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EVICTION HELP

Eviction papers in Pennsylvania: free help

Free, and based on the court's and the legislature's own sources. No account, no payment.

Your deadline

There is no written answer to file. Go to the hearing on the date, at the time and to the place printed on your papers, and tell the judge your side there. Outside Philadelphia the hearing date is on the Hearing Notice attached to the Landlord/Tenant Complaint; in Philadelphia it is on the bottom of the third page of the Landlord-Tenant Complaint (6th floor, 1339 Chestnut Street). If you have your own claim against the landlord that comes from the rental (for example repairs you paid for), file it on the court's civil complaint form at the court office before the hearing time. In Philadelphia, a written request to move the hearing should reach the court at least 10 days before it; otherwise go to the hearing and ask there. Arrive early: in Philadelphia a person who is late can lose by default.

the hearing date and time on the Hearing Notice attached to the Landlord/Tenant Complaint (in Philadelphia, on the bottom of the third page of the Landlord-Tenant Complaint)

If you do not answer or appear

If you do not go to the hearing, the judge can still enter a judgment against you for possession of your home (eviction), costs, and any rent and damages the landlord claimed. In Philadelphia, a person who is late or does not appear loses by default.

Source: Pa.R.Civ.P.M.D.J. 504(d) (Notice to Tenant or Occupant, amended effective January 1, 2025); Pa.R.Civ.P.M.D.J. 512, Official Note; Philadelphia Municipal Court, Responding to a Landlord-Tenant Case

Cost to answer

No fee to defend. There is no answer to file, and at a magisterial district court a tenant's cross-complaint (your own claim against the landlord) has no filing fee. In Philadelphia the court's pages state no answer fee; a tenant's own claim filed as a counterclaim may carry a fee (not established).

Source: Pa.R.Civ.P.M.D.J. 508, Official Note; Pa.R.Civ.P.M.D.J. 504(d)

What your papers are called

Landlord/Tenant Complaint (form AOPC 310A) with an attached Hearing Notice that gives the hearing date, time and place. In Philadelphia: the Landlord-Tenant Complaint from the Philadelphia Municipal Court, with the hearing date, time and courtroom on the bottom of the third page. Magisterial District Court (Magisterial District Judge) in every county except Philadelphia; Philadelphia Municipal Court in Philadelphia.

Free help

Are you the landlord?

A company landlord may be able to file without a lawyer in this state.

A company landlord does not need a lawyer to file or appear in an eviction case at either court. At a magisterial district court, a corporation or similar entity may be represented by a lawyer, by an officer, or by an employee or authorized agent with personal knowledge of the case and written authorization from an officer filed with the court first, case by case (no blanket authorizations). In the Philadelphia Municipal Court, a corporation may be represented by an officer and an LLC by a manager, or either by an authorized representative named on the court's Appointment of Authorized Representative Form for that case. These permissions end with the trial; an appeal goes to the Court of Common Pleas, where different rules apply (see open_questions).

Source: Pa.R.Civ.P.M.D.J. 207(A)(3), (B) and Official Note; Philadelphia Municipal Court Rule of Civil Procedure 131(b), (c), (f)

The court's landlord form: Landlord/Tenant Complaint (AOPC 310A)

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Sources read on 2026-10-06.