Bensalem, PA Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

Bensalem Township's Housing Code, adopted by Ord. No. 90-4 in 1990, sets minimum standards for every dwelling, dwelling unit, and rooming unit rented in the Township. Sec. 123-4 requires a separate bathroom with toilet, bath or shower, and lavatory basin in every unit, a kitchen sink, and hot and cold water lines connected to heating facilities that deliver at least 120 degrees Fahrenheit at every faucet. Sec. 123-5 adds light and ventilation rules: habitable rooms need windows totaling at least seven percent of floor area (ten percent for smaller sleeping rooms), openable window area of three to four percent, and, under subsection (10), a central heating system or approved room heaters capable of holding every habitable room, including bathrooms, at 68 degrees Fahrenheit whenever it is 10 degrees Fahrenheit or colder outside.

Sec. 123-6 requires a working smoke detector on every floor and bars kerosene heaters outside single-family homes. Sec. 123-7 sets minimum floor area, 150 square feet for the first occupant plus 75 square feet per additional occupant, and bars any living use of a cellar. Sec. 123-9 requires a working stove before any unit can be rented. Owners must keep the structure safe and sanitary under Sec. 123-8, and occupants share responsibility for cleanliness and pest control under Secs. 123-10 and 123-11. The Building and Planning Department enforces the chapter and can inspect a dwelling during reasonable hours after showing identification.