Hampton Roads landlord rules come mostly from one statewide law, the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, which no city in the region can waive or rewrite. What does vary from city to city is the local layer on top of it: whether a neighborhood sits inside a rental inspection district, what that inspection costs, and what support programs the city runs for landlords.
That split matters in a region made up of separate municipalities. Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton and Newport News are independent cities, and the Census Bureau notes that Virginia’s cities “are independent of any county.” An owner with buildings in Norfolk and Newport News is dealing with two city governments but one state landlord-tenant statute. This guide covers both layers as they stand in late 2026, including several state changes already on the books for July 2027.
Why Hampton Roads landlord rules affect so many owners
The region’s core city is a renter city. The Census Bureau’s QuickFacts profile for Norfolk shows an estimated 231,013 residents on July 1, 2025, an owner-occupied housing rate of 46.3% for 2020–2024 and a median gross rent of $1,321. In other words, more than half of Norfolk’s occupied homes are rented. Virginia Beach, the region’s largest city, is more owner-heavy, with an estimated 453,737 residents, a 65.1% owner-occupied rate and a median gross rent of $1,714 over the same period.
For apartment owners, that renter share means the rules on deposits, notices, maintenance and lease paperwork are not occasional concerns. They come up with every move-in, every renewal and every late payment. Getting a form or a deadline wrong can cost a deposit dispute, delay an eviction case or undo a rent increase.
The VRLTA applies to every building and every city
The Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, found in Title 55.1, Chapter 12 of the Code of Virginia, is the foundation. Section 55.1-1201 states that the chapter “shall apply to all jurisdictions in the Commonwealth and may not be waived or otherwise modified, in whole or in part, by the governing body of any locality.” It covers “all single-family and multifamily dwelling units.”
Two practical consequences follow for apartment owners in the region:
- A Norfolk or Portsmouth city council cannot add its own deposit limit, notice period or late-fee rule that conflicts with the VRLTA.
- A lease clause that tries to sidestep the act does not change what the act requires.
The local rules that do exist, covered later in this guide, sit alongside the VRLTA rather than inside it. They mostly deal with building condition and inspections under the state building code.
Lease paperwork and fee disclosure
Virginia law front-loads a lot of paperwork, and much of it has changed in the past three years.
A written lease and the DHCD tenant rights statement
Under Virginia Code § 55.1-1204, a landlord “shall offer a prospective tenant a written rental agreement” and must provide with it the statement of tenant rights and responsibilities developed by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Both parties sign an acknowledgment form, and the version used must be current on the date it is delivered. If no written lease is offered, the statute says a tenancy still exists “by operation of law,” on the act’s default terms.
The DHCD landlord-tenant resources page currently posts the statement “as of July 1, 2026.” It also notes that landlords must give tenants copies of the signed statement and lease within one month of the lease’s effective date. Owners who keep an older version of the statement in their lease packet should check the date on it; a form that was current in 2024 is not current today.
Fees listed on the first page
A newer section, § 55.1-1204.1, added in 2024 and amended in 2025, requires an itemization of all charges “beginning on the first page of the written rental agreement.” That list covers the security deposit, the rent for each period and any one-time charges. The lease must also include a sentence stating that no additional deposits or rent will be charged unless listed. For owners of older buildings who have used the same lease template for years, this is often the first item a lease review turns up.
The late fee cap
Section 55.1-1204 also limits late fees. A late charge is allowed only if the written lease provides for it, and it may not exceed “the lesser of 10 percent of the periodic rent or 10 percent of the remaining balance due and owed by the tenant.” On a $1,300 apartment with the full month unpaid, the most the lease can charge is $130.
Deposits, move-in reports and mold
Deposit limit and return deadline
Under Virginia Code § 55.1-1226, a landlord may not take a security deposit “in excess of two months’ periodic rent,” and the deposit must be returned, less lawful deductions, “within 45 days after the termination date of the tenancy.” In buildings with steady turnover, that 45-day clock runs constantly, and a missed deadline is one of the easier ways to lose a dispute.
