Virginia HB1408: Landlord Remedies and Lease Termination for Abuse Victims

LegiScan Virginia

Published March 14th, 2026

Detected March 29th, 2026

Summary

Virginia HB1408 amends the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act to ease lease termination for victims of family abuse. The bill removes the requirement for tenants to notify landlords if an abuser returns to the dwelling, preventing lease termination solely due to abuse by a barred perpetrator.

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What changed

Virginia HB1408, enacted on March 14, 2026, amends the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. The key change removes the obligation for a tenant who is a victim of family abuse to promptly notify their landlord if the abuser returns to the dwelling. This amendment aims to prevent landlords from terminating a lease solely because of an act of family abuse committed by a perpetrator who has been barred from the dwelling unit.

Landlords and property managers in Virginia must update their lease termination procedures to comply with this new provision. If a tenant provides a protective order, the lease should not be terminated based on abuse by a barred perpetrator, even if the perpetrator is not already barred by the landlord. This change offers greater protection to victims of domestic abuse by ensuring their housing security is not jeopardized by the actions of an abuser.

What to do next

Review and update lease agreements and termination policies to reflect the amended requirements regarding family abuse victims.
Train property management staff on the new provisions concerning lease termination and protective orders for victims of family abuse.
Ensure prompt processing of protective orders provided by tenants to prevent improper lease terminations.

Source document (simplified)

VA HB1408 | 2026 | Regular Regular Session

Virginia House Bill 1408

VA State Legislature page for HB1408
- Summary
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Status

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 12)
Status: Enrolled on March 14 2026 - 75% progression
Action: 2026-03-25 - Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
Text: Latest bill text (Enrolled) [HTML]

Summary

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.
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Title

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

Roll Calls

2026-03-09 - Senate - Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Y: 40 N: 0 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2026-03-06 - Senate - Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A) (Y: 39 N: 0 NV: 0 Abs: 1) [PASS]
2026-03-04 - Senate - Reported from General Laws and Technology (15-Y 0-N) (Y: 15 N: 0 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2026-02-09 - House - Read third time and passed House (84-Y 13-N 0-A) (Y: 84 N: 13 NV: 0 Abs: 3) [PASS]
2026-02-03 - House - Reported from General Laws (21-Y 0-N) (Y: 21 N: 0 NV: 0 Abs: 1) [PASS]
2026-01-29 - House - Subcommittee recommends reporting (9-Y 0-N) (Y: 9 N: 0 NV: 0 Abs: 1) [PASS]

History

| Date | Chamber | Action |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-25 | | Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 |
| 2026-03-25 | House | Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 25, 2026 |
| 2026-03-16 | House | Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1408) |
| 2026-03-14 | Senate | Signed by President |
| 2026-03-14 | House | Signed by Speaker |
| 2026-03-14 | House | Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1408ER) |
| 2026-03-14 | House | Enrolled |
| 2026-03-09 | Senate | Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A) |
| 2026-03-09 | Senate | Read third time |
| 2026-03-06 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) |
| 2026-03-06 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A) |
| 2026-03-06 | Senate | Rules suspended |
| 2026-03-04 | Senate | Reported from General Laws and Technology (15-Y 0-N) |
| 2026-02-25 | Senate | Assigned GL&T sub: Housing |
| 2026-02-10 | Senate | Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology |
| 2026-02-10 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) |
| 2026-02-09 | House | Read third time and passed House (84-Y 13-N 0-A) |
| 2026-02-06 | House | Read second time and engrossed |
| 2026-02-06 | House | Moved from Uncontested Calendar to Regular Calendar |
| 2026-02-05 | House | Read first time |
| 2026-02-03 | House | Reported from General Laws (21-Y 0-N) |
| 2026-01-29 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting (9-Y 0-N) |
| 2026-01-27 | House | Assigned HGL sub: Housing/Consumer Protection |
| 2026-01-26 | House | Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1408) |
| 2026-01-22 | House | Referred to Committee on General Laws |
| 2026-01-22 | House | Presented and ordered printed 26103161D |

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