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Pennsylvania Notice to Tenants of Intent to Sell

Pennsylvania law does not require landlords to issue a specific 'Notice of Intent to Sell' if the lease will continue under the new owner, as existing leases transfer with the property. This notice serves as a professional courtesy to inform tenants about the sale and coordinate property showings. DocDraft's AI notice generator helps landlords create clear, professional communication for this process, with attorney-review available.

Introduction

In Pennsylvania, selling a property that someone is renting takes a careful, by-the-book approach. The Landlord and Tenant Act does not actually require you to send a formal 'Notice of Intent to Sell,' but sending one is a smart, professional move. This notice tells your tenant that the property's title is about to change hands, explains that their current lease carries over to the new owner without interruption, and lays out a clear plan for showing the property to buyers. Handled this way, it protects the legal and financial interests of everyone involved.

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Key Things to Know

  1. 1

    Even though no specific statute spells it out, it is a widely accepted and sensible practice in Pennsylvania to give your tenant at least twenty-four hours' notice before showing the property to a possible buyer.

  2. 2

    Once the new owner takes title, they also take on all of the previous landlord's duties, most importantly the responsibility for holding and eventually returning the tenant's security deposit.

  3. 3

    To legally end a month-to-month tenancy that has lasted one year or less, Pennsylvania requires the landlord to give at least fifteen days' written notice of termination.

  4. 4

    When a month-to-month tenancy has run longer than one full year, Pennsylvania law requires that a termination notice be served at least thirty days before the intended move-out date.

  5. 5

    You are not legally required to send a formal written notice of your intent to sell, but doing so helps keep things friendly with your tenant and makes the whole sale go more smoothly.

  6. 6

    Pennsylvania law does not force a landlord to issue a formal 'Notice of Intent to Sell,' as long as the existing lease is assigned to the new owner and continues uninterrupted under them.

  7. 7

    Keep in mind that once the sale goes through, the tenant's current lease, with all its original terms including the rent amount, passes automatically to the new owner by operation of law and without any changes.

Key decisions before you file

Before you file a Notice to Tenants of Intent to Sell in Pennsylvania, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Notice to Tenants of Intent to Sell guide walks through them.

Open the Notice to Tenants of Intent to Sell guide

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Notice of Plan to Sell the Property

Date: [Date]

Property: [Street Address] [City, PA, ZIP Code]

To the Tenant(s): [Tenant Name(s)]

From the Landlord: [Landlord Name] Landlord's Point of Contact: [Landlord Phone or Email]

1. Notice of Our Plan to Sell

This letter is to let you know that we, the current owner of the property you rent, have decided to put it on the market and sell it. Please do not read this as a notice ending your tenancy or a demand that you move out. It is simply a professional courtesy, sent to keep everything transparent and to make the steps involved in the sale go smoothly. In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, selling an occupied property calls for a careful and considerate approach, and we are fully committed to that.

2. Your Lease Stays in Place and Moves With the Property

It is important to understand that your current lease, with all the rights and duties that come with it, stays completely intact and in full legal force. Under the Pennsylvania Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, once the sale closes and the deed transfers, your lease is automatically assigned to the new owner. By law, that new owner has to honor every term and condition in your existing agreement, including the rent amount and its due date. The new owner cannot change these terms on their own before your current lease term ends.

On top of that, under 68 P.S. § 250.511a, the security deposit we currently hold will be transferred to the buyer at closing. Once that happens, the new owner takes over full responsibility for holding and returning your deposit, minus only those deductions the law allows.

3. How Showings Will Be Handled

To sell the property, we will need access for showings to prospective buyers, their agents, appraisers, and other relevant people. We promise to keep any disruption to your quiet enjoyment to a minimum and to follow this protocol:

  • Advance Notice: We will give you at least twenty-four (24) hours' notice before any scheduled showing. We will send that notice by [Email / Text Message / Phone Call], as set out in our lease.
  • Considerate Scheduling: We will make every reasonable effort to schedule showings during normal business hours and to work around your schedule where we can.
  • Accompanied Access: You do not have to be present for these viewings. Someone authorized by us will accompany all visitors and make sure the property is left secure when they leave.
  • Photos and Video: Please know that photos or video may be taken for marketing. We will do everything we can to respect your privacy and avoid capturing your personal belongings in detail.

4. Your Cooperation

To learn more and create a customized document, go to (/legal-document/notice-to-tenants-of-intent-to-sell).

Pennsylvania Requirements for Notice to Tenants of Intent to Sell

Written Notice Recommended

Although Pennsylvania law doesn't mandate a specific 'notice to sell,' providing a formal written notice is a professional best practice to ensure clear communication and prevent tenant disputes.

No State-Mandated Form

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania does not provide an official, state-required form for notifying a tenant of a property sale when the lease will continue.

Reasonable Notice for Entry

The notice should state that tenants will receive 'reasonable notice,' commonly accepted as at least 24 hours, before the landlord or their agent enters the property for showings.

Confirmation of Lease Transfer

Clarify that under Pennsylvania law, the existing lease, its terms, and the security deposit will transfer to the new property owner, who will then assume all landlord responsibilities.

Month-to-Month Termination Rules

If a month-to-month lease must be terminated, the notice must comply with 68 P.S. § 250.501: 15 days for tenancies of one year or less, and 30 days for tenancies over one year.

Current Landlord Contact

The document must include the current landlord's or property manager's name and contact information for tenant inquiries during the sale process.

Proper Delivery of Notice

The notice should be delivered using a method specified or permitted in the lease agreement, such as certified mail or hand delivery, to create a record of receipt.

Tenant's Right to Quiet Enjoyment

The notice should reassure the tenant that their right to quiet enjoyment will be respected, and showings will be scheduled reasonably to minimize disruption.

Frequently Asked Questions

Pennsylvania doesn't force a formal Notice of Intent to Sell when the lease will carry over to the buyer; the existing agreement transfers on its own. Sending written notice anyway is smart practice, and I'd check local ordinances in case my city adds a rule the state statute doesn't.

The month-to-month arrangement passes to the new owner along with the property. If the buyer later wants to end it, 68 P.S. Section 250.501 sets the notice: 15 days for a tenancy of a year or less, and 30 days once it has run longer than a year.

State law doesn't fix a number here. The standard is reasonable notice, which most read as at least 24 hours in writing before I enter for a showing. I always check the lease too, since my own agreement may spell out a different access requirement.

Listing the property doesn't let me touch the rent. The active lease locks in the amount, and I'm bound by it until the term expires. Any increase has to wait for renewal and be negotiated then; the fact that I'm selling is never a trigger for raising it.

Closing doesn't push my tenant out the door. Their lease stays valid and moves to the new owner intact. A move only happens after the term ends or the new owner serves a proper, legally compliant notice to vacate. The sale by itself changes nothing for the tenant.

If my tenant blocks access after I've given proper, reasonable notice, my first stop is the lease. Most include a clause requiring the tenant to permit showings. A stubborn refusal can amount to a breach, which opens the door to further steps on my end.

I stay the landlord, with every right and duty attached, right up until the sale closes and the deed changes hands. The buyer only takes on the landlord role after closing. Until that day, all the obligations to my tenant remain squarely mine to fulfill.

Cover three points in this notice: state plainly that I've decided to sell, describe the process I'll follow to set up showings with my tenant, and make clear that a signed fixed-term lease keeps every term intact no matter who ends up owning the place.

Choose whichever option produces evidence of delivery. I can place the notice into my tenant's hands, mail it certified and keep the returned receipt, or rely on a delivery method my lease already permits. Each of these gives me something showing my tenant got it.

Think of the deposit as riding along with the property. Once ownership transfers at closing, my tenant's deposit becomes the new owner's charge. They inherit the job of keeping it secure and refunding it, minus any valid deductions, when the lease finally wraps up.