Short answer
Check the lease for entry and notice terms and follow them exactly. You cannot force entry or use self-help like changing locks. If the tenant still blocks showings, your options are a written agreement with the tenant, a buyout, waiting for the lease to end, or selling to a buyer who purchases without a showing.
Start with the lease
Read what the lease says about entry, notice and showings. Many leases allow reasonable entry with advance notice. Follow the notice terms to the letter and keep proof that you gave it. If the lease is silent, ask a landlord-tenant attorney what is reasonable before you press.
The Philadelphia Municipal Court notes that the landlord's right to evict arises when rent is not paid, a material lease condition is violated or the tenant stays past the lease. Refusing a showing may or may not fit those categories, depending on the lease.
Keep a log of every request you make, the date and the tenant's response. If this turns into a dispute, the log is evidence.
What not to do
Do not enter without permission, change the locks, shut off utilities or move the tenant's belongings. The court pamphlet says self-help by landlords is not permitted. Doing any of those can create bigger problems than a delayed sale.
If the tenant is hostile, keep communication in writing and polite.
Ways to make showings easier
Offer a set schedule, such as two windows per week, so the tenant knows what to expect. Offer a small payment or rent credit for cooperation, in writing. Offer to have a cleaner or handle small repairs. Ask the tenant what they are worried about. Some tenants fear losing their home and respond to clear information about their rights and timeline.
If cooperation is not coming, a voluntary move-out agreement, often called cash for keys, is another path.
Be clear about what you are offering and put it in a short signed note. A verbal promise of money is hard to prove later, and it can create new problems if the tenant says you agreed to more than you did.
Selling without showings
Some buyers will make an offer from photos, video, a landlord walk-through and the lease. That is common with investors. A pre-sale inspection by an inspector with the tenant's permission can also help. The price will reflect the unknowns.
Pennsylvania's Seller Disclosure Law still requires you to disclose known material defects, whether or not a buyer sees the inside.
Be upfront about access limits in the listing or the offer request, so buyers price them in instead of finding out later.
If you want a quick, simple sale
Kaizen Home Buyers buys as-is, makes a cash offer within 24 hours and charges no agent commission. Whether we can make an offer without seeing the inside depends on the property, so call 267-329-0084 and tell us what access you have. Listing with an agent may fetch more if the tenant will cooperate with showings, so weigh that.