I found some additional feedback pertaining to PA state law ...
Some states have a "right of rescission", where you can have three business days to cancel the lease and get your money returned. Unfortunately, in Pennsylvania, this rule does not apply to applications for residential leases.
Here is a legal opinion on this matter from a PA Attorney ...
"This question is definitely a fact sensitive one, to which I will try to provide a brief but comprehensive response. There is no specific statute which gives the Tenant a certain period of time to change his or her mind to obtain a refund of the deposit. The issue is one of contract, which requires some "consideration" (e.g., something of value) to pass between the parties. A court might be persuaded to follow the plain language of the application and to find the deposit to be nonrefundable. However, the better view would be to determine whether the Landlord "gave" anything to the prospective Tenant in exchange for the "deposit". In my opinion, it would be unlikely that the Landlord "gave" anything to the Tenant unless it actually gave the Tenant a lease or specifically took the apartment off the market. Even in those cases, the Landlord should not be able to keep the deposit if it has not actually suffered a loss. My general answer is that in most cases, in the absence of a signed lease, the Landlord should not be permitted to retain a deposit if the Tenant cancels."
- Jon Sirlin, attorney with the law firm Sirlin, Gallogly & Lesser, P.C. in Philadelphia
As I mentioned above, your case would be made even stronger if you were not provided a copy of your App.
Good luck!
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