The five-day move-in inspection report
Section 55.1-1214 requires the landlord, within five days after a tenant moves in, to give the tenant a written report itemizing existing damage. The report is treated as correct unless the tenant objects in writing within five days of receiving it. A dated, detailed report is the main defense when deductions are challenged at move-out.
Mold disclosure and remediation
Coastal humidity makes mold a recurring issue in older Hampton Roads housing, and Virginia law addresses it directly. Section 55.1-1215 requires the move-in report to disclose “whether there is any visible evidence of mold.” If mold is disclosed and the tenant chooses to stay, the landlord must remediate it no later than five business days after the tenant asks. Section 55.1-1220 separately requires the landlord to maintain the premises “in such a condition as to prevent the accumulation of moisture and the growth of mold.”
Repairs, entry and retaliation
Section 55.1-1220 sets the core maintenance duty: the landlord must “make all repairs and do whatever is necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition.” The same section covers building code compliance and the upkeep of supplied systems such as plumbing, heating and appliances.
Entry rules sit in § 55.1-1229. For routine maintenance, the landlord must give “at least 72 hours’ notice.” If the tenant asked for the repair, no notice is required for that visit. Owners who schedule annual filter changes, pest treatments or smoke detector checks across a whole building should plan the 72-hour notice into the calendar.
Retaliation is prohibited under § 55.1-1258. A landlord may not raise rent, cut services or bring or threaten an action for possession because a tenant has done any of the following:
- complained to a government agency responsible for building or housing codes;
- complained about or sued over a violation of the VRLTA;
- organized or joined a tenants’ organization;
- testified in a court proceeding against the landlord.
The statute does allow rent to rise to the level of comparable market rentals, so ordinary increases are not barred; the issue is timing and motive. Owners in inspection districts, where tenants may have recently reported code problems, should document the business reasons behind any rent change or nonrenewal.
Rent, renewals and nonpayment
No local rent control, for now
Virginia does not have a statute that caps rent increases, and its cities cannot impose caps on their own. A June 2026 Virginia Housing Commission study on local rent regulation authority explains that, as a Dillon Rule state, Virginia localities have only the powers the General Assembly grants them, and “without specific enabling legislation, Virginia localities lack the legal authority to enact rent stabilization ordinances.” The same study notes the Code of Virginia “does not limit how much a landlord can raise rents when a lease expires or renews.” It was reviewing 2026 bills that would have let localities cap increases, so this is an area owners should keep watching.
Notice of rent increases and nonrenewal
What Virginia does regulate is notice. Under the version of § 55.1-1204 in effect until July 1, 2027, a landlord who owns more than four rental units, or more than a 10% interest in more than four, must give written notice of a rent increase to tenants who can renew, and notice of nonrenewal, “no less than 60 days prior to the end of the rental agreement term.” The owner of any building with five or more units is over that threshold.
Starting July 1, 2027, the rent-increase notice moves to at least 90 days before the end of the lease term, and the notice must give the tenant a renewal deadline no sooner than 30 days after delivery. Nonrenewal notice stays at 60 days. Owners who send renewal offers on a fixed schedule will need to move that schedule earlier for leases ending after mid-2027.
The 14-day pay-or-quit notice
Many older guides still describe a five-day notice for unpaid rent. That is no longer the rule. Virginia Code § 55.1-1245 now provides that if rent is unpaid when due and the tenant “fails to pay rent within 14 days after written notice is served,” the landlord may terminate the rental agreement.
A further change takes effect July 1, 2027. For landlords with more than four units, when the amount owed is no more than one month’s rent plus late charges, the notice must offer the tenant a payment plan in equal monthly installments over the lesser of six months or the remaining lease term. Owners who budget collections loss should expect that schedule to stretch out recovery on smaller arrears.
Where eviction cases are heard
Unlawful detainer cases in Virginia are general district court matters; under § 8.01-126, the summons is issued by a magistrate or a clerk or judge of a general district court. Section 55.1-1260 also sets up an Eviction Diversion Program that any general district court may implement, which allows certain tenants to enter a payment plan in court. Owners with properties in several Hampton Roads cities will be dealing with several different general district courts and their individual dockets.
City rental inspection districts in Hampton Roads
This is where the cities differ. Virginia lets localities run rental inspection programs, but only within the limits of Virginia Code § 36-105.1:1. Key points of that statute:
- A city may designate rental inspection districts based on findings of blight or deterioration, but the law does not authorize a citywide district.
- Periodic inspections may occur no more than once each calendar year, and a unit that passes with no violations can be exempted for at least four years.
- For multifamily developments with more than 10 units, inspectors sample at least two and no more than 10% of the units, and fees are capped as if the property had 10 units.
- The owner’s required notice to the city may not include a registration requirement or a fee, and the only penalty for failing to notify is a civil penalty of up to $50.
Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach’s Certificate of Compliance rental inspection program covers 109 Census block groups designated as residential inspection districts. The city charges a $50 fee for the inspection, which includes the initial visit and one re-inspection. Units found with no violations are exempt for four years.
Newport News
The Newport News Residential Rental Inspection Program applies in Neighborhood Statistical Areas 1, 2, 3 and 8. Under the city’s ordinance, the inspection fee is $50 per dwelling unit, the first re-inspection is free, and certificates run for 12 or 48 months depending on the inspection result.
Hampton
Hampton has designated eight rental inspection districts, including Olde Hampton, North Phoebus, South Phoebus, Sussex and the Shell Road Corridor and South Wythe area, and asks owners to file an online rental inspection notification form. The ordinance as adopted in 2013 set no fee for the initial inspection and $100 per unit for each re-inspection after disqualifying violations, with certificates running 12 months, or 48 months when no disqualifying violations are found. Owners should confirm the current fee schedule with the city because the 2013 text may have been amended.
Norfolk
Norfolk takes a different approach. Rather than a mandatory district-based inspection program, the city runs Rent Ready Norfolk, which it describes as “a voluntary and comprehensive rental education and support program.” It includes the RentingSmart Academy, with a Good Landlord track and a separate court-ordered landlord track. Norfolk properties are still subject to the state building and maintenance codes, and to the VRLTA, like everywhere else in Virginia.
Putting the rules to work: a checklist for owners
The practical takeaway for an owner of a 12-unit building in Norfolk, or a portfolio spread across several of the region’s cities, is that compliance is mostly a paperwork and calendar exercise:
- Replace any lease packet that does not include the DHCD tenant rights statement dated July 1, 2026, and keep signed copies.
- Move all charges to the first page of the lease, itemized, with the required statement that no unlisted deposits or rent will be charged.
- Cap late fees at the lesser of 10% of rent or 10% of the balance.
- Deliver the written move-in report within five days, with a mold disclosure line.
- Return deposits within 45 days and keep itemized deduction records.
- Use the 14-day nonpayment notice, not a five-day form.
- Send rent increases and nonrenewals at least 60 days before lease end today, and at least 90 days for rent increases on leases ending after July 1, 2027.
- Check whether each property sits in a Virginia Beach, Newport News or Hampton inspection district, and budget for inspection fees and turnaround time.
These items also come up in due diligence. A buyer reviewing a Hampton Roads building will typically ask for current leases, deposit ledgers and any inspection certificates, so having them in order makes a building easier to underwrite and transfer.
Selling a building with leases in place
Owners who plan to sell often ask whether tenants and leases complicate the process. Every item on the checklist above becomes part of what a buyer reviews, from the lease forms to the deposit ledger. Our guide on how to sell rental property with tenants in place walks through that process from the seller’s side. For a broader look at Virginia markets beyond the region, see our Virginia market overview, and for local context on pricing and timing, visit our page on selling an apartment building in Hampton Roads.
The rules described here reflect the Code of Virginia and city program pages as of October 2026. With several VRLTA amendments already scheduled for July 1, 2027, the next round of lease and notice updates is predictable: owners who adjust their templates and renewal calendars over the coming months will be ready when those changes take effect.
