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Virginia Eviction Notice Law

Virginia's notice period for unpaid rent is 14 days (14-day pay or quit notice (notice of nonpayment)). For a lease violation it is 21 days, and the tenant gets a chance to fix the problem.

Last verified: 2026-10-27 · Researched and cited by MakeLease · not yet attorney-reviewed

Not legal advice. A defective notice can restart an eviction case; ask a Virginia attorney or court self-help center before serving one. See our disclaimer.

Virginia eviction notice rules at a glance

Upcoming change

Landlords with more than four units must, when arrears are no more than one month's rent plus late charges, serve a 14-day notice offering a payment plan (equal monthly installments over the lesser of six months or the remaining term, no added late fees while current); offered once per lease term. Effective 2027-07-01 (2026 HB 95 (2026 Va. Acts ch. 1105)).

Notice for unpaid rent	14 days (14-day pay or quit notice (notice of nonpayment))Va. Code § 55.1-1245(F), 2026 Va. Acts chs. 353 (HB 15), 354 (SB 48)
Notice for a lease violation	21 days (chance to cure)Va. Code § 55.1-1245(A)-(C)
Ending a month-to-month tenancy (no-fault)	30 days (either side)Va. Code § 55.1-1253(A), (B)

Notice for unpaid rent

In effect since July 1, 2026.
Before July 1, 2026: Five-day written notice of nonpayment (§ 55.1-1245(F) as of 2025).

What Virginia law says

What notice must a Virginia landlord give before filing an eviction for unpaid rent?

Before terminating for unpaid rent, landlords must serve a written notice giving the tenant 14 days to pay (Va. Code § 55.1-1245(F)).

How much notice is required for a lease violation in Virginia?

For a curable material lease violation, landlords must give written notice allowing 21 days to remedy, with termination no sooner than 30 days after receipt; non-remediable breaches get a 30-day termination notice, and criminal or willful acts threatening health or safety allow immediate termination (Va. Code § 55.1-1245(A)-(C)).

How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Virginia?

Either party may end a month-to-month tenancy with written notice served at least 30 days before the next rent due date, unless the lease sets a different period (Va. Code § 55.1-1253(A)) (Va. Code § 55.1-1253(A), (B)).

How Virginia compares

37 of 49 verified jurisdictions use a shorter unpaid-rent notice.

None of Virginia's 6 neighbors follows the same rule.

Unpaid rent · lease violation	States
14 days · 21 days, with cure	Virginia
No statewide rule · no statewide rule	Kentucky, West Virginia
10 days · 30 days	Maryland
10 days · no statewide rule	North Carolina
14 days · 14 days, with cure	Tennessee
10 days · 30 days, with cure	District of Columbia

Local rules in Virginia

The VRLTA applies statewide and supersedes local ordinances on landlord-tenant relations (Va. Code § 55.1-1201(E)); localities may run voluntary mediation commissions and enforce property-maintenance codes, but no Virginia locality has rent control.

Recent changes in Virginia

Nonpayment notice must include a ledger (effective 2027-07-01): A termination notice for nonpayment is not effective unless it includes a written statement of charges and payments over the tenancy or the past 12 months (whichever is shorter) and any late charges, attorney fees, costs and other charges claimed, plus utility debits and credits where the lease uses submetering, energy allocation or ratio utility billing; and no landlord may file or maintain an unlawful detainer for an alleged lease violation without a proper and effective termination notice (Va. Code §§ 55.1-1202(E), 8.01-126(D)). Va. Code § 55.1-1202(E), Va. Code § 8.01-126, Va. Code § 55.1-1212(F), 2026 Va. Acts ch. 783 (HB 1361)

Other Virginia rules

Security deposit limit	2 months' rentVa. Code § 55.1-1226(A), Va. Code § 55.1-1206(A), (C), Va. Code § 55.1-1208(A)(7)
Deposit return deadline	45 days after the triggering eventVa. Code § 55.1-1226(A), Va. Code § 55.1-1226(E)
Late-fee cap	Lesser of 10% of the periodic rent or 10% of the remaining balance due and owed; only if the written lease provides for itVa. Code § 55.1-1204(E)
Entry notice	72 hours' noticeVa. Code § 55.1-1229(A)(4)
Rent-increase notice	30 days (Month-to-month/holdover: new rent takes effect on the next rent due date at least 30 days after written notice. Landlords with more than 4 units (or >10% interest in more than 4) must give 60 days' written notice before the lease term ends of any rent increase for a renewing or auto-renewing lease (90 days from July 1, 2027))Va. Code § 55.1-1253(D), Va. Code § 55.1-1204(K)

Read the Virginia law

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