Virginia: Landlord Entry Notice Requirements
The short answer
Virginia's landlord-tenant act lets a landlord enter your rental to inspect, make repairs, supply services, or show the unit — but the landlord must give you notice of the intent to enter and may enter only at reasonable times. There is no single statewide hours figure for an ordinary entry; the one fixed number is at least 72 hours' notice for routine maintenance you did not request, which then must be done within 14 days. No notice is required in a genuine emergency, when giving notice is impractical, or after you have moved out, and the landlord may not use the right of access to harass you.
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This is the general rule in Virginia. Ezel applies current Virginia law to your specific facts and answers with citations to the statutes.
| Governing law | Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (VRLTA), Va. Code § 55.1-1229 ('Access; consent...'), in Title 55.1, Chapter 12. Virginia's own adaptation of the uniform residential act. Effectively exclusive: § 55.1-1229(C) says 'The landlord has no other right to access except by court order or that permitted by §§ 55.1-1248 and 55.1-1249 or if the tenant has abandoned or surrendered the premises.' Last amended 2024 (c. 46) |
|---|---|
| Advance notice required | No single fixed figure for an ordinary entry. For inspections, repairs, services, and showings the landlord must 'give the tenant notice of his intent to enter and may enter only at reasonable times' (§ 55.1-1229(A)(4)) — the statute sets no hours number. The one quantified rule: 'Unless impractical to do so, the landlord shall give the tenant at least 72 hours' notice of routine maintenance to be performed that has not been requested by the tenant,' and that maintenance must be done 'within 14 days of delivery of the notice.' If the tenant requests the maintenance, no notice is required |
| Reasons a landlord may enter | To 'inspect the premises; make necessary or agreed-upon repairs, decorations, alterations, or improvements; supply necessary or agreed-upon services; or exhibit the dwelling unit to prospective or actual purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workmen, or contractors' (§ 55.1-1229(A)(1)), plus entry 'in case of emergency' (A)(4). Because subsection (C) bars any 'other right to access' outside these purposes, a court order, the abandonment/health-and-safety provisions (§§ 55.1-1248, 55.1-1249), or surrender, the list functions as an exclusive one |
| Permitted hours | 'Reasonable times' only — the landlord 'may enter only at reasonable times' (§ 55.1-1229(A)(4)). The statute fixes no clock hours; an emergency entry is not limited to reasonable times |
| When no notice is needed | No advance notice is needed: in a genuine emergency ('The landlord may enter the dwelling unit without consent of the tenant in case of emergency,' § 55.1-1229(A)(4)); when giving notice 'is impractical to do so' (same subsection); when the tenant has requested the maintenance or service (the request itself is the permission); and after the tenant 'has abandoned or surrendered the premises' (C). During an unlawful-detainer case the landlord can also ask the court to order access (A)(5) |
| Form and delivery of the notice | The statute requires 'notice of his intent to enter' but does not prescribe a written form, exact content, or delivery method for an ordinary entry. The one detailed rule is for unrequested routine maintenance: the 72-hour notice 'shall state the last date on which the maintenance may possibly be performed,' and the work must occur 'within 14 days of delivery of the notice' (§ 55.1-1229(A)(4)) |
| Special rules for showings | No shorter notice period for showings — they use the general 'reasonable times' rule. But Virginia adds an enforcement tool against the tenant: 'If the rental agreement so provides and if a tenant without reasonable justification declines to permit the landlord or managing agent to exhibit the dwelling unit for sale or lease, the landlord may recover damages, costs, and reasonable attorney fees against such tenant' (§ 55.1-1229(A)(3)). During a Governor-declared communicable-disease emergency, a tenant's health concern is a 'reasonable justification,' and the tenant must instead provide 'a video tour of the dwelling unit or other acceptable substitute' |
| Tenant's remedies for unlawful entry | The landlord 'shall not abuse the right of access or use it to harass the tenant' (§ 55.1-1229(A)(4)). An unlawful entry is a noncompliance with the chapter, so under § 55.1-1234 the tenant may serve written notice and terminate, and 'may recover damages and obtain injunctive relief for noncompliance,' plus 'reasonable attorney fees unless the landlord proves by a preponderance of the evidence that the landlord's actions were reasonable.' The duty runs both ways: the tenant 'shall not unreasonably withhold consent' to a lawful entry (A)(1), and the landlord may seek a court access order during an unlawful detainer (A)(5