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Pennsylvania · application fee law

Are Rental Application Fees Legal in Pennsylvania?

What Pennsylvania lets a landlord charge to apply — and how that compares to what screening actually costs.

The legal line in Pennsylvania

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.

What screening actually costs

A full tenant screen costs a landlord about $30. Landlords typically charge applicants $55 — so any fee well above ~$30 is mostly markup.

Cap typeNo cap
The legal lineno cap
Refund rightsNo statutory refund right.
Receipt requiredNot specified
Reusable screening reportNot specified
StatuteNo 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.

Informational only, not legal advice — verify No specific application-fee statute and current screening costs before acting.