Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Pennsylvania

Are you the tenant or the landlord? If a tenant appeals, the tenant has to pay the rent into court if the tenant wants to continue to remain on the property as outlined in the rules below:

Rule 1002. Time and Method of Appeal.

A. A party aggrieved by a judgment for money, or a judgment affecting the delivery of possession of real property arising out of a nonresidential lease, may appeal therefrom within thirty (30) days after the date of the entry of the judgment by filing with the prothonotary of the court of common pleas a notice of appeal on a form which shall be prescribed by the State Court Administrator together with a copy of the Notice of Judgment issued by the magisterial district judge. The Prothonotary shall not accept an appeal from an aggrieved party which is presented for filing more than thirty (30) days after the date of entry of judgment without leave of Court and upon good cause shown.

B. A party aggrieved by a judgment for the delivery of possession of real property arising out of a residential lease may appeal therefrom within ten (10) days after the date of the entry of judgment by filing with the prothonotary of the court of common pleas a notice of appeal on a form which shall be prescribed by the State Court Administrator, together with a copy of the Notice of Judgment issued by the magisterial district judge. The prothonotary shall not accept an appeal from an aggrieved party which is presented for filing more than ten (10) days after the date of entry of judgment without leave of court and upon good cause shown.

ule 1008. Appeal as Supersedeas.

A. Receipt by the magisterial district judge of the copy of the notice of appeal from the judgment shall operate as supersedeas, except as provided in subdivisions B and C of this rule.

B. When an appeal is from a judgment for the possession of real property, receipt by the magisterial district judge of the copy of the notice of appeal shall operate as a supersedeas only if the appellant at the time of filing the notice of appeal, deposits with the prothonotary a sum of money (or a bond, with surety approved by the prothonotary) equal to the lesser of three (3) months� rent or the rent actually in arrears on the date of the filing of the notice of appeal, based upon the magisterial district judge�s order of judgment, and, thereafter, deposits cash or bond with the prothonotary in a sum equal to the monthly rent which becomes due during the period of time the proceedings upon appeal are pending in the court of common pleas, such additional deposits to be made within thirty (30) days following the date of the appeal, and each successive thirty (30) day period thereafter.

Upon application by the landlord, the court shall release appropriate sums from the escrow account on a continuing basis while the appeal is pending to compensate the landlord for the tenant�s actual possession and use of the premises during the pendency of the appeal.

In the event the appellant fails to deposit the sums of money, or bond, required by this rule when such deposits are due, the prothonotary, upon praecipe filed by the appellee, shall terminate the supersedeas. Notice of the termination of the supersedeas shall be forwarded by first class mail to attorneys of record, or, if a party is unrepresented, to the party�s last known address of record.

When the deposit of money or bond is made pursuant to the rule at the time of filing the appeal, the prothonotary shall make upon the notice of appeal and its copies a notation that it will operate as a supersedeas when received by the magisterial district judge.

C. Indigent Tenants

(1) Residential tenants who seek to appeal from a magisterial district court judgment for possession and who do not have the ability to pay the lesser of three months� rent or the full amount of the magisterial district court judgment for rent shall file with the office of the prothonotary a tenant�s affidavit, as set forth in subdivision (2).

(2) The tenant�s affidavit shall be substantially in one of the following two forms:

[Caption]

TENANT�S SUPERSEDEAS AFFIDAVIT (NON-SECTION 8)

I,

(print name and address here), have filed a notice of appeal from a magisterial district court judgment awarding to my landlord possession of real property that I occupy, and I do not have the financial ability to pay the lesser of three (3) times my monthly rent or the judgment for rent awarded by the magisterial district court. My total household income does not exceed the income limits set forth in the supplemental instructions for obtaining a stay pending appeal and I have completed an in forma pauperis (IFP) affidavit to verify this. I have/have not (cross out the one that does not apply) paid the rent this month.

I verify that the statements made in this affidavit are true and correct to the best of my knowledge, information and belief. I understand that false statements herein are made subject to the penalties of 18 Pa.C.S. � 4904, relating to unsworn falsification to authorities.

Date SIGNATURE OF TENANT

OR

[Caption]

SECTION 8 TENANT�S SUPERSEDEAS AFFIDAVIT

I,

(print name and address here), have filed a notice of appeal from a magisterial district court judgment awarding my landlord possession of real property that I occupy, and I do not have the financial ability to pay the lesser of three (3) times my monthly rent or the actual rent in arrears. My total household income does not exceed the income limits set forth in the supplemental instructions for obtaining a stay pending appeal and I have completed an in forma pauperis (IFP) affidavit to verify this. I have/have not (cross out the one that does not apply) paid the rent this month.

The total amount of monthly rent that I personally pay to the landlord is $

. I hereby certify that I am a participant in the Section 8 program and I am not subject to a final (i.e., non-appealable) decision of a court or government agency which terminates my right to receive Section 8 assistance based on my failure to comply with program rules.

I verify that the statements made in this affidavit are true and correct to the best of my knowledge, information and belief. I understand that false statements herein are made subject to the penalties of 18 Pa.C.S. � 4904, relating to unsworn falsification to authorities.

Date SIGNATURE OF TENANT

(3)(a) If the rent has already been paid to the landlord in the month in which the notice of appeal is filed, the tenant shall pay into an escrow account with the prothonotary the monthly rent as it becomes due under the lease for the months subsequent to the filing of the notice of appeal; or

(b) If the rent has not been paid at the time of filing the notice of appeal, the tenant shall pay:

(i) at the time of filing the notice of appeal, a sum of money equal to one third (1/3) of the monthly rent;

(ii) an additional deposit of two thirds (2/3) of the monthly rent within twenty (20) days of filing the notice of appeal; and

(iii) additional deposits of one month�s rent in full each thirty (30) days after filing the notice of appeal. The amount of the monthly rent is the sum of money found by the magisterial district judge to constitute the monthly rental for the leasehold premises pursuant to Rule 514A. However, when the tenant is a participant in the Section 8 program, the tenant shall pay the tenant share of the rent as set forth in the ��Section 8 Tenant�s Supersedeas Affidavit�� filed by the tenant.

(4) The prothonotary�s office of the Court of Common Pleas in which the appeal is taken shall provide residential tenants who have suffered a judgment for possession with a ��Supplemental Instructions for Obtaining a Stay of Eviction�� as it appears on the website of the Minor Court Rules Committee.

Official Note

The website of the Minor Court Rules Committee is part of the home page of the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts at www.pacourts.us. The Supplemental Instructions include both instructions and income limits.

The income limits are stated in monthly amounts and are based upon the most recent poverty income guidelines issued by the Federal Department of Health and Human Services.

(5) When the requirements of paragraphs (2) and (3) have been met, the prothonotary shall issue a supersedeas.

(6) Upon application by the landlord, the court shall release appropriate sums from the escrow account on a continuing basis while the appeal is pending to compensate the landlord for the tenant�s actual possession and use of the premises during the pendency of the appeal.

(7) If the tenant fails to make monthly rent payments to the prothonotary as described in paragraph (3), the supersedeas may be terminated by the prothonotary upon praecipe by the landlord or other party to the action. Notice of the termination of the supersedeas shall be forwarded by first class mail to attorneys of record, or, if a party is unrepresented, to the party�s last known address of record.

(8) If the Court of Common Pleas determines, upon written motion or its own motion, that the averments within any of the tenant�s affidavits do not establish that the tenant meets the terms and conditions of paragraph (1), supra, the Court may terminate the supersedeas. Notice of the termination of the supersedeas shall be forwarded by first class mail to attorneys of record, or, if a party is unrepresented, to the party�s last known address of record.

D. If an appeal is stricken or voluntarily terminated, any supersedeas based on it shall terminate. The prothonotary shall pay the deposits of rental to the party who sought possession of the real property.