SB 585 Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Virginia Fair Housing Law, et al.; personalized algorithmic pricing disclosures, prohibitions.

Summary
Virginia Fair Housing Law; Virginia Residential Property Disclosure Act; Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; personalized algorithmic pricing disclosures; prohibitions; civil penalties; civil actions. Prohibits, for purposes of the Virginia Fair Housing Law and the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (VRLTA), certain discriminatory uses of protected class data, defined in the bill, in the sale or rental of a dwelling. The bill requires, when applicable, disclosure of the use of personalized algorithmic pricing, defined in the bill, for purposes of the Virginia Residential Property Disclosure Act and the VRLTA. Under the VRLTA, the bill prohibits a landlord from facilitating an agreement between or among two or more landlords to not compete with respect to any dwelling unit, including by operating or licensing software, a data analytics service, or an algorithmic device that performs a coordinating function, defined in the bill, on behalf of or between and among such landlords. The bill also prohibits a landlord and a multiple listing service, defined in the bill, from setting or adjusting rent prices, rental agreement terms, occupancy levels, or other rental agreement terms and conditions in one or more of his dwelling units based on recommendations from software, a data analytics service, or an algorithmic device performing a coordinating function. The bill allows the Attorney General to seek an injunction and civil penalties to restrain certain violations of the bill and allows any injured individual to bring a civil action to recover the greater of actual or statutory damages and reasonable attorney fees.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 14, 2026 Last action Feb 4, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced General Laws and Technology Substitute · 6 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended from its original version to create a more targeted substitute focusing specifically on algorithmic pricing in residential rentals. The original version included broader fair housing provisions covering multiple Code of Virginia sections, while the substitute narrows the scope to primarily address algorithmic pricing disclosures and prohibitions under the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. This change reflects a legislative decision to prioritize algorithmic pricing concerns over broader fair housing amendments.
Scope change
The bill's scope was significantly narrowed from covering multiple fair housing statutes (including §§ 36-96.1:1, 36-96.3, 55.1-700, 55.1-1200) to focusing primarily on § 55.1-1200 and adding § 55.1-1204.2. The original version included comprehensive fair housing definitions and prohibited practices, while the substitute focuses specifically on algorithmic pricing devices and related landlord obligations.
SCOPE

Removed comprehensive fair housing definitions and unlawful discriminatory housing practices from §§ 36-96.1:1 and 36-96.3, which covered protected classes including race, religion, disability, military status, and other discrimination protections.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the standalone section on personalized algorithmic pricing disclosure (§ 55.1-708.3) that applied to residential property owners, consolidating algorithmic pricing provisions into the landlord-tenant act instead.

Added prohibition against landlords using protected class data to set different rent prices for different groups, with an exception allowing use of such data for internal audits to identify and mitigate algorithmic bias.

Added prohibition against landlords facilitating agreements between multiple landlords to not compete, including through shared software or algorithmic devices, with an exemption for landlords owning or leasing four or fewer dwelling units.

DEFINITION

Added new definition of 'Algorithmic pricing device' as any automated system using algorithms or machine learning to generate or influence rental prices, while explicitly excluding landlords' internal spreadsheets and publicly available market surveys.

ENFORCEMENT

Maintained the $1,000 civil penalty per violation and right to civil action for injured individuals, but narrowed enforcement to apply specifically to landlords and multiple listing services rather than all property owners.

Floor votes

How they voted

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
5
Key actions
1
Committee
3
Jan 28, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate subcommittee offered
upper
Jan 21, 2026
Committee
Assigned GL&T sub: Housing
upper
Jan 14, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology
upper
1 primary · 4 co-sponsors

Sponsors