Pennsylvania has no statutory cap on residential late fees and no mandated grace period. A late fee is enforceable only if the written lease provides for it and the amount is reasonable rather than a penalty under contract principles. Courts generally view fees around 5 to 10 percent of monthly rent as reasonable.
The Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 (68 P.S. Sections 250.101 et seq.) sets no dollar or percentage limit on late fees and requires no grace period before one may be charged. Enforceability instead turns on ordinary contract law: a late fee must be authorized in the written lease, must be a reasonable estimate of the landlord's loss, and must not function as a punitive penalty, which courts will not enforce. There is no statutory floor on timing, so a landlord may charge the fee immediately after the due date if the lease allows. Because no statute governs, the lease language and the common-law reasonableness standard control how large a late fee can be and when it applies.
No specific statutory penalty. A late fee that is unreasonable, punitive, or not authorized by the lease is unenforceable as a penalty under contract law, and a court may decline to award it.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Bristol, PA
Bristol Borough regulates construction noise through general excessive noise ordinance (Ch. 10). No separate construction hour limits found; general prohibit...
Bristol, PA
Bristol Borough Ch. 10 (Excessive Noise) prohibits unnecessary or excessive noise detrimental to health, safety, or public peace. Truck idling restricted 10 ...
Bristol, PA
Bristol Borough Ch. 2, Part 3 (Noisy Animals, Ord. 1005, 7/14/1986) regulates excessive animal noise. Borough Council declared excessive sound detrimental to...
Bristol, PA
Bristol Borough Ch. 27 requires unlicensed vehicles/trailers in commercial/industrial zones to be stored in enclosed buildings. Off-street loading requiremen...
Bristol, PA
Bristol Borough Ch. 27 limits RVs to one per residential lot in R-1, R-1A, and R-2 districts, max 9% of lot area. RVs may not be used for living or sleeping....
Bristol, PA
Bristol Borough Ch. 27 requires off-street parking per Table 27-7-A by use type. All parking areas must be separated from roads by raised curbs or barriers. ...
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