Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; Retaliatory Conduct Prohibited

LegiScan Virginia

Published March 30th, 2026

Detected March 30th, 2026

Summary

Virginia General Assembly passed HB329, expanding prohibited retaliatory conduct by landlords under the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act and Manufactured Home Lot Rental Act. The bill adds tenant-protected actions including lease compliance complaints and housing authority reports, while allowing tenants to recover actual damages and assert retaliation as a defense. The legislation passed the House 85-13 and Senate 25-15 before enrollment on March 30, 2026.

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What changed

HB329 substantially modifies Virginia's landlord-tenant retaliation framework by expanding both the list of prohibited landlord actions and tenant-protected activities. The bill adds numerous actions to the prohibited retaliation list including tenant complaints to government entities, lease compliance activities, and union activities, while specifying new tenant actions landlords may not retaliate against. Additionally, the bill modifies the safe harbor provisions outlining actions landlords may take without violating retaliation prohibitions.

Virginia landlords and property managers must immediately review current policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the expanded prohibited action list. Tenants gain new enforcement mechanisms including recovery of actual damages and the ability to assert retaliation as a defense in possession actions. Landlords should update training materials and document all communications with tenants to demonstrate non-retaliatory purposes for any adverse actions taken within statutory protected periods. As an enrolled bill awaiting gubernatorial action, compliance should be prepared for the effective date upon signing.

What to do next

Review and update tenant policies to ensure no retaliatory actions against tenants exercising rights under the expanded protected activity list
Train property management staff on new prohibited retaliatory conduct definitions and documentation requirements
Prepare to defend any adverse actions taken against tenants within protected activity periods using the modified landlord safe harbor provisions

Source document (simplified)

VA HB329 | 2026 | Regular Regular Session

Virginia House Bill 329

VA State Legislature page for HB329
- Summary
- Sponsors
- Texts
- Votes
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Status

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3)
Status: Enrolled on March 30 2026 - 75% progression
Action: 2026-03-30 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB329ER)
Text: Latest bill text (Enrolled) [HTML]

Summary

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.
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Title

Va. Residential Landlord & Tenant/manufactured Home Lot Rental Acts; retaliatory conduct prohibited.

Roll Calls

2026-03-10 - House - Senate amendment agreed to by House (79-Y 20-N 0-A) (Y: 79 N: 20 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2026-03-09 - Senate - Passed Senate with amendment (25-Y 15-N 0-A) (Y: 25 N: 15 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 with amendment (15-Y 0-N) (Y: 15 N: 0 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2026-02-02 - House - Read third time and passed House (85-Y 13-N 0-A) (Y: 85 N: 13 NV: 0 Abs: 2) [PASS]
2026-01-27 - House - Reported from General Laws (21-Y 0-N) (Y: 21 N: 0 NV: 0 Abs: 1) [PASS]
2026-01-22 - House - Subcommittee recommends reporting (10-Y 0-N) (Y: 10 N: 0 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]

History

| Date | Chamber | Action |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-30 | House | Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB329ER) |
| 2026-03-30 | House | Enrolled |
| 2026-03-10 | House | Senate amendment agreed to by House (79-Y 20-N 0-A) |
| 2026-03-09 | Senate | Passed Senate with amendment (25-Y 15-N 0-A) |
| 2026-03-09 | Senate | Engrossed by Senate as amended |
| 2026-03-09 | Senate | General Laws and Technology Amendment agreed to |
| 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 with amendment (15-Y 0-N) |
| 2026-03-03 | Senate | Senate committee offered |
| 2026-02-25 | Senate | Assigned GL&T sub: Housing |
| 2026-02-03 | Senate | Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology |
| 2026-02-03 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) |
| 2026-02-02 | House | Read third time and passed House (85-Y 13-N 0-A) |
| 2026-01-30 | House | Read second time and engrossed |
| 2026-01-30 | House | Moved from Uncontested Calendar to Regular Calendar |
| 2026-01-29 | House | Read first time |
| 2026-01-27 | House | Reported from General Laws (21-Y 0-N) |
| 2026-01-23 | House | Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB329) |
| 2026-01-22 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting (10-Y 0-N) |
| 2026-01-19 | House | Assigned HGL sub: Housing/Consumer Protection |
| 2026-01-11 | House | Referred to Committee on General Laws |
| 2026-01-11 | House | Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26100665D |

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