Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Pennsylvania

There is no written lease agreement. Tenant pays for utility every month and takes care of my animals when I am away. Tenant's boyfriend borrowed my car with my permission and destroyed it. He also willfully damaged a door in the basement. How much notice do they need in an eviction?


Asked on 9/11/11, 2:06 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

Andrew Solomon Law Office of Andrew A. Solomon

First you should give written notice to him to vacate as soon as possible. Generally, when there is no lease, and he pays your utilities on a month to month basis, the tenancy is deemed to be month to month. Therefore, you should give him 30 days written notice and then proceed directly to your local District court and file a landlord/tenant complaint for possession. The hearing will be scheduled quickly and he really has no defense. The District Justice should grant you possession, and if he does not appeal to Common Pleas court, you then go to the Sheriff, with the proper papers and they will physically evict him if he does not leave on his own. It appears that you live in Montgomery County, unfortunately, and the sheriff's Department has an unwritten policy of not taking action for at least 30 days. Finally, to navigate these various issues, you are best served by seeing a lawyer.

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Answered on 9/16/11, 9:58 am


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