Housing

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 616: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; tenant records.

Department of Housing and Community Development; Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; tenant records. Requires a landlord, upon written request by a tenant, to within 10 business days provide such tenant a statement containing all charges and payments incurred by the tenant over the duration of the tenancy or the past 12 months, whichever is shorter. The bill specifies that such statement shall itemize separately rent and the cost of each utility and that the landlord is not obligated to provide such written statement if the landlord owns fewer than four rental dwelling units or less than a 10 percent interest in more than four rental dwelling units, whether individually or through a business entity, in the Commonwealth unless the landlord receives any state or local rental or utility assistance funds on behalf of the tenant. The bill additionally directs the Department of Housing and Community Development to, based on input from relevant stakeholders, develop a standardized printable template for the landlord to use to provide the tenant such written statement. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.

Topics ✓ HousingSupports HousingRequires landlords to disclose tenant financial records, enhancing transparency and tenant rights under housing laws.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Housing

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 519: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; definition of essential services.

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; essential services. Adds central air conditioning when supplied by the landlord and operating or represented as operating as of the effective date of the rental agreement to the list of what constitutes an essential service for purposes of the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act.

Topics ✓ HousingSupports HousingAdds air conditioning as an essential service landlords must provide, strengthening tenant protections under the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Housing

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 1005: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; rental payment methods, prohibited fees.

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; rental payment methods; prohibited fees. Requires a landlord subject to the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act to accept payment of periodic rent and any security deposit by check and money order. The bill additionally prohibits such a landlord from requiring a tenant to pay any fee to submit periodic rent payments or other amounts due in excess of the actual out-of-pocket expenses charged to the landlord by a third party to process a payment. Finally, the bill prohibits a landlord from requiring a tenant to pay any fee for the maintenance or repair of any dwelling unit unless the repair is necessitated by the tenant's violation of the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. This bill is identical to SB 313.

Topics ✓ HousingSupports HousingRequires landlords to accept multiple payment methods, reducing barriers for tenants and strengthening tenant protections under housing regulations.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Housing

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 1325: Manufactured Home Lot Rental Act; landlord obligations.

Manufactured Home Lot Rental Act; landlord obligations. Requires a landlord to provide a copy of any written rental agreement and the statement of tenant rights and responsibilities within 10 business days of the effective date of the written rental agreement; current law requires a landlord to provide such copies within one month of such effective date. The bill outlines required notice language regarding flood insurance to be included by the landlord in the rental agreement and provides that failures of the landlord to provide notice shall not affect the validity of the rental agreement. The bill applies to rental agreements that are entered into, extended, or renewed on or after July 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ HousingSupports HousingRequires landlords to provide rental agreements and tenant rights documents faster (10 business days vs. 1 month), strengthening tenant protections in manufactured home lots.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Housing

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 1408: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, rental agreement noncompliance.

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies; rental agreement noncompliance; victim of family abuse. Removes the requirement that a tenant who is a victim of family abuse provide the landlord prompt notification should the perpetrator return to the dwelling unit to prevent the landlord from terminating a lease solely due to such act of family abuse occurring in the dwelling unit or on the premises by a perpetrator barred from the dwelling unit. Under the bill, if the tenant provides the landlord with a copy of the protective order, should the perpetrator not already be barred from the unit by the landlord, the lease shall not be terminated due solely to an act of family abuse against the tenant by a perpetrator barred from the dwelling unit.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeProtects tenants who are victims of family abuse from lease termination, aligning with criminal justice reform by safeguarding civil rights and reducing barriers for abuse survivors.90% confidence ✓ HousingSupports HousingPrevents lease termination for tenants who are victims of family abuse by removing notification requirements, strengthening tenant protections under housing law.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Housing

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 221: Appeals bond; indigent parties, appeal of unlawful detainer.

Requirement for appeals bond; indigent parties; appeal of unlawful detainer. Removes the requirement for an indigent defendant, as defined in the bill, to post an appeal bond in an unlawful detainer action appealed from the general district court.

Topics ✓ HousingSupports HousingRemoves appeal bond requirement for indigent tenants in eviction cases, strengthening tenant protections against unlawful detainer.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Housing

vetoed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 1279: Affordable housing; religious organizations and other nonprofit tax-exempt properties.

Affordable housing; religious organizations and other nonprofit tax-exempt properties. Allows for the administrative approval of development and construction of housing on land owned by property tax-exempt religious organizations or certain property tax-exempt nonprofit organizations and provides that zoning ordinances shall allow the by-right development and construction of housing on real property owned by such organizations, subject to various conditions and limitations. The bill provides that the review of such developments be completed pursuant to general law and states that localities shall not require a special exception, special use permit, conditional use permit, rezoning, or any discretionary review or approval process. The bill requires that at least 60 percent of the housing development's total units be for affordable housing and that the housing development remain affordable for at least 30 years. The bill also provides that all such housing is subject to local real property taxation following completion, unless explicitly exempted by the locality. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027, and expires on January 1, 2031. This bill is identical to SB 388.

Topics ✓ HousingSupports HousingEnables housing development on tax-exempt properties by removing zoning barriers, increasing affordable housing supply through streamlined approvals.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Housing

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signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 1212: Zoning; small lot residential districts.

Small lot residential zoning districts. Requires any locality with a population of 50,000 or more to adopt, maintain, and apply to land within its boundaries at least one zoning district classification that permits a single-family dwelling on a lot with a minimum lot area not exceeding 3,000 square feet. The bill provides that such zoning district classifications shall not impose minimum lot widths exceeding 30 feet or setback, lot coverage, or density requirements that would preclude construction of eligible dwellings on conforming lots. The bill's provisions do not apply to areas within a historic district.

Topics ✓ HousingSupports HousingMandates zoning changes to allow denser residential development on smaller lots (≤3,000 sq ft), increasing housing capacity and affordability by enabling more units per area.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Housing

signed · Virginia · Senate Apr 13, 2026

SB 290: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; enforcement by localities.

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; enforcement by localities. Provides that if a condition exists in a dwelling unit that constitutes a material noncompliance by the landlord with the rental agreement or with any provision of law that, if not remedied within a reasonable time frame, constitutes a fire hazard or serious threat to the life, health, or safety of a tenant or occupant of the premises, a locality may institute an action on behalf of any tenant or occupant of the premises who is injured by such material noncompliance for injunction and damages to enforce the landlord's duty to maintain the dwelling unit in a fit and habitable condition, provided that (i) the premises where the violation occurred is within the jurisdictional boundaries of the locality and (ii) the locality has notified the landlord who owns the premises, either directly or through the managing agent, of the nature of the violation and the landlord has failed to remedy the violation to the satisfaction of the locality within a reasonable time after receiving such notice. This bill is identical to HB 14.

Topics ✓ HousingSupports HousingBill empowers localities to enforce landlord compliance with safety standards, directly protecting tenants from fire hazards and health/safety threats per the Act.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Housing

vetoed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 329: Va. Residential Landlord & Tenant/Manufactured Home Lot Rental Acts; retaliatory conduct prohibited.

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; Manufactured Home Lot Rental Act; retaliatory conduct prohibited. Adds numerous actions to the list of prohibited retaliatory actions by a landlord against a tenant under the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act and Manufactured Home Lot Rental Act and specifies actions by a tenant for which a landlord may not retaliate. The bill modifies and expands the list of actions a landlord may take without violating the prohibition on retaliation. The bill allows a tenant, when the landlord has unlawfully retaliated, to recover actual damages and to assert retaliation as a defense in any action brought against him for possession. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027.

Topics ✓ HousingSupports HousingExpands tenant protections by prohibiting landlord retaliation for tenant actions, strengthening tenant rights under housing laws.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Housing

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