug or pest law for rentals. The Attorney General lists rodent infestation as an example of an uninhabitable condition under the implied warranty of habitability; the tenant must notify the landlord and allow a reasonable opportunity to fix it. (Implied warranty of habitability (Pugh v. Holmes, 405 A.2d 897 (Pa. 1979)); PA AG Consumer Guide, Part IV.C)
Does a landlord have to provide heat in Pennsylvania?
No state statute sets a heat requirement or minimum temperature for rentals. Lack of heat in winter is treated as an uninhabitable condition under the implied warranty of habitability. (Implied warranty of habitability (Pugh v. Holmes, 405 A.2d 897 (Pa. 1979)); PA AG Consumer Guide, Part IV.C)
Does a landlord have to provide air conditioning in Pennsylvania?
No state requirement to provide air conditioning or a maximum indoor temperature. (Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, 68 P.S. § 250.101 et seq. (no provision))
Who is responsible for smoke detectors in a rental in Pennsylvania?
In apartment buildings with three or more units that have a fossil-fuel heater or appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage, the owner must install an approved carbon monoxide alarm near the bedrooms and the fuel-burning heater or fireplace, replace missing or broken alarms before a new tenant moves in, and make sure batteries work at move-in. During the tenancy the tenant must keep the alarm in repair, test it, replace batteries, replace a missing or broken device and tell the owner in writing about problems. Willful failure to install or maintain a required alarm is a summary offense with a fine of up to $50. Sellers of one- and two-family homes must disclose carbon monoxide detector information. (Carbon Monoxide Alarm Standards Act, Act of Dec. 18, 2013, P.L. 1229, No. 121, §§ 4-6)
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.