As of August 11, 2021, Governor Northam signed a new budget bill that extends eviction protections for tenants until June 30, 2022. Several elements of the protections had previously expired.
The new budget bill reinstitutes the following conditions:
In order to evict a tenant based solely upon the non-payment of rent, the landlord must first:
- Give tenant a 14-day nonpayment notice informing tenant about the Rent Relief Program (RRP), and
- During the 14-day period, apply for RRP on the tenant’s behalf unless the tenant pays in full, enters a payment plan, or tenant already has applied for RRP
The Rent Relief Program website can be found here:
https://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/rmrp
The Landlord will not be able to evict the tenant unless:
- The tenant is found not eligible for RRP
- The tenant refuses to cooperate with the RRP application
- RRP has not approved the application in writing within 45 days
- For any subsequent application, RRP has not approved the application in writing within 14 days, or RRP runs out of money
If the tenant is complying with a written payment plan, the landlord may take no action to get possession or evict for nonpayment of rent
If you have questions about law changes that effect your rights as a landlord or as a tenant, please contact the attorneys of Winslow, McCurry & MacCormac PLLC at (804)423-1382 or email us at info@wmmlegal.com. We would like to help.
