Virginia Residential Lease Agreement

• Max 2 months' rent, pet deposit included. Within 45 days after the tenancy ends or the tenant moves out, whichever is later, the landlord must send a written itemized statement of deductions with any refund; if damage exceeds the deposit and needs a contractor, notice within the 45 days gives 15 more days to itemize (Va. Code §§ 55.1-1200, 55.1-1226).

Reviewed 5 Oct 2026 · Va. Code §§ 55.1-1200, 55.1-1226

Reviewed 5 Oct 2026 · Va. Code §§ 55.1-1200, 55.1-1226

• Written notice given at least 30 days prior to the next rent due date, 'unless the rental agreement provides for a different notice period' (55.1-1253 A).
• Multifamily premises: an owner not renewing 20 or more (or 50%+) month-to-month tenancies within 30 days must give each such tenant at least 60 days' written notice, except for nonpayment (55.1-1253 B).

Quoted from the source: “at least 30 days prior to the next rent due date, unless the rental agreement provides for a different notice period”

Reviewed 27 Sep 2026 · Va. Code 55.1-1253 A, B

• Written notice at least seven days prior to the next rent due date (55.1-1253 A).

Quoted from the source: “at least seven days prior to the next rent due date”

Reviewed 27 Sep 2026 · Va. Code 55.1-1253 A

• 55.1-1253 C: a tenant remaining without consent after termination/expiration is a holdover; landlord may bring an action for possession and recover actual damages, attorney fees and costs (plus lease liquidated damages up to 150% per diem). No separate holdover notice period stated.

Quoted from the source: “may bring an action for possession and may also recover actual damages, reasonable attorney fees, and court costs”

Reviewed 27 Sep 2026 · Va. Code 55.1-1253 C

• No statewide just-cause requirement found in the VRLTA (Va. Code Title 55.1, Chapter 12); periodic tenancies end on notice under 55.1-1253 A.

Quoted from the source: “at least 30 days prior to the next rent due date, unless the rental agreement provides for a different notice period”

Reviewed 27 Sep 2026 · Va. Code 55.1-1253 A

• Written notice must notify the tenant of the nonpayment and of the landlord's intention to terminate if rent is not paid within the 14-day period; clock runs from service of the notice (Va. Code 55.1-1245 F).
• 'Notice' under the VRLTA means written notice by regular mail or hand delivery with the sender retaining a certificate of service (55.1-1200); electronic notice only if the rental agreement so provides and the tenant has not elected paper (55.1-1202 A).
• Delayed provisions (per version headings on the official page): from 2027-07-01 landlords owning more than four rental dwelling units must also offer a payment plan in the notice (new subsection G); from 2027-07-01 nonpayment notices must include a written statement of charges and payments (55.1-1202 E).

Quoted from the source: “the tenant fails to pay rent within 14 days after written notice is served on him notifying the tenant of his nonpayment”

Reviewed 27 Sep 2026 · Va. Code 55.1-1245 F (version 'Effective until July 1, 2027'); 55.1-1200 ('notice'); 55.1-1202

• Notice must specify the acts and omissions constituting the breach and state that the rental agreement will terminate on a date not less than 30 days after receipt of the notice if the breach is not remedied in 21 days (55.1-1245 A) — i.e. 21-day cure inside a 30-day termination notice.
• Clock runs from RECEIPT of the notice.

Quoted from the source: “the rental agreement will terminate upon a date not less than 30 days after receipt of the notice if the breach is not remedied in 21 days”

Reviewed 27 Sep 2026 · Va. Code 55.1-1245 A

• Repeat breach: if the tenant remedied a breach after notice and then 'intentionally commits a subsequent breach of a like nature', landlord may serve a notice terminating on a date not less than 30 days after receipt, with no cure opportunity (55.1-1245 E).
• Criminal or willful act that is not remediable and poses a threat to health or safety: landlord 'may terminate the rental agreement immediately and proceed to obtain possession' (55.1-1245 C) — 0 days.

Quoted from the source: “make reference to the prior breach of a like nature, and state that the rental agreement will terminate upon a date not less than 30 days after receipt”

Reviewed 27 Sep 2026 · Va. Code 55.1-1245 C, E

• This notice is for entry to do routine maintenance.

Reviewed 21 Oct 2026 · Va. Code § 55.1-1229

• Va. Code 55.1-1200 defines 'notice' as written notice 'by either regular mail or hand delivery, with the sender retaining sufficient proof ... in the form of a certificate of service'; served on the tenant at the tenant's last known place of residence, which may be the dwelling unit (55.1-1202 B); electronic notice permitted only if the rental agreement so provides and the tenant has not elected paper (55.1-1202 A).

Quoted from the source: “Notice given in writing by either regular mail or hand delivery, with the sender retaining sufficient proof of having given such notice”

Reviewed 27 Sep 2026 · Va. Code 55.1-1200; 55.1-1202 A, B

• None found for the pay-or-quit notice itself; required contents are statutory (nonpayment notice must state the nonpayment and the landlord's intention to terminate if not paid within 14 days; breach notice must specify acts/omissions and the termination date). Upcoming: from 2027-07-01, 55.1-1202 E requires a nonpayment notice to include 'a written statement of charges and payments over the course of the tenancy or the past 12 months', and 55.1-1245 G requires landlords with more than four units to offer a payment plan.

Quoted from the source: “a written statement of charges and payments over the course of the tenancy or the past 12 months”

Reviewed 27 Sep 2026 · Va. Code 55.1-1245 A, F; 55.1-1202 E (effective 2027-07-01)