Is there a cap on rent increases in Virginia?

No. Virginia has no rent control and no cap on the amount of an increase. It also has no local rent control: Virginia is a Dillon Rule state, so a locality has only the powers the General Assembly grants it, and the General Assembly has granted none to impose local rent control. The real limits are proper written notice, no mid-term increase on a fixed lease, and the retaliation and fair-housing bars.

How must the notice be delivered?

Virginia requires the change-of-terms notice to be written, and Va. Code 55.1-1202 prescribes no single required delivery method, so use one you can prove: personal delivery, delivery at the tenant's last known residence, certified mail with a return receipt, or first-class mail. Electronic notice is allowed if you keep proof of delivery, but a tenant who requests it may elect paper. Keep the proof either way - a verbal increase does not satisfy the notice.

Can a landlord raise rent during a fixed-term Virginia lease?

Not during the fixed term. On a fixed-term lease the rent is locked unless the lease has an escalation clause, and any increase takes effect at renewal. A month-to-month tenancy can be increased prospectively with at least 30 days' written notice before the next rent due date under Va. Code 55.1-1253, and a landlord of more than four units must give 60 days' notice of a renewal increase under 55.1-1204(K).

What happens if the tenant doesn't pay the new rent?

If the increase is on a month-to-month tenancy, served in writing with at least 30 days' notice before the next rent due date and outside the retaliation bar, the tenant either pays the new rent or gives notice and moves out. If the tenant stays and pays only the old amount after a valid increase, the shortfall is unpaid rent the landlord can address with a notice under Virginia's eviction process.

What are common mistakes that invalidate the notice?

The usual errors are giving less than 30 days' written notice on a month-to-month tenancy, setting the effective date before the next rent due date, raising rent mid-term on a fixed lease that does not allow it, applying the 90-day large-landlord renewal rule (effective July 1, 2027 under a 2025 amendment to 55.1-1204) to an ordinary month-to-month increase - it does not reach month-to-month tenancies, which stay at 30 days under 55.1-1253, and as of 2026 the in-force figures are the 30-day/7-day periodic notice under 55.1-1253 and the 60-day large-landlord renewal notice under 55.1-1204(K) - forgetting the 60-day renewal notice if you own more than four units, timing the increase as retaliation under 55.1-1258, and relying on a verbal notice with no proof of delivery. Any one of these can make the increase unenforceable.

How often can a landlord raise rent in Virginia?

There is no statutory limit on how often rent can be raised on a month-to-month or other periodic tenancy - Virginia caps neither the amount nor the frequency of increases. What each increase does need is its own written notice: under Va. Code 55.1-1253 a new rent amount set for a month-to-month or holdover tenancy does not take effect until the next rent due date that comes at least 30 days after the notice (7 days week-to-week), and the increase must stay outside the retaliation bar of 55.1-1258. On a fixed-term lease the rent cannot change until renewal unless the lease has an escalation clause, so a landlord cannot raise the rent twice inside one fixed term.

Is there a security deposit limit in Virginia, and does a rent increase change it?

Yes. Under Va. Code 55.1-1226 a landlord may not demand or receive a security deposit greater than two months' periodic rent. A rent increase does not lift that ceiling: after a lawful increase the deposit still cannot exceed two months of the new rent, so a landlord cannot use the higher rent as a reason to collect a bigger deposit beyond the two-month cap. A landlord who wants to true up an existing deposit to the new rent must confirm the new total still fits within two months' rent before asking for it.

What are Virginia's late fee and grace period rules?

By the default terms in Va. Code 55.1-1204, rent is due on the first of the month and is not late until the fifth, so the tenant has through the fifth to pay. A late fee is allowed only if the written rental agreement provides for one, and under Va. Code 55.1-1204(E) it may not exceed the lesser of 10 percent of the periodic rent or 10 percent of the remaining balance due and owed. Because the 10 percent is measured against the rent, a rent increase raises the ceiling on the late fee too - so after an increase, confirm the lease's late-fee language still tracks the new rent.

What is Virginia's 60-day mass non-renewal rule?

It is a separate protection in Va. Code 55.1-1253(B) that catches large-scale non-renewals used to reset rents. An owner of a multifamily premises that fails to renew the greater of either 20 or more month-to-month tenancies, or 50 percent of its month-to-month tenancies, within a consecutive 30-day period in the same premises must serve each affected tenant written notice at least 60 days before letting the tenancy expire - not the usual 30. The 60-day notice is not required where the tenant has failed to pay rent. This is distinct from the 55.1-1204(K) large-landlord renewal-increase notice; it targets waves of non-renewals rather than a single increase.

How does a rent increase work for a Section 8 or subsidized tenant in Virginia?

For a tenant with a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) or other subsidized tenancy, the increase runs through the public housing authority as well as through Virginia law. The owner must give the housing authority advance notice, the proposed rent is checked for rent reasonableness against comparable unassisted units, and the tenant's share is recalculated - the increase is not effective until it clears that review, on top of the Va. Code 55.1-1253 notice. Va. Code 55.1-1202(D) adds a Virginia-specific safeguard: a termination notice served on a voucher or subsidized tenant must display the statewide legal-aid telephone number and website on its first page.

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Free Virginia Rent Increase Notice

▶ Watch overview

Virginia has no rent control and no cap on how much you can raise the rent, and the Residential Landlord & Tenant Act sets no rent-increase notice statute of its own for ordinary periodic tenancies – a rent increase is a change of terms. For a month-to-month tenancy, change the rent the way you change the tenancy: with at least 30 days’ written notice before the next rent due date (Va. Code 55.1-1253). A separate rule gives large landlords (more than four units) 60 days’ notice for a fixed-term renewal increase (55.1-1204(K)) – rising to 90 days’ notice effective July 1, 2027 under a 2025 amendment to 55.1-1204 – and an increase may never be retaliatory (55.1-1258). Generate a clean notice below.

30-day (month-to-month) Va. Code 55.1-1253 / 55.1-1258 Virginia Free PDF

Updated Q2 2026 By Tenant Screening Background Check Editorial Team Reviewed for Virginia ~7 min read

This Virginia Rent Increase Notice raises the rent on a residential tenancy. Virginia sets no rent control and no cap on the amount, and its Residential Landlord & Tenant Act (VRLTA, Va. Code 55.1-1200 et seq.) fixes no rent-increase notice period as such for an ordinary periodic tenancy – an increase is a change of terms. For a month-to-month tenancy the practical floor is the 30-day written notice before the next rent due date under Va. Code 55.1-1253 (7 days week-to-week). A narrower rule, 55.1-1204(K), makes a landlord of more than four units give 60 days’ notice of a renewal increase on a fixed-term lease, and 55.1-1258 bars a retaliatory increase. Our how to raise rent guide covers the timing, and the tenant screening laws by state hub helps you place reliable tenants in the first place.

Virginia Rent Increase at a Glance

Statute

Va. Code 55.1-1253 / 55.1-1258

Statewide rent cap

None

Month-to-month notice

30 days (55.1-1253)

Retaliation bar

Yes (55.1-1258)

Virginia note: Virginia has no rent-control law and no statute that caps the amount of an increase. It also has no local rent control: Virginia is a Dillon Rule state, so a city or county may act only where the General Assembly has expressly authorized it – and the General Assembly has granted no authority to impose local rent control, so no Virginia locality can cap rent. The VRLTA sets no rent-increase notice period of its own for an ordinary periodic tenancy: a rent increase is a change of terms. For a month-to-month tenancy the practical rule is Va. Code 55.1-1253 – at least 30 days’ written notice before the next rent due date (7 days week-to-week), the same notice used to change or end the tenancy, unless the lease sets a different period. A fixed-term rent cannot change until renewal unless the lease allows it; a landlord of more than four units must give 60 days’ notice of a renewal increase under 55.1-1204(K); and 55.1-1258 forbids a retaliatory increase. As of 2026 there is currently no 90-day Virginia rent-increase rule; note that a 2025 amendment to 55.1-1204 raises that large-landlord renewal notice from 60 to 90 days effective July 1, 2027 (fixed-term renewals only – month-to-month stays 30 days under 55.1-1253).

Virginia rent-increase rules at a glance

Virginia does not cap rent or set a rent-increase notice statute for ordinary periodic tenancies. A rent increase is a change of terms. For a month-to-month tenancy, give at least 30 days’ written notice before the next rent due date – the same notice Va. Code 55.1-1253 uses to change or end the tenancy (7 days week-to-week); a lease may set a different period. You cannot raise rent during a fixed term unless the lease expressly allows it; otherwise the increase applies at renewal, and a landlord of more than four units must give 60 days’ notice of a renewal increase under 55.1-1204(K). 55.1-1258 bars a retaliatory increase after a protected tenant action, though raising rent to the level charged for similar market rentals is still allowed. As of 2026 there is currently no 90-day Virginia rule; a 2025 amendment to 55.1-1204 raises the large-landlord renewal notice to 90 days effective July 1, 2027 (fixed-term renewals only, not month-to-month).

How to Serve the Virginia Rent Increase Notice

Virginia Playbook

Determine the required notice period

Confirm the tenancy and the lease. On a fixed-term lease the rent is locked unless the lease has an escalation clause, and any increase applies at renewal; a month-to-month tenancy can be raised prospectively with proper written notice before the next rent due date.

Calculate the increase

Set the notice period from Va. Code 55.1-1253. A Virginia rent increase on a periodic tenancy is a change of terms with no separate notice statute, so for a month-to-month tenancy give at least 30 days’ written notice before the next rent due date (7 days week-to-week) – and follow any different period the lease sets. If you own more than four rental units and are raising rent at a fixed-term renewal, 55.1-1204(K) requires 60 days’ notice.

Prepare the written notice

Make sure the timing is not retaliatory. Va. Code 55.1-1258 bars raising the rent after you learn the tenant complained to a government agency about a building or housing code violation, complained to you or sued you for a VRLTA violation, organized or joined a tenant’s organization, or testified against you in court – though raising rent to the level charged for similar market rentals is still allowed.

Serve the notice

Put the increase in writing – the current rent, the new rent, and the effective date. Virginia requires the change-of-terms notice to be written, and Va. Code 55.1-1202 prescribes no single delivery method, so deliver it by a method you can prove (and keep the electronic-delivery proof 55.1-1202 requires if you send it electronically).

Document and follow up

Keep a signed, dated copy and proof of delivery. If the tenant later disputes the increase, that record is what shows the notice was proper, the timing was clean, and the increase was not retaliatory.

Generate the Virginia Notice

Complete the fields below to generate a Virginia rent increase notice. The new rent and effective date must give the tenant the full statutory notice period. Service should comply with applicable Virginia law; retain proof of service.

Set the effective date correctly

Count the full notice period from when the tenant receives the notice. For a month-to-month tenancy that is at least 30 days under Va. Code 55.1-1253, and the new rent should take effect on a rent due date after those 30 days run (7 days for week-to-week). An effective date that arrives before the notice period closes makes the increase unenforceable for that period. Allow added days for receipt when you mail the notice, follow any different period the lease sets, and remember a landlord of more than four units owes 60 days’ notice of a renewal increase under 55.1-1204(K).

1. Parties & Property

From (Landlord / Property Manager)

Landlord / Property Manager name

Landlord address (street, city, state, ZIP)

Phone

To (Tenant)

Tenant full name(s)

Property address (street, unit, city, state, ZIP)

Tenancy start date

Tenancy / notice basis

2. Rent Change Details

Current monthly rent ($)

New monthly rent ($)

Increase per month ($)

Increase percentage (%)

Effective date of new rent

Enter current and new rent to see the calculated increase.

3. Notice Details

Notice date (date served)

Unit coverage

Service method used (per applicable Virginia law)

Personal delivery to the tenant Delivery at the premises (tenant’s last known residence) Certified mail with return receipt U.S. mail (first class)

4. Signature

Signing party print name

Title (if applicable)

About This Virginia Notice

A Virginia rent increase notice is the written notice a landlord gives to raise the rent on a residential tenancy. Virginia is a market-rate state: there is no statewide rent control and no statutory cap on how much the rent can go up. There is also no local rent control. Virginia follows the Dillon Rule, under which a city or county has only the powers the General Assembly has expressly granted it – and the General Assembly has granted no authority to impose local rent control, so no Virginia locality can cap rent. What the law regulates is not the amount of an increase but when it can take effect and why it is being made.

The Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (VRLTA, Va. Code 55.1-1200 and following) now governs essentially all residential tenancies in the Commonwealth. The old exemption for landlords who rented only a couple of single-family homes was removed effective July 1, 2019, so apart from a short list of carve-outs – institutional housing, owner-occupied condominiums and cooperatives, campgrounds, occupancy tied to employment, and the like – the Act covers single-family and multifamily units alike. The VRLTA does not contain a general rent-increase notice section for an ordinary periodic tenancy. In Virginia a rent increase is treated as a change of the terms of the tenancy, and the lease controls how and when that change can happen. On a fixed-term lease the rent is locked for the term: it cannot be raised mid-lease unless the lease itself contains an escalation clause, and any increase takes effect at renewal. On a month-to-month tenancy, the landlord changes the rent the same way the tenancy itself is changed or ended – under Va. Code 55.1-1253, by serving a written notice at least 30 days before the next rent due date (a week-to-week tenancy needs at least seven days), unless the rental agreement provides for a different notice period. The practical rule, then, is at least 30 days’ written notice before the next rent due date before the new rent starts.

Virginia does add one specific rent-increase notice rule, but it is narrow. Under Va. Code 55.1-1204(K), a landlord who owns more than four rental dwelling units in the Commonwealth – or more than a 10 percent interest in more than four – must give written notice of any rent increase during the next rental agreement term to a tenant who has the option to renew or whose lease renews automatically, and that notice must be provided no less than 60 days before the end of the current term. By its own terms this rule applies only to fixed-term renewals and does not apply to a month-to-month tenancy created under subsection C of 55.1-1253, and it does not reach a landlord with four or fewer units. So the 60-day figure is a renewal-notice rule for larger landlords, not a general statewide rent-increase deadline. It is worth being clear about what Virginia law currently does not say: as of 2026 there is no 90-day rent-increase rule in force anywhere in the Commonwealth. The only in-force day-figures today are the 30-day month-to-month notice and the 7-day week-to-week notice under 55.1-1253 and the 60-day large-landlord renewal notice under 55.1-1204(K).

There is one dated change worth marking on the calendar. A 2025-enacted amendment to Va. Code 55.1-1204 takes effect July 1, 2027 and raises the large-landlord renewal notice from 60 to 90 days: on and after that date a landlord of more than four rental units must give written notice of a renewal rent increase at least 90 days before the end of the current term, and that notice must set a deadline – no sooner than 30 days after delivery – by which the tenant says whether they will renew. This 90-day change is narrow in exactly the same way the 60-day rule is: it reaches only larger landlords (more than four units) at a fixed-term renewal. It does not apply to a month-to-month tenancy, which continues to run on the 30-day notice of Va. Code 55.1-12