Virginia · Tenant resources

Take action

Step-by-step Virginia guides for your next move, plus where to get real help. This is general information about how these processes work in Virginia — not legal advice, and not a guarantee of any outcome. Deadlines, fees, and procedures change and may differ by city or county.

Using this page creates no attorney-client relationship. For advice about your situation, contact a licensed Virginia attorney or one of the resources below.

Your options

File a complaint against a landlord

Report deceptive practices or an unresponsive landlord. For habitability problems, contact your locality's building/property-maintenance code enforcement.

Where: Virginia Office of the Attorney General — Consumer Protection Section; and your city/county building official.

Request a code inspection

Ask your locality to inspect your unit for Virginia Maintenance Code (property maintenance) violations. In Virginia this is handled by the local building official — not a board of health.

Where: Your city or county building/property-maintenance code enforcement office (Virginia Maintenance Code, part of the USBC).

Find an attorney

Connect with free or low-cost legal help, or a lawyer referral, for landlord-tenant matters.

Where: VirginiaLawHelp.org 'Get Legal Help'; Virginia State Bar Lawyer Referral Service.

File a small claims court claim

Sue a landlord for money owed — like a wrongfully withheld security deposit under § 55.1-1226 — without a lawyer. Virginia's small claims limit is $5,000.

Where: General District Court (Small Claims Division) for the city or county where the property is located.

Get real help

Check your lease for illegal or unenforceable clauses