how do i know if a rent to own paper is legal

Land installment contracts are governed in Pennsylvania by the Installment Land Contract Law.  Here's a link to the actual text of the law:  http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/US/PDF/1965/0/0081..PDF. The law can be tricky to understand and it can be even trickier to compare your "rent to own" agreement to the law and determine if it is, in fact, an installment agreement that the law governs.  It would be best to have your agreement reviewed by an attorney.   My law firm is the provider law firm in Pennsylvania for LegalShield, a provider of legal services memberships.  For as little as $20 a month, you can get telephone consultations, letters written on your behalf to document review, speeding tickets to will preparation and more.  We don't sell the memberships.  If you are interested in learning more, I suggest that you contact pbergerjr@legalshieldassociate.com.