Real Estate

Article co-written by Andrew Gay and Summer Associate Randall Shirey A practical overview of amendments affecting residential landlords, property managers, and manufactured home park owners. The 2026 Virginia General Assembly Session produced some of the most substantial landlord-tenant law changes in recent years. Many amendments took effect on July 1, 2026, while others do not go into effect until January 1, 2027, or even July 1, 2027, making advance preparation important for compliance. The 2026 Virginia General Assembly Session produced a broad set of amendments affecting both traditional residential landlords governed by the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (“VRLTA”) […]

Effective July 1, 2026, Virginia landlords subject to the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (VRLTA) must provide residential tenants with 14 days’ written notice, rather than the previous 5-day notice, before terminating a rental agreement for nonpayment of rent. The change was enacted through 2026 General Assembly amendments to Virginia Code § 55.1-1245(F). Under the prior version of the statute, if a tenant failed to pay rent when due, a landlord could serve a written pay-or-quit notice giving the tenant 5 days to pay the outstanding rent. If the tenant failed to cure the default within that period, the […]