Rental Property Rules in Virginia (2026)
38 rules on the books across Virginia, 13 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Rent Control
Local limits on how much landlords can raise rent each year, including which properties are covered and exemptions for newer buildings.
Alexandria
Few RestrictionsVirginia has no statute preempting local rent control; the barrier is Dillon's Rule. Since July 2026, landlords owning…
Read full rule →Richmond
Few RestrictionsRichmond cannot impose rent control because Virginia Code 55.1-1204 and Dillon's Rule preempt local rent regulation…
Read full rule →Suffolk
Few RestrictionsSuffolk has no rent control, and it cannot adopt one. Virginia is a Dillon's Rule state that grants no locality power…
Read full rule →Virginia Beach
Few RestrictionsVirginia Beach has no rent control ordinance. Virginia state law (VA Code §55.1-1204) preempts local rent control…
Read full rule →Just Cause Eviction
Protections requiring landlords to have a valid reason to evict tenants, such as nonpayment of rent, lease violations, or owner move-in.
Rental Registration
Requirements for landlords to register rental properties with the city, including inspection programs, fees, and occupancy standards.
Virginia: statewide
StatewideSome RestrictionsVirginia limits municipal rental inspection programs to designated blighted districts and requires specific procedural…
Read full rule →Suffolk
Heavy RestrictionsSuffolk runs a rental inspection district program. In about 30 named neighborhoods, every residential rental unit needs…
Read full rule →Chesapeake
Significant RestrictionsOwners of dwelling units inside one of Chesapeake's designated rental inspection districts must notify the director of…
Read full rule →Henrico County
Significant RestrictionsHenrico County requires every short-term rental operator to register annually with the director of finance under County…
Read full rule →Lynchburg
Significant RestrictionsOwners and managing agents of rental units inside Lynchburg's inspection districts must notify the inspections division…
Read full rule →Newport News
Significant RestrictionsLandlords in a Newport News rental inspection district cannot let anyone occupy a unit as a tenant unless a valid…
Read full rule →Virginia Beach
Significant RestrictionsOwners of rental units inside a city council-designated rental inspection district must notify the code enforcement…
Read full rule →Hampton
Some RestrictionsHampton requires owners of residential rental dwelling units inside a designated rental inspection district to notify…
Read full rule →Norfolk
Some RestrictionsOwners of rental units inside a designated Norfolk inspection district must notify the codes compliance office in…
Read full rule →Portsmouth
Some RestrictionsOwners of rental units inside one of Portsmouth's three designated rental inspection districts must notify the…
Read full rule →Roanoke
Some RestrictionsOwners of residential rental dwelling units in Roanoke must tell the building maintenance code official that the unit…
Read full rule →Security Deposit Rules
Caps on how much landlords may collect as security deposits, return deadlines, itemized-deduction requirements, and tenant remedies for wrongfully withheld deposits.
Virginia: statewide
StatewideSome RestrictionsUnder the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, a landlord may not demand a security deposit exceeding two…
Read full rule →Richmond
Some RestrictionsVirginia's Residential Landlord-Tenant Act caps security deposits at two months' rent, requires return within 45 days…
Read full rule →Virginia Beach
Some RestrictionsVirginia Beach landlords must follow VA Code §55.1-1226, which caps security deposits at two months of rent and…
Read full rule →Tenant Anti-Harassment
Cities like LA prohibit specific landlord conduct (lockouts, utility shutoffs, threats), penalties, private right of action, and how to document violations.
Source-of-Income Discrimination
Rules barring landlords from refusing to rent to applicants because of Section 8 vouchers, SSI, or other lawful income, protected categories and remedies.
Richmond
Some RestrictionsVirginia's Fair Housing Law prohibits Richmond landlords from refusing to rent based on a tenant's lawful source of…
Read full rule →Virginia Beach
Some RestrictionsSince 2020, the Virginia Fair Housing Law bars landlords from refusing applicants based on lawful source of income…
Read full rule →Section 8 Voucher Acceptance
Landlord obligations when accepting Housing Choice Vouchers, including HACLA inspection, lease addenda, and rent reasonableness.
Richmond
Some RestrictionsRichmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority administers Housing Choice Vouchers locally, and Virginia state law…
Read full rule →Virginia Beach
Few RestrictionsThe Virginia Beach Department of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation administers Housing Choice Vouchers locally…
Read full rule →Landlord Entry & Notice
How much advance notice a landlord must give before entering an occupied unit, the permitted reasons (repairs, showings, inspections), allowed hours, and the emergency exceptions under state law.
Repairs & Habitability
The implied warranty of habitability, how long a landlord has to fix essential services (heat, water, plumbing, mold), and tenant remedies such as repair-and-deduct, rent withholding, or breaking the lease.
Virginia: statewide
StatewideHeavy RestrictionsVa. Code § 55.1-1220 requires landlords to keep rentals fit and habitable: comply with building codes, make needed…
Read full rule →Newport News
Significant RestrictionsNewport News requires owners of residential rental units inside a designated rental inspection district to pass a…
Read full rule →Arlington County
Some RestrictionsArlington County Code § 29-4 bars any owner from occupying or leasing a dwelling unit unless it and the premises comply…
Read full rule →Chesapeake
Some RestrictionsChesapeake enforces Chapter 1, Part III of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code as its property maintenance…
Read full rule →Hampton
Some RestrictionsHampton defines specific 'disqualifying violations', failed electrical, plumbing, heating, structural and fire-safety…
Read full rule →Lynchburg
Some RestrictionsCity Code Sec. 11-161 requires every residential rental dwelling unit in the city's designated rental inspection…
Read full rule →Norfolk
Some RestrictionsNorfolk requires a property maintenance code official's occupancy permit before any dwelling unit can be reoccupied…
Read full rule →Portsmouth
Some RestrictionsPortsmouth's Buildings and Structures Maintenance Code makes every owner and operator responsible for keeping…
Read full rule →Roanoke
Some RestrictionsRoanoke's rental certificate of compliance program exists because city council found that rental units left uninspected…
Read full rule →Virginia Beach
Some RestrictionsVirginia Beach can designate rental inspection districts where code enforcement checks units for compliance with the…
Read full rule →Late Fees & Grace Periods
Whether late rent fees are capped, any required grace period before a fee can be charged, and limits on bounced-check (NSF) and other add-on charges under state law.
Lease Termination & Notice to Vacate
Notice required to end a month-to-month tenancy, the rules and penalties for breaking a fixed-term lease early, and early-termination protections for active-duty military, domestic-violence survivors, and medical hardships.
Squatter's Rights & Adverse Possession
When an occupant without a lease gains legal protections, the line between a trespasser and a squatter, how many years of continuous possession adverse possession requires in this state, and how an owner lawfully removes a squatter.