An Act to amend and reenact § 55.1-1204 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; terms and conditions of rental agreement; notice of rent increase.
HB678 amends § 55.1-1204 of the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act to change the rules governing rental agreements and related tenant notices. The bill requires landlords offering written leases to provide the tenant rights-and-responsibilities statement developed by the Department of Housing and Community Development and to obtain the tenant’s acknowledgment on the department’s form, or document if the tenant refuses to sign. It also clarifies that a written rental agreement is effective when signed by the parties.
For situations where a landlord does not offer a written rental agreement, the bill sets default terms by operation of law: a 12-month tenancy, no automatic renewal, rent paid in 12 equal monthly installments, rent due on the first of the month and late after the fifth, a security deposit capped at two months’ rent, and the ability for the parties to later enter a written lease. The bill also requires landlords to provide a written statement of charges and payments within 10 business days if requested, and it limits late fees to those expressly included in the written lease and capped at the lesser of 10 percent of periodic rent or 10 percent of the remaining balance due.
The bill directly amends landlord-tenant law in Virginia by revising the statutory default terms for residential tenancies and by adding documentation requirements for landlords. It affects landlords, tenants, and property managers by making tenant-rights disclosure and lease acknowledgment more explicit, by standardizing the terms that apply when no written lease is provided, and by reinforcing limits on late fees, security deposits, and notice/termination rules under the VRLTA.
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no documented debate or roll-call history to gauge support or opposition. Based on the text alone, the bill appears to be a technical but substantive landlord-tenant update that likely aims to improve clarity and tenant notice protections while preserving landlords’ ability to set lease terms within statutory limits.
The main potential points of contention are the added compliance obligations for landlords, especially the requirement to provide and track acknowledgment of the tenant rights form, and the default 12-month tenancy rules when no written lease is offered. Landlords may view the new documentation and notice requirements as administrative burdens, while tenant advocates may support the clearer disclosures, fixed default terms, and limits on late charges and deposits. No specific individuals or groups are identified in the available record.