Harrisburg, Pennsylvania – March 13, 2026 — Sen. Judy Schwank (D-Berks) and Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie) reintroduced legislation imposing reasonable limits on Pennsylvania rental application fees.
Rental application fees can range from $25 to $75 and are often higher than the administrative costs associated with processing the application. The bill would cap rental application fees at the amount of the costs incurred by the landlord to conduct a background check or $50, whichever is less.
A similar proposal from the last legislative session (SB 860) received support from Sens. Costa, Vogel, Tartaglione, Haywood, A. Williams, Kearney, Comitta, Street, Cappelletti, Collett, Muth and Kane. The Philadelphia City Council implemented the same solution last year.
Schwank said the novel rules are a response to voters’ frustration with the exorbitant fees charged just for applying for housing.
“As we all know, finding affordable housing is becoming increasingly difficult, and potential renters often have to cast a wide net,” Schwank said. “Landlords are increasingly charging high fees just to apply for an apartment. It is simply unreasonable to ask a person to spend $50 or more for an application, and landlords should not profit from the application itself.”
Laughlin said the legislation strikes a balance between protecting tenants and ensuring landlords can recover reasonable inspection costs.
“No Pennsylvanian should have to pay more than what it actually costs to apply for a rental,” Laughlin said. “This legislation ensures fairness in the housing market and protects tenants from unnecessary fees, while allowing landlords to cover reasonable administrative costs.”
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