Source: https://ipropertymanagement.com/laws/breaking-a-lease-in-virginia
Timestamp: 2020-06-03 20:32:08
Document Index: 516260070

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 55', '§ 55', '§ 55', '§ 8', '§ 55', '§ 55', '§ 55', '§ 55', '§ 55', '§ 32', '§ 54', '§ 32', '§ 55', '§ 55', '§ 55']

Breaking a Lease in Virginia [2020]: ALL Legal Reasons
Breaking a Lease in Virginia
Find out when a tenant can legally break a lease in Virginia, when they can’t, and whether or not a landlord is required by Virginia law to make reasonable effort to rerent.
Before we address the legally acceptable reasons to get out a lease early without penalty, it’s important to know the notice requirements in Virginia to end a tenancy in general.
Lease Termination Notice Requirements in Virginia
In Virginia, a tenant is not required to provide notice for fixed end date leases, the lease expires on the last day of the lease. Virginia tenants have to provide written notice for the following lease terms:
Notice to terminate a lease with no end date. 3 months prior to the end of the lease (§ 55-222(A))
Notice to terminate a month-to-month lease. 30 days or less if both parties agreed to a shorter notice period in the lease. (§ 55-222(B))
Conditions for Legally Breaking a Lease in Virginia
There are a handful of scenarios where a tenant can legally break a lease in Virginia without penalty. We’ll go through each of them below.
In Virginia, the term “servicemember” means a member of the armed forces, commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), commissioned corps of the Public Health Service, and the activated National Guard.
Every state has specific health and safety codes that provide minimum standards for rental units, and Virginia is no different.
If those standards are not met, proper notice is given by the tenant and the repairs/fixes are still not made within the allowable time period, a tenant would be considered “constructively evicted”. As a result, the obligations of the tenant under the lease are no longer required, given that the landlord has not met their own responsibilities under the Virginia landlord-tenant law.
According to Virginia state law, landlord duties to provide habitable premises include the following (55-225.3).
Keep all common areas shared by two or more multifamily dwelling units of the premises in a clean and structurally safe condition.
Maintain in good and safe working order and condition all electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating, air-conditioning and other facilities and appliances, including elevators, supplied or required to be supplied by him.
Maintain the premises in such a condition as to prevent the accumulation of moisture and the growth of mold and to promptly respond to any notices as provided in subdivision A 10 of § 55-225.4. Where there is visible evidence of mold, the landlord shall promptly remediate the mold conditions in accordance with the requirements of subsection E of § 8.01-226.12 and reinspect the dwelling unit to confirm that there is no longer visible evidence of mold in the dwelling unit. The landlord shall provide a tenant with a copy of a summary of information related to mold remediation occurring during that tenancy and, upon request of the tenant, make available the full package of such information and reports not protected by the attorney-client privilege. Once the mold has been remediated in accordance with professional standards, the landlord shall not be required to make disclosures of a past incidence of mold to subsequent tenants.
Supply running water and reasonable amounts of hot water at all times and reasonable air conditioning if provided and heat in season except where the dwelling unit is so constructed that heat, air conditioning, or hot water is generated by an installation within the exclusive control of the tenant or supplied by a direct public utility connection.
Provide and maintain appropriate receptacles and conveniences for the collection, storage, and removal of ashes, garbage, rubbish, and other waste incidental to the occupancy of one or more dwelling units and arrange for the removal of same.
Provide a certificate to the tenant stating that all smoke alarms are present, have been inspected, and are in good working order no more than once every 12 months. The landlord, his employee, or an independent contractor may perform the inspection to determine that a smoke alarm is in good working order.
Landlord entry. Virginia state law states that the landlord must give 24 hours notice to enter the rental property (§ 55-248.18(A)). If your landlord repeatedly violates your rights to privacy or does removes windows or doors, turns off your utilities, or changes the locks, you would be considered “constructively evicted,” as described above.
Changing the locks. In some states, if the locks are changed by a landlord without the tenant’s permission or without the protection of specific language in the lease agreement, this can qualify as being “constructively evicted”, and could relieve the tenant of their duties of the lease. In Virginia, lockouts are not permitted. (§ 55-225.1)
In Virginia, if a landlord is noncompliant in the rental of a dwelling unit:
If there is a material noncompliance by the landlord with the rental agreement or a noncompliance with any provision affecting dwelling units, materially affecting health and safety, the tenant may serve a written notice on the landlord specifying the acts and omissions constituting the breach and stating that the rental agreement will terminate upon a date not less than 30 days after receipt of the notice if such breach is not remedied in 21 days. (§ 55-225.13)
If the landlord commits a breach which is not remediable, the tenant may serve a written notice on the landlord specifying the acts and omissions constituting the breach and stating that the rental agreement will terminate upon a date not less than 30 days after receipt of the notice.
If the landlord has been served with a prior written notice which required the landlord to remedy a breach, and the landlord remedied such breach, where the landlord intentionally commits a subsequent breach of a like nature as the prior breach, the tenant may serve a written notice on the landlord specifying the acts and omissions constituting the subsequent breach, make reference to the prior breach of a like nature, and state that the rental agreement will terminate upon a date not less than 30 days after receipt of the notice.
Virginia provides tenants who are victims of domestic violence with special rental provisions for their protection. If you are confronting a domestic violence situation (this can also be stalking), and want to move, check with local law enforcement regarding special state laws that may apply in domestic violence situations. The state of Virginia provides victims of domestic violence the following:
Termination of Lease. Victims of family abuse, sexual abuse, or criminal sexual assault are granted special rights, including the ability to terminate a lease with 30 days’ notice. (§ 55-225.16)
7. Mandatory Disclosures in Virginia
Virginia law requires landlords to disclose documentation, policies, or specific unit information to tenants prior to moving in. Some disclosure laws impose heavy fines or legal ramifications to landlords if they are not followed. Others contain penalty provisions that may allow you to break your lease. If your landlord fails to provide you with a mandatory state or local disclosure speak with a Virginia landlord-tenant attorney to determine what can be done.
If the following disclosures are not provided by a landlord, the obligations of the tenant under the lease are no longer required, given that the landlord has not met their requirements under the Virginia landlord-tenant law:
Required disclosures for properties with defective drywall. If the landlord of a residential dwelling unit has actual knowledge of the existence of defective drywall in such a dwelling unit that has not been remediated, the landlord shall provide to a prospective tenant a written disclosure that the property has defective drywall. Such disclosure shall be provided prior to the execution by the tenant of a written lease agreement or, in the case of an oral lease agreement, prior to occupancy by the tenant. Any tenant who is not provided the disclosure required may terminate the lease agreement at any time within 60 days of notice of the discovery of the existence of defective drywall by providing written notice to the landlord in accordance with the lease or as required by law. Such termination shall be effective as of (i) 15 days after the date of the mailing of the notice or (ii) the date through which rent has been paid, whichever is later. In no event, however, shall the effective date of the termination exceed one month from the date of mailing. (§ 55-225.11)
Required disclosures for property previously used to manufacture methamphetamine. If the landlord of a residential dwelling unit has actual knowledge that the dwelling unit was previously used to manufacture methamphetamine and has not been cleaned up in accordance with the guidelines established pursuant to § 32.1-11.7 and the applicable licensing provisions of Chapter 11 (§ 54.1-1100 et seq.) of Title 54.1, the landlord shall provide to a prospective tenant a written disclosure that so states. Such disclosure shall be provided prior to the execution by the tenant of a written lease agreement or, in the case of an oral lease agreement, prior to occupancy by the tenant. Any tenant who is not provided the disclosure required may terminate the lease agreement at any time within 60 days of discovery that the property was previously used to manufacture methamphetamine and has not been cleaned up in accordance with the guidelines established pursuant to § 32.1-11.7 by providing written notice to the landlord in accordance with the lease or as required by law. Such termination shall be effective as of (i) 15 days after the date of the mailing of the notice or (ii) the date through which rent has been paid, whichever is later. In no event, however, shall the effective date of the termination exceed one month from the date of mailing. (§ 55-225.17)
Required disclosures for properties located adjacent to a military air installation. The landlord of property in any locality in which a military air installation is located, or any person authorized to enter into a rental agreement on his behalf, shall provide to a prospective tenant a written disclosure that the property is located in a noise zone or accident potential zone, or both, as designated by the locality on its official zoning map. Such disclosure shall be provided prior to the execution by the tenant of a written lease agreement or, in the case of an oral lease agreement, prior to occupancy by the tenant. Any tenant who is not provided the disclosure required may terminate the lease agreement at any time during the first 30 days of the lease period by sending to the landlord by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, a written notice of termination. Such termination shall be effective as of (i) 15 days after the date of the mailing of the notice or (ii) the date through which rent has been paid, whichever is later. In no event, however, shall the effective date of the termination exceed one month from the date of mailing. (§ 55-225.11:1)
Examples of Insufficient Justification for Lease Breaking in Virginia
Since state landlord-tenant laws vary, the following reasons may legally permit a tenant to terminate their tenancy early in other states but are not applicable in Virginia:
Landlord’s Responsibility to Rerent in Virginia
Virginia state law does require landlords to take reasonable steps to rerent their unit when a tenant breaks their lease. This is referred to as the landlord’s duty to “mitigate damages”. This means that if you leave your lease early and your landlord rerents the unit before your lease ends, then the rent received from the new tenant will apply to your debt.
According to Virginia code § 55-248.33, 55-248.35, your landlord must make reasonable efforts to rerent their unit instead of charging you for the total remaining rent due under the lease. If your landlord rerents the property quickly, all you’ll be responsible for is the amount of time the unit was vacant.
Virginia tenants who break their lease early without proper justification should still plan on losing at least one month’s rent, even though the landlord has a responsible to rerent. In Virginia and other states where the law requires the landlord to make a reasonable effort to rerent, judges in civil courts commonly award landlords with at least one month’s rent, no matter how quickly the unit is rented.
Tenant’s Right to Sublet in Virginia
Additional Resources for Virginia Tenants & Landlords: