Squatters' Rights in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania rules on squatters & abandoned property for renters and landlords, with the statute or official page behind each answer. Last verified: 2026-10-22.
Short answer: Since 2024, the Landlord and Tenant Act (including its notice-to-quit and eviction procedure) does not apply to a person who is not, and never has been, a tenant. 68 P.S. 250.102 ('Tenant'), 250.501(g), 250.603 (Act of July 17, 2024, P.L.944, No.88)
The rules in Pennsylvania
| Squatters / unauthorized occupants | Since 2024, the Landlord and Tenant Act (including its notice-to-quit and eviction procedure) does not apply to a person who is not, and never has been, a tenant. A 'tenant' is defined as someone occupying another's premises with the owner's express or implied consent (e.g., oral or written lease or acceptance of rent by the owner/agent). So an owner is not required to use the landlord-tenant eviction process against an occupant who was never a tenant; the Act itself does not set out an alternative police-removal or affidavit procedure. |
|---|---|
| Belongings left behind | Property may be deemed abandoned if the tenant vacated after a written lease ended; an eviction/possession order was entered and the tenant vacated and removed substantially all property; an eviction order was executed; the tenant gave a forwarding address and vacated; or the tenant vacated without intent to return, rent is 15+ days late, and the landlord posted notice of the tenant's rights. Before removing or disposing, the landlord must send written notice by first-class mail to the premises and any forwarding/emergency address, substantially in the statutory form. The tenant has 10 days from the postmark to retrieve the property or ask that it be stored up to 30 days from the notice date (tenant pays storage; landlord must use ordinary care). If the landlord knows of a protection-from-abuse order, it must hold the property 30 days. Never dispose of property in inhabited premises. Violations: treble damages and attorney fees. Deceased tenants' property goes through probate law instead. Lease terms control over this section if they conflict, except the PFA 30-day hold (s. 505.1(g)-(h)). |
Related questions
Pennsylvania vs. neighboring states
| State | Squatters / unauthorized occupants | Belongings left behind |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | Since 2024, the Landlord and Tenant Act (including its notice-to-quit and eviction procedure) does not apply to a person who is not, and never has been, a tenant. A 'tenant' is defined as someone occupying another's premises with the owner's express or implied consent (e.g., oral or written lease or acceptance of rent by the owner/agent). So an owner is not required to use the landlord-tenant eviction process against an occupant who was never a tenant; the Act itself does not set out an alternative police-removal or affidavit procedure. 68 P.S. 250.102 ('Tenant'), 250.501(g), 250.603 (Act of July 17, 2024, P.L.944, No.88) | Property may be deemed abandoned if the tenant vacated after a written lease ended; an eviction/possession order was entered and the tenant vacated and removed substantially all property; an eviction order was executed; the tenant gave a forwarding address and vacated; or the tenant vacated without intent to return, rent is 15+ days late, and the landlord posted notice of the tenant's rights. Before removing or disposing, the landlord must send written notice by first-class mail to the premises and any forwarding/emergency address, substantially in the statutory form. The tenant has 10 days from the postmark to retrieve the property or ask that it be stored up to 30 days from the notice date (tenant pays storage; landlord must use ordinary care). If the landlord knows of a protection-from-abuse order, it must hold the property 30 days. Never dispose of property in inhabited premises. Violations: treble damages and attorney fees. Deceased tenants' property goes through probate law instead. 68 P.S. 250.505a (Landlord and Tenant Act s. 505.1) |
| Delaware | Not verified yet | After a writ of possession is executed (24 hours' notice to the occupant), the landlord may remove and store belongings left behind at the tenant's expense for 7 days (30 days for a manufactured home); if they are not claimed and removal/storage costs reimbursed by then, the property is deemed abandoned and may be disposed of without further notice. If an appeal is pending, storage runs until 7 days after the appeal is decided. The writ must carry statutory notice language. Deceased sole tenant: 7-day storage at the estate's expense. 25 Del. C. §§ 5715(b), (e)-(f); 5507(e); 5719(c) |
| Maryland | Wrongful detainer action in District Court against anyone who holds real property without a right to possession, where no landlord-tenant (Title 8) remedy applies. The court must summon the occupant at once, and the hearing must be held no more than 10 business days after the complaint is filed. If the occupant cannot be found after two good-faith attempts on different days, the process server files an affidavit, sends the complaint by certified and first-class mail, and posts the summons on the property. Service must be completed within 4 business days of filing. No counterclaims are allowed. If the owner wins, the court orders restitution and issues a warrant to the sheriff or constable. Damages, costs and attorney fees are available if claimed and the occupant was personally served. Either side may appeal within 10 days. Md. Code, Real Prop. § 14-132 | No statewide storage-and-sale procedure. At eviction, the warrant of restitution directs the sheriff or constable to remove the tenant's belongings. At least 6 days before the scheduled eviction, the landlord must send written notice by first-class mail with certificate of mailing, post it on the front door (with a date-stamped photo), and text or email it if the landlord has that contact information. The notice must include a statutory warning that the tenant could lose all belongings left inside and that local disposal laws vary. A lease may not let the landlord take the tenant's property unless the tenancy has ended and the property was abandoned. Disposal is governed by local law. Md. Code, Real Prop. §§ 8-401(f)(1)(i), 8-407(b), 8-208(d)(6) |
| New Jersey | Not verified yet | A landlord may dispose of property a tenant left behind only if the landlord reasonably believes the tenant left it with no intent to claim it, and either a warrant for removal has been executed and possession returned, or the tenant gave written notice of voluntarily giving up possession. The landlord must first send written notice by certified mail (return receipt requested) or first-class mail with a certificate of mailing, to the tenant's last known address (which may be the unit) and any other known address, in an envelope marked 'Please Forward'. The notice must say the property is considered abandoned and must be removed by a stated date at least 30 days after delivery or 33 days after mailing, whichever comes first (75/78 days for manufactured or mobile homes); that otherwise the landlord may sell it, or destroy it if its value would not cover storage and sale costs; and that a residential tenant who claims it in time can take it without paying unpaid rent. The landlord must store the property with reasonable care and may charge reasonable storage costs, but may promptly discard perishable food and must let animal control or a humane society take abandoned pets. If the tenant says (in writing or orally) they will collect it but does not do so by the deadline or within 15 days after a written response, whichever is later, or does not respond at all, the property is conclusively abandoned. A sale must follow the UCC (12A:9-601 et seq.). N.J.S.A. 2A:18-72 to 2A:18-84 (esp. 2A:18-72, -73, -74, -75, -76, -78) |
| New York | A squatter is not a tenant. The law defines a squatter as someone who enters or intrudes on real property without permission of the person entitled to possession and keeps occupying it without title, right, or permission. The owner removes a squatter through a summary proceeding in court ('no landlord-tenant relationship'), served with a 10-day notice to quit. If the occupant entered or stays by force or unlawful means, no notice to quit is needed when the statutory conditions are met. The unlawful-eviction protections of RPAPL § 768 cover occupants who have lawfully occupied a unit for 30+ consecutive days or who have a lease. RPAPL § 711 (opening paragraph); RPAPL § 713(3), (10); RPAPL § 768(1)(a) | Not verified yet |
| Ohio | Ohio has no special squatter-removal procedure. The owner files a forcible entry and detainer (eviction) action in court against an occupier who holds the property without color of title. That requires the 3-day notice to leave under § 1923.04. Separately, entering or staying on another's land without privilege is criminal trespass under § 2911.21, a fourth-degree misdemeanor for most violations, which police may enforce. Ohio Rev. Code § 1923.02(A)(5); § 1923.04; § 2911.21 | No statute for ordinary residential tenancies. Ohio Rev. Code chapters 5321 and 1923 set no notice, storage, or sale procedure for a tenant's belongings left in an apartment or house. Detailed rules exist only for manufactured homes, mobile homes, RVs, and personal property in manufactured home parks. Ohio Rev. Code ch. 5321; §§ 1923.12-1923.14 (manufactured home parks only) |
| West Virginia | Under the 2025 'Stop Squatters Act' (HB 2434), a squatter (a person occupying a dwelling or structure without a lease right or the tenant's or owner's authorization; not a holdover periodic tenant or owner) is not a tenant, squatting is criminal trespass, and courts may not require an eviction. An owner or agent may submit a completed, verified complaint to a law-enforcement officer requesting immediate removal if the property was not open to the public at entry, the owner told the occupant to leave, the occupant is not a current or former owner or lawful tenant or an immediate family member, and no related litigation is pending. After preliminary fact-finding (e.g., reviewing any claimed lease, interviews) shows probable cause, the agency serves a notice to immediately vacate and puts the owner in possession, and may remove occupants who refuse or stand by during removal of belongings; a service fee applies. Squatters who cause damage commit a misdemeanor (under $1,000: up to 1 year/$2,500) or felony (over $1,000). Bad-faith complaints risk prosecution for false swearing; a wrongfully removed person may sue for possession, costs, damages and attorney's fees. W. Va. Code §§ 55-3C-1 to 55-3C-5 | If a tenant behind on rent abandons the unit, the landlord posts a written notice on the property requiring payment within one month; if unpaid, the landlord may take possession. To dispose of belongings, the landlord must post a written notice on the property and send it by first-class mail with a certificate of mailing, marked 'Please Forward', to the unit, any known P.O. box, and any forwarding address. The notice must say the property is considered abandoned, that belongings must be removed by a date at least 30 days after mailing (60 days if the tenant said they are on active military duty), and that unremoved property becomes the landlord's. If the property is worth more than $300 and the tenant or a secured party says they intend to remove it, the landlord must store it up to 30 more days, at their cost for reasonable storage and removal. W. Va. Code § 37-6-6 |
City rules that may add to state law
More Pennsylvania rental law
- Pennsylvania Security Deposit Law
- Pennsylvania Eviction Laws
- Pennsylvania Notice to Vacate Rules
- Landlord Entry Rules in Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania Repairs & Tenant Remedies
- Pennsylvania Rent Increase & Late Fee Laws
- Breaking a Lease in Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania Rental Fee Rules
- Pennsylvania Section 8, Records & Right to Counsel
- Pennsylvania Mold, Pests, Heat & AC Rules
- Pennsylvania Privacy, Guests & Animal Rules
- Pennsylvania Landlord Selling the House
- Pennsylvania Lockouts, Utility Shutoffs & Retaliation
- Pennsylvania Subletting, Lease Endings & Tenant Death
- All Pennsylvania landlord-tenant rules
- Free legal help in Pennsylvania
Compare squatters & abandoned property in all 50 states and DC →
Squatters' Rights in Pennsylvania FAQ
How do you remove a squatter in Pennsylvania?
Since 2024, the Landlord and Tenant Act (including its notice-to-quit and eviction procedure) does not apply to a person who is not, and never has been, a tenant. A 'tenant' is defined as someone occupying another's premises with the owner's express or implied consent (e.g., oral or written lease or acceptance of rent by the owner/agent). So an owner is not required to use the landlord-tenant eviction process against an occupant who was never a tenant; the Act itself does not set out an alternative police-removal or affidavit procedure. (68 P.S. 250.102 ('Tenant'), 250.501(g), 250.603 (Act of July 17, 2024, P.L.944, No.88))
What can a landlord do with a tenant's abandoned property in Pennsylvania?
Property may be deemed abandoned if the tenant vacated after a written lease ended; an eviction/possession order was entered and the tenant vacated and removed substantially all property; an eviction order was executed; the tenant gave a forwarding address and vacated; or the tenant vacated without intent to return, rent is 15+ days late, and the landlord posted notice of the tenant's rights. Before removing or disposing, the landlord must send written notice by first-class mail to the premises and any forwarding/emergency address, substantially in the statutory form. The tenant has 10 days from the postmark to retrieve the property or ask that it be stored up to 30 days from the notice date (tenant pays storage; landlord must use ordinary care). If the landlord knows of a protection-from-abuse order, it must hold the property 30 days. Never dispose of property in inhabited premises. Violations: treble damages and attorney fees. Deceased tenants' property goes through probate law instead. (68 P.S. 250.505a (Landlord and Tenant Act s. 505.1))
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.