What Virginia law does to your lease
These are the figures the builder holds you to. Each one is the statute's, not ours, and the citation is there so you can read it yourself.
| Rule | Virginia | Where it says so |
|---|---|---|
| Most a landlord may take as a deposit | 2 months' rent | Va. Code 55.1-1226(A) |
| Earliest a late fee may be charged | The day after it is due | Va. Code 55.1-1204(F) |
| Most a late fee may be | 10% of the rentThe ceiling is the lesser of 10% of the periodic rent and 10% of the balance the tenant owes, and it applies only if the written agreement provides for it. | Va. Code 55.1-1204(F) |
| Notice before the landlord may enter | 72 hours72 hours is what Virginia requires for routine maintenance the tenant did not ask for; other entries need reasonable notice, so the lease uses the longer figure throughout. | Va. Code 55.1-1229(A) |
| Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy | 30 daysServed at least 30 days before the next rent due date. | Va. Code 55.1-1253(A) |
What Virginia makes you disclose
- Statement of tenant rights and responsibilities
- The landlord must offer a written lease and give the tenant the Statement of Tenant Rights and Responsibilities published by the Department of Housing and Community Development, plus a signed copy of the lease, within 10 business days of the effective date. Va. Code 55.1-1204(C), (E)
- Visible mold
- The move-in inspection report must state whether there is visible evidence of mold. If it says there is, the tenant may terminate within five days or the landlord must remediate within five business days and re-inspect. Va. Code 55.1-1215
- Military air installation
- If the dwelling sits in a noise zone or accident potential zone designated by an adjacent military air installation, the lease must say so and name the zone, and the disclosure must be given before signing. Va. Code 55.1-1217
- Defective drywall
- A landlord who knows the dwelling contains defective drywall must disclose it in writing before the tenant signs. Va. Code 55.1-1218
- Methamphetamine manufacture
- A landlord who knows the dwelling was used to manufacture methamphetamine and has not been cleaned up to the state standard must disclose it in writing before the tenant signs. Va. Code 55.1-1219
The clause most landlords get wrong
Rent stated as a base figure with mandatory fees bolted on beside it. If a fee is not optional, it is rent, and several states now say so outright: the lease has to carry one total figure that the landlord may not charge above. The builder asks for the total and then asks how much of it is fees, which is the same information in the order the law wants it.
The second is the assistance animal. A no-pets clause that does not carve one out is a fair-housing problem, not a pet problem, and no pet rent or pet deposit may be charged for one. Your lease says so whether or not you allow pets.
After it is signed
Download the PDF and it is yours, account or not. If you want the tenant to sign it without printing anything, a free Kouzr account sends it for signature, files the executed copy against the tenancy, and keeps it beside the listing, the rent record and the deposit accounting, so the paperwork for that home is in one place when the tenancy ends.