Are Rental Application Fees Legal in Pennsylvania?
What Pennsylvania lets a landlord charge to apply — and how that compares to what screening actually costs.
no cap — Pennsylvania has no statewide cap on application fees. Fees are landlord-set and typically non-refundable; the markup versus actual screening cost is your main leverage.
A full tenant screen costs a landlord about $30. Landlords typically charge applicants $55 — so any fee well above ~$30 is mostly markup.
| Cap type | No cap |
|---|---|
| The legal line | no cap |
| Refund rights | No statutory refund right. |
| Receipt required | Not specified |
| Reusable screening report | Not specified |
| Statute | No specific application-fee statute |
Check your Pennsylvania application fee
We'll compare it to the law and the real cost of screening.
How Pennsylvania compares
See every state's cap, the real cost of screening, and the markup landlords add — the full picture in one place.
Laws verified as of July 12, 2026. Informational only, not legal advice — verify No specific application-fee statute and current screening costs before acting.