Pike County, Pennsylvania Eviction Risk: Moderate

Pike County, Pennsylvania eviction laws carries a county-wide eviction-risk score of 4.6/10 (Moderate), placing it 41st among 67 Pennsylvania counties, where rank 1 is highest risk. That positioning means 40 counties in the state present greater risk to landlords, and 26 are more landlord-friendly, putting Pike squarely in the middle third. For investors, a Moderate rating signals manageable operating conditions, but the county's average rent burden of 47.5% of income, well above healthy thresholds, indicates a renter base under real financial pressure, which translates directly to collection exposure when local economic conditions shift.

Across the 15 communities tracked inside the county, scores range from 3.9 to 5.4 out of 10, a spread of 1.5 points that matters enormously in practice. The average rent sits at $1,637 per month, and with only 13.5% of the population renting, the rental market is relatively thin. A landlord acquiring property at the lower end of the risk band faces a meaningfully different operating environment than one buying at the top, so neighborhood-level due diligence is essential rather than optional.

The cities inside Pike County

The highest-risk location in the county is Milford, the county seat, scoring 5.4/10, the only community in Pike reaching the upper edge of the Moderate band. Close behind is The Escape at 5.2/10, and Matamoras, a borough of roughly 2,539 residents, comes in at 5.1/10. These three communities at the top of the risk range share proximity to the Delaware eviction laws River corridor, where rental demand from commuters and seasonal residents can create faster tenant turnover and more frequent lease disputes. Saw Creek, with a population of 4,422, and Hemlock Farms, with 3,392 residents, both score 4.9/10, sitting in the upper-middle tier.

The most landlord-favorable conditions are found in Pocono Woodland Lakes and Pine Ridge, each scoring 3.9/10, the lowest in the county. Both are planned lake communities, with populations of 3,202 and 3,099 respectively, where homeowner-association structures and more stable seasonal occupancy patterns tend to dampen eviction risk. The gap between Milford at 5.4 and these communities at 3.9 underscores that risk is hyper-local inside Pike County, a single submarket shift can move the needle by more than a full point.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord operating in Pike County works under the Pennsylvania eviction laws Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 (68 P.S. § 250.101 et seq.). Notice requirements vary by situation: a nonpayment of rent case requires a 10-day notice under 68 P.S. § 250.501(b); a material breach on a tenancy under one year calls for 15 days, while a tenancy of one year or more requires 30 days under 68 P.S. § 250.501(a). End-of-lease-term terminations carry no mandatory notice period under 68 P.S. § 250.501(c). Once filed, an uncontested eviction typically resolves in 30 to 60 days; a contested case can run 60 to 150 days. The Pennsylvania eviction laws eviction process therefore carries real calendar risk even when the law is on the landlord's side.

On the cost side, the Pennsylvania eviction costs breakdown starts with court filing fees of $130 to $250, sheriff lockout fees of $50 to $150, and attorney fees ranging from $500 to $3,000, depending on complexity and whether the matter is contested. Pennsylvania eviction laws does not require just cause for eviction, and state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, meaning Pike County communities cannot impose rent caps independently. Source-of-income protections are not mandated at the state level, leaving tenant screening largely at the landlord's discretion.

With a poverty rate of 11.2% and only 13.5% of residents renting, Pike County's rental pool is small but carries measurable affordability stress. Review the city grid above to identify which of the 15 tracked communities align best with your risk tolerance before committing capital.