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HB174 • 2026

Va. Residential Landlord & Tenant Act; early termination of rental agreement by military personnel.

An Act to amend and reenact § 55.1-1235 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; tenant remedies; early termination of rental agreement by military personnel.

Housing
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Feggans
Last action
2026-04-06
Official status
Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Virginia Law Change for Military Tenants

This law changes how military personnel can end their rental agreements early when they receive orders to move or change duty status.

What This Bill Does

  • Removes the requirement that military tenants must give landlords a termination date no more than 60 days before their departure due to official orders.
  • Allows military tenants to terminate their lease by giving written notice at least 30 days after the next rent payment is due, without being limited to a specific number of days before they leave.
  • Requires military tenants to provide proof from their commanding officer confirming the orders for early termination.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Military personnel who are members of the Armed Forces or National Guard and need to end their rental agreements due to official orders.

Terms To Know

Permanent Change of Station Orders
Official military orders that require a service member to move from one duty station to another.
Temporary Duty Orders
Orders that send a service member on temporary assignment for more than three months.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not specify what happens if military tenants do not provide proof of orders before the termination date.
  • It is unclear how this change will affect landlords' rights and responsibilities under other parts of Virginia's landlord-tenant laws.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-06 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 82 (effective 7/1/2026)

  2. 2026-04-06 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 82 (effective 7/1/2026)

  3. 2026-04-06 Governor

    Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0082)

  4. 2026-03-25 House

    Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 25, 2026

  5. 2026-03-25 Governor

    Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

  6. 2026-03-16 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB174)

  7. 2026-03-14 House

    Signed by Speaker

  8. 2026-03-14 Senate

    Signed by President

  9. 2026-03-14 House

    Enrolled

  10. 2026-03-14 House

    Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB174ER)

  11. 2026-03-09 Senate

    Read third time

  12. 2026-03-09 Senate

    Passed Senate Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

  13. 2026-03-06 Senate

    Rules suspended

  14. 2026-03-06 Senate

    Passed by for the day

  15. 2026-03-06 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A)

  16. 2026-03-06 Senate

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  17. 2026-03-04 General Laws and Technology

    Reported from General Laws and Technology (15-Y 0-N)

  18. 2026-02-25 Housing

    Assigned GL&T sub: Housing

  19. 2026-02-10 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)

  20. 2026-02-10 General Laws and Technology

    Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology

  21. 2026-02-09 House

    Read third time and passed House Block Vote (98-Y 0-N 0-A)

  22. 2026-02-06 House

    Read second time and engrossed

  23. 2026-02-05 House

    Read first time

  24. 2026-02-03 General Laws

    Reported from General Laws (21-Y 0-N)

  25. 2026-01-29 Housing/Consumer Protection

    Subcommittee recommends reporting (10-Y 0-N)

  26. 2026-01-26 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB174)

  27. 2026-01-19 Housing/Consumer Protection

    Assigned HGL sub: Housing/Consumer Protection

  28. 2026-01-06 House

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102908D

  29. 2026-01-06 General Laws

    Referred to Committee on General Laws

Official Summary Text

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; tenant remedies; early termination of rental agreement by military personnel.
Removes the requirement that military personnel terminating a rental agreement due to identified permissible circumstances shall provide the landlord with a termination date that is no more than 60 days prior to the date of departure necessary to comply with the official orders or any supplemental instructions for interim training or duty prior to the transfer.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
An Act to amend and reenact §
55.1-1235
of the Code of Virginia, relating to Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; tenant remedies; early termination of rental agreement by military personnel.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §
55.1-1235
of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§
55.1-1235
. Early termination of rental agreement by military personnel.
A. Any member of the Armed Forces of the United States or a member of the National Guard serving on full-time duty or as a civil service technician with the National Guard may, through the procedure detailed in subsection B, terminate his rental agreement if the member (i) has received permanent change of station orders; (ii) has received temporary duty orders in excess of three months' duration; (iii) is discharged or released from active duty with the Armed Forces of the United States or from his full-time duty or technician status with the National Guard; (iv) is ordered to report to government-supplied quarters resulting in the forfeiture of basic allowance for quarters; or (v) has received a stop movement order in response to a local, national, or global emergency that is effective for an indefinite period or for a period of not less than 30 days and that prevents the service member from occupying the leased dwelling unit for a residential purpose.
B. Tenants who qualify to terminate a rental agreement pursuant to subsection A shall do so by serving on the landlord a written notice of termination to be effective on a date stated in such written notice, such date to be not less than 30 days after the first date on which the next rental payment is due and payable after the date on which the written notice is given.
The termination date shall be no more than 60 days prior to the date of departure necessary to comply with the official orders or any supplemental instructions for interim training or duty prior to the transfer.
Prior to the termination date, the tenant shall furnish the landlord with a copy of the official notification of the orders or a signed letter, confirming the orders, from the tenant's commanding officer.
C. The landlord may not charge any liquidated damages.
D. Nothing in this section shall affect the tenant's obligations established by §
55.1-1227
.