Drugs And The Lease
Landlord & Tenant Act 505-A — when illegal drugs break the lease
In Pennsylvania, certain acts involving illegal drugs are a breach of a condition of the lease and grounds for removing the tenant from a single family dwelling, apartment, multiple dwelling or tenement.
- A first conviction for illegal sale, manufacture or distribution of a drug on the dwelling or any part of the premises.
- A second violation of the controlled substance act on the dwelling or any part of the premises.
- Law enforcement's seizure of illegal drugs on the leased premises.
A landlord's failure to remove a tenant for one of those acts does not waive the landlord's rights as to later acts, by that tenant or any other.
Removal itself goes through the notice to quit and the court process the Act sets, which are on this state's eviction page. Whether an act fits the section is a question for a court and for a licensed Pennsylvania attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- Landlord & Tenant Act 505-A — Illegal drugs as a breach of the lease
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Pennsylvania attorney.