PA Legislature Approves Change to Landlord/Tenant Law (Act 129 of 2012)

On June 30, the Pennsylvania Legislature approved Senate Bill 887, amending The Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951,  and providing for the disposition of a tenant's abandoned personal property. Senate Bill 887 was signed by Gov. Tom Corbett on July 5. It took effect 60 days later. The act deems that a relinquishment of possession of the premises has occurred upon

(1) the execution of an Order for Possession and/or
(2) if the tenant has physically vacated the premises, removed substantially all personal property and provided a forwarding address or written notice stating that the tenant has vacated the premises.

Act 129 requires the landlord to notify the tenant of abandoned 
personal property. Within 10 days of receiving notification, the tenant must contact the landlord and declare his or her intentions to retrieve the property. If the tenant fails to respond to the notice, the landlord may dispose of the property at the end of 10 days. If the tenant does contact the landlord within the 10 days, the landlord must hold the property for 30 days, but the tenant will be responsible for any storage fees incurred during that time period. If you would like to learn more about landlord/tenants matters, please call us for more information.