Virginia Landlord Compliance
Everything you're responsible for as a landlord in Virginia
Rent control, just-cause eviction, deposits, entry, repairs and recordkeeping, written for people who own or manage a few units, checked against the official sources, and kept current when the rules move.
Jurisdiction
key details
Rent cap · Detail
VRLTA sets no limit on rent or increases; rent cannot change during a fixed term, and a month-to-month rent change takes effect only on the next rent due date 30+ days after written notice (§55.1-1253(D)). 2026 rent-stabilization bills failed.
Deposit cap · Detail
No landlord may demand or receive a security deposit, however denominated, exceeding two months' periodic rent (damage insurance may substitute).
Rent increase notice · Detail
Month-to-month: new rent takes effect only on the next rent due date 30+ days after written notice (§55.1-1253(D)). Landlords with >4 units must notify renewal-term increases ≥60 days before term end (§55.1-1204(K)); 90 days from 2027-07-01.
City rules · Detail
Dillon's Rule state: localities have only powers the General Assembly grants, and no statute authorizes local rent control or just-cause rules; 2026 bills to allow local rent stabilization (backed by Richmond) failed. No locality regulates rents.
Just cause · Detail
No cause needed: either party may end a month-to-month tenancy on 30 days' written notice before the next rent due date (7 days weekly); fixed terms expire. Owners of >4 units must give 60 days' notice of non-renewal (§55.1-1204(K)).
Return deadline · Detail
Itemized accounting and balance within 45 days after the later of termination or the date the tenant vacates; +15 days for third-party repair estimates if noticed within the 45 days; utility holdback refunded within 10 days of proof of payment.
Nonpayment notice · Detail
Written notice giving 14 days to pay before the landlord may terminate and sue for possession (raised from 5 days by 2026 cc. 353/354, HB15/SB48, eff. 2026-07-01). From 2027-07-01 landlords with >4 units must offer a payment plan for small arrears.
What are you trying to do?
Start from the task. Each route gathers the guides, checklists and forms that apply to it in Virginia.
Essential local guides
If you're new to owning here, these five cover most of what will come up in your first year.
View All GuidesVirginia Rent Payment Plans 2027: Larger Landlords Must Offer a Written Plan Before Terminating for Arrears
A Virginia landlord with a large portfolio who moved straight to termination over a single month's missed rent will soon have an extra step to take first. Starting July 1, 2027, House Bill 95 requires landlords who own more than 4 rental units to offer a structured payment plan before ending a tenancy over arrears that don't exceed one month's rent.
Guide
Virginia Tenant Screening Disclosures 2027: Required Disclosures Before Requesting Fees or Information
A Virginia landlord who collected an application fee first and explained the screening criteria later, if a prospective tenant asked, is working against a sequence the law will flip starting July 1, 2027. House Bill 379 requires landlords to disclose fees, selection criteria, and the screening agency itself before collecting any payment or applicant information at all.
Guide
Virginia Rent Increase Notice 2027: Larger Landlords Must Give 90 Days' Written Notice Before the Term Ends
A Virginia landlord with a sizable portfolio who sent renewal rent-increase notices a few weeks before lease-end used to have ordinary notice law on their side. Starting July 1, 2027, House Bill 678 pushes that timeline out to 90 days for landlords with more than 4 units, and builds in a guaranteed 30-day window for the tenant to decide whether to renew.
Guide
Virginia Central A/C Law 2026: Working Air Conditioning Is Now an Essential Service
A Virginia landlord who treated a broken central air system in July as a lower priority than a heating outage in January now has the same statutory urgency attached to both. Since July 1, 2026, House Bill 519 adds central air conditioning to the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act's definition of an essential service, putting a failed A/C system on the same legal footing as a lack of heat, water, or electricity.
Guide
Virginia Rent Payment Methods Law 2026: Landlords Must Accept Checks and Money Orders
A Virginia landlord who moved rent collection entirely to an online portal, card or ACH only, no exceptions, has had to add a paper option back. Since July 1, 2026, House Bill 1005 and Senate Bill 313 require landlords to accept checks and money orders for rent and deposits, keep at least one payment method free of charge, and cap any processing fee at the actual cost a third party charges to process it.
Guide
Recent changes
Only substantive changes, not copy edits.
1 Jul 2025
Fee disclosures added to rental agreements
Virginia added a fee-disclosure statement requirement for covered residential rental agreements.
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