Notice to Enter Clause
in Your Lease
How this page is sourced
Statutes verified against primary state sources
Every statute cited here was read in its published text before this page went live: on the state's own site where that site can be reached, otherwise on a republished copy of the code. Court decisions are quoted from the published opinion and linked to it, so you can read the original yourself.
Primary sourcesNot legal advice
Content verified against primary state statutes before publicationLast updated: October 2026
What it actually means, what Pennsylvania law says, what's specific to Philadelphia - and exactly what to do. In plain English.
Quick Summary - What You Need to Know
- From November 1, 2026, Philadelphia requires 24 hours' notice before entry for non-emergency repairs.
- The landlord must also offer a reasonable justification for entry, not just a time.
- Our Pennsylvania record finds no state statute setting an entry-notice period.
- Courts require reasonable notice at reasonable hours, and your lease's access clause generally controls.
- A genuine emergency, such as fire, gas leak or burst pipe, needs no notice.
Count it for your dates
24 hours: when does it end?
What it means: The landlord should not enter for the non-emergency repair before 24 hours have passed, and must offer a reasonable justification for entry. Applies to Philadelphia landlords, for non-emergency repairs, from November 1, 2026. A genuine emergency such as fire, gas leak or burst pipe needs no notice. (Philadelphia Code § 9-816(3)(b)(.1)). Calendar arithmetic only; check how the section counts days before you rely on a date.
Copy and send: After your landlord entered, or asked to enter, with short notice or no reason given
Ask for proper notice before entry
Fill in the brackets and keep a copy of what you send.
How Pennsylvania compares
Required entry notice, state by state
12 hrs24 hrs48 hrsNo figureGuide coming soonYou are here
See all 27 cities as a chart
Figures are the state rule, or the stronger city ordinance where one exists. Verify the current law for your own situation before relying on it.
Understanding the Notice to Enter Clause
This page is for Philadelphia renters whose landlord wants to come in, or already came in. Timing matters here.
A new city rule on entry notice starts on November 1, 2026. From that date, your strongest ground is a non-emergency repair visit with no proper notice or reason.
Your weakest is a genuine emergency. Keep every notice with the time it was sent, and keep your lease's access clause close.
What renters assume
Pennsylvania has a state law requiring 24 hours' notice for every entry.
What is actually true
Our Pennsylvania record finds no state statute with a number. The 24 hours people quote is how the courts' reasonable-notice rule is widely treated in practice. The city's written rule starts November 1, 2026.
Philadelphia jumps from no set notice period to a 24-hour floor for non-emergency repairs overnight - but only for entries on or after November 1, 2026.
Entry Notice Clause Example - What the Wording Looks Like in Philadelphia, PA
The sample clause below is real lease language - a court quoted it word for word, and then ruled on it. What the judge decided is at the bottom of this block.
Find the equivalent paragraph in your own lease and read the two side by side. The wording will differ; the moving parts rarely do.
11. Entry of Premises: Landlord reserves the right to enter upon the leased premises at all reasonable hours for the purpose of inspecting the same, or of making repairs, additions or alterations to the building in which the leased premises are located...
Quoted from the published opinion in Eickhoff v. Gelbach, 611 S.W.3d 834 (Mo. Ct. App. W.D. 2020). Judicial opinions are not subject to copyright; the lease language is reproduced in limited part for commentary under 17 U.S.C. § 107.
What the 4 highlighted phrases mean
“11. Entry of Premises: Landlord reserves the right to enter”
For most of Pennsylvania this paragraph generally controls. The Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 covers notice to quit, distress for rent and abandoned property - but contains no right-of-entry or notice-to-enter provision at all. Philadelphia is now the exception.
“upon the leased premises at all reasonable hours”
This is the change worth knowing. Bill No. 250330-AA, passed 23 April 2026 and signed 7 May 2026, adds Philadelphia Code § 9-816(3)(b)(.1), effective 1 November 2026. From that date, failing to give 24 hours' notice for non-emergency repairs is unlawful interference with quiet enjoyment.
“for the purpose of inspecting the same”
The new ordinance adds a second requirement people miss because the first one is louder: the landlord must also offer reasonable justification for the entry. Notice alone is not enough - “because I want to look” is not a justification.
“to the building in which the leased premises are located”
Even before November 2026, Pennsylvania was not silent in practice. Its courts imply a covenant of quiet enjoyment, so entry must be for a legitimate purpose, at reasonable times, on reasonable notice - and 24 hours is what that has come to mean in practice.
See the example
The clause was used against the landlord. Because they kept a key and had “reserve[d] the right to enter upon the leased premises at all reasonable hours”, the court held they had reserved the legal right to enter without permission - even though in practice they never did. Read with the clause forbidding the tenants from making their own repairs, that was enough to put the landlord's control of the unit in issue.
How this state's law treats this clause
One court, one lease, one state. That answer is not automatically yours, and your lease may be worded to land differently. Use this to know what to look for and what to ask - your state's tenant hotline or a local tenant attorney can answer it for your document.
Pennsylvania Law on Notice to Enter Clause
- Our Pennsylvania record finds no statute setting a required advance-notice period before a landlord enters an occupied rental unit.
- The Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 addresses notice to quit, distress for rent and abandoned property, but contains no right-of-entry or notice-to-enter provision.
- Pennsylvania courts imply a covenant of quiet enjoyment, so entry must be for a legitimate purpose, at reasonable times, and on reasonable notice - widely treated in practice as 24 hours.
- Because no statute controls, the lease's access clause governs the notice period, and a landlord may enter without notice in a genuine emergency such as fire, gas leak or burst pipe.
Verify the current text in your state's landlord-tenant statutes.
Our Pennsylvania record finds no statute setting an advance-notice period before a landlord enters an occupied rental unit. The Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 addresses notice to quit, distress for rent and abandoned property, but contains no right-of-entry or notice-to-enter provision. What applies instead:
- Quiet enjoyment. Pennsylvania courts imply a covenant of quiet enjoyment, so entry must be for a legitimate purpose, at reasonable times, and on reasonable notice. In practice that is widely treated as 24 hours.
- Your lease. The lease's access clause generally controls the notice period. A notice period written into your rental agreement is enforceable against your landlord as a contract term.
- Emergencies. A landlord may enter without notice in a genuine emergency such as fire, gas leak or burst pipe.
- No lockouts. A landlord has to use the courts to remove you, so lockouts and utility shutoffs are not a lawful shortcut.
What's Specific to Philadelphia
Philadelphia adds its own rule. Bill No. 250330-AA, passed April 23, 2026 and signed May 7, 2026, adds Philadelphia Code § 9-816(3)(b)(.1).
From November 1, 2026, it is unlawful interference with your quiet enjoyment for a landlord to skip 24 hours' notice before non-emergency repairs, or to fail to offer a reasonable justification for entry. Philadelphia's Fair Housing Commission handles unfair rental practice complaints, and Community Legal Services runs a free tenant hotline.
A written number binds your landlord as a contract term. Plain "reasonable notice" leaves the hours open to argument.
A list of purposes fits the city rule that, from November 1, 2026, a landlord must offer a reasonable justification for entry.
Our Pennsylvania record finds no statute banning that wording. Negotiate it out before you sign.
Some leases allow showings on demand once you give notice to vacate. Ask for 24 hours' notice in writing.
Red Flags to Watch Out For
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Reasonable notice with no hours
Undefined notice gets argued later, in the middle of a dispute. Ask for 24 hours written into the lease itself.
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No stated reason for entry
From November 1, 2026 the city requires a reasonable justification for entry. A lease naming no valid purposes is already behind the city rule.
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Landlord keeps a key, no terms
Harmless on its own. Paired with no-notice wording, it leaves you little privacy in your own home.
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Notice sent from your doorstep
A text sent while knocking is not advance notice. From November 1, 2026, the city rule for non-emergency repairs is 24 hours ahead.
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An emergency the landlord defines
Wording that lets the landlord call any visit an emergency goes beyond a genuine emergency such as fire, gas leak or burst pipe. A routine inspection is not an emergency.
Your Rights as a Philadelphia Tenant
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Quiet enjoyment is implied
Pennsylvania courts read it into every lease. Repeated unannounced entries can breach it even though our record finds no entry statute.
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Philadelphia's 24-hour floor
From November 1, 2026, skipping 24 hours' notice for non-emergency repairs is unlawful interference under § 9-816(3)(b)(.1).
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Your lease promise binds them
If your rental agreement says 24 hours, that is enforceable as a contract term.
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No self-help lockouts
A landlord has to go through the courts. Changing locks or cutting utilities to push you out is not lawful.
What To Do - Step by Step
Find your entry clause
Search the lease for "enter" or "access". Read it before there is a problem, not during one.
Log every entry
Date, time, who came in and whether notice was given. A dated pattern is what makes a complaint credible.
Object in writing
Text or email, not a hallway conversation. You want a timestamped message you can forward later.
Quote the rule back
Name your lease clause and, from November 1, 2026, the city's 24-hour notice requirement.
Send a formal demand letter
Dated, stating the breach and the fix you want. Keep a copy and send it so delivery is provable.
Escalate to the city
Philadelphia's Fair Housing Commission takes unfair rental practice complaints, and Community Legal Services runs the free tenant hotline.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Notice to Enter rules near Pennsylvania
The same clause in the nearest states we cover.
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