An Act to amend and reenact §§ 36-139 and 55.1-1209 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Department of Housing and Community Development; Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; tenant records.
HB616 amends two sections of the Code of Virginia related to the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. The bill updates the Department’s statutory duties in § 36-139, which governs the Director’s powers and responsibilities, and it also revises § 55.1-1209, the landlord-tenant provision dealing with tenant records. Based on the bill caption and the cited code sections, the measure is focused on housing administration and the handling of tenant record information rather than on broad changes to landlord-tenant rights generally.
The bill’s practical effect is to adjust state law governing how housing-related records are maintained, accessed, or otherwise managed under the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, while also conforming the Department of Housing and Community Development’s responsibilities to the new policy framework. Because the full text provided is truncated before the amended language in § 55.1-1209, the exact recordkeeping changes are not fully visible here, but the bill clearly targets tenant records and the state agency’s housing oversight role.
HB616 changes Virginia law in two places: it amends the Department of Housing and Community Development’s enabling statute and the landlord-tenant code section on tenant records. The bill therefore affects state housing administration, landlord-tenant compliance obligations, and any parties who create, maintain, or rely on tenant records, including landlords, property managers, tenants, and the Department itself. It likely requires updates to agency guidance, landlord recordkeeping practices, or both, depending on the specific amendments in § 55.1-1209.
The available legislative record does not include committee transcripts or recorded votes, so there is no direct evidence of debate, opposition, or support from the materials provided. The bill’s enactment as Chapter 640 indicates it ultimately passed and was approved, suggesting it was acceptable to the General Assembly and the Governor. Overall, the sentiment appears neutral-to-supportive, with the measure treated as a housing administration and statutory clarification bill rather than a highly controversial policy change.
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Because the bill text excerpt does not show the amended language in § 55.1-1209, any potential disputes would most likely have centered on tenant privacy, landlord recordkeeping burdens, access to records, or administrative implementation by the Department of Housing and Community Development. However, none of those issues are explicitly reflected in the available transcripts or vote history.