I have a question about my rights and obligations as a Pennsylvania tenant.

Background: I am renting a house from an acquaintance of mine. We never made a written lease; it was agreed that I would pay $600 per month in rent, including utilities.

She raised the rent on me today (12/29) for January (rent due 1/1). She raised it from $600 to $800. Luckily, I got some money for Christmas; otherwise, I wouldn't have had the money because I had no notice that I needed to give her $200 more per month. Her reasoning behind the increase is that the utilities are too high (they are included in my rent). She did tell me about a month ago that the gas and water bills are higher than she is used to; however, she did not tell me she was raising the rent at that time. I've been keeping the thermostat on 62 all day and night (and freezing my behind off), only taking 3 to 4 minute showers, etc.

This is not the only issue I have had with the landlord, so I am planning to find another place by January 20. If I do find another place, I am obligated to give her 30 days' notice that I am moving? I do not want to pay rent for February if I am going to be moving elsewhere before the end of January. A piece of information that might sway your answer is that she is renting this house illegally (I did not know that when I moved here). She has a government loan that specifies she is not to rent this property for at least a year after getting the loan; it was only two months after she got the loan that I moved in here. Does an illegal rental cancel out my obligation to provide notice in this case?

OK, actually she is merely breaking the terms of her loan, that does not make it an illegal rental. If the zoning allows for the rental , it may be a "legal" rental, but they are or could be in breach of their loan.

Next, no they can not raise your rent without a 30 day notice, they can give you notice now that your Feb first rent will be 200 higher, but they have to give you a 30 day notice to change the terms of the rent.

You will have to give a notice, so if you KNOW you are moving out in Jan you need to give that notice prior to or on Jan 1.

First, without a written lease, you are a month to month tenant. She needed to give you 30 days notice of any change in the terms of the rental.

You are obligated to give her notice, but, from a practical standpoint, she can't risk going to court to enforce the lease.

Thanks, Scott and Chuck. I do not know for SURE that I will be moving on January 15 (I am looking at a place this weekend), so I can't give notice just yet, or I might find myself out of a house in 10-degree weather! I will give notice as soon as I find a new place.

Its unlikely you will find a new place that you can move right in to anyway.