Whether you’re a landlord in Charlottesville with some unruly Wahoos in your townhouse or you’re renting an apartment in Norfolk and can’t get your AC fixed, understanding Virginia’s landlord-tenant law can keep you out of some serious dilemmas. Here is a quick summary of lease and rental agreements laws in Virginia.
Rental Agreements Laws
Regulation of leases and rental agreements happens at the state level, where laws determine maximum security deposits and other rules pertaining to the tenant/landlord relationship. In Virginia, security deposits may not be more than two months rent and must be returned within 30 days of lease termination (minus any amount needed for cleaning or repairs). Discrimination on the basis of familial status (in addition to federal protections) is strictly prohibited.
Lease and Rental Agreements in Virginia
The basics of Virginia's lease and rental agreement laws are listed in the following table.
| Code Section | 55-248.15:1; 36-96.3 |
| Terms of Leases | Holdover converts to month-to-month or any lesser term |
| Deposits | Limit 2 months rent; interest on deposit held longer than 13 months required at rate equal to the Federal Reserve Board discount rate accrued every 6 months; deposit must be returned within 30 days of termination |
| Discrimination | No discrimination on basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, or familial status; special provisions for housing for elderly |
| Uniform Residential Landlord & Tenant Act Adopted? | Yes |
While Virginia has adopted the Uniform Residential Landlord & Tenant Act (URLTA), you should still be familiar with the stipulations in your particular lease or rental agreement to fully understand your responsibilities as a landlord or your rights as a tenant. Be sure to carefully review your lease before signing it. You can also review some general rules regarding tenants' rights and guidelines for getting your security deposit back as a renter. In general, landlords must comply with local building and housing codes, supply running and hot water, keep the premises in a habitable condition, and make repairs in a timely fashion. For their part, tenants must also comply with housing codes, keep their part of the premises clean and safe, and may not deliberately or negligently damage, destroy, or remove any part of the premises.
Virginia Leases and Rental Agreements Laws: Related Resources
If you still have questions about how leases work, you can visit FindLaw's Tenant Lease Agreement FAQs or Rental and Lease Agreements section for additional articles and resources. You can also contact a Virginia landlord-tenant attorney if you would like legal advice regarding your particular lease agreement.
