Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Pennsylvania

The landlord has breached the lease. You can't pay the utility bill unless you know how much it is for. Has he told you yet? You are correct that he cannot withhold this money from your security deposit, and if he does, you can sue him in small claims court for the money, and if the judge finds that the security deposit was improperly withheld, you are entitled to double damages. Of course, he will in turn sue you for the unpaid utility charges, but you would still make out if he has to pay you twice the security deposit. After all, you didn't fail to pay the utilities--you didn't know how much to pay. While there is no law that requires the landlord to send you utility bills in a timely manner, the Lease provisions require it. I would let the situation play out. He has 30 days after you leave to pay you your security deposit. See what happens. Depending on the amounts involved, it may pay you to retain a lawyer to pursue the landlord if he does withhold the utility costs from the security deposit.