Portsmouth, VA Rental Inspections: Tenant Complaint Process (2026)

Portsmouth's rental inspection law, City Code Chapter 17, Division 3 (§§ 17-81 through 17-94), creates three designated rental inspection districts where the Department of Permits and Inspections proactively inspects every unit under §§ 17-85 through 17-88. Most rental housing in Portsmouth sits outside those three districts, so a tenant's report is what starts the process. Under § 17-34(1), an occupant who discovers a condition that violates the maintenance code must report it to the director of public health immediately, a duty that applies to any residential building covered by the maintenance code, including rental units citywide.

Once a complaint reaches the department, § 17-91 governs whether an inspector can act: an inspection outside a designated rental inspection district requires the department to determine both that there is a need to protect the public health, welfare and safety of the occupants, and that the unit is blighted, deteriorating, or shows evidence of building-code violations affecting safe, decent and sanitary living conditions. The director of permits and inspections, defined in § 17-82, administers the process and can require follow-up inspections under § 17-87 until a cited unit is brought into compliance.

Landlords who rent inside a designated district without a certificate of compliance already violate § 17-83 regardless of any tenant complaint. 00 under § 17-84(b), though only after the department has given personal or written notice first. Appeals of any appealable department determination go to the local Board of Building Code Appeals under § 17-35, including payment of an appeal fee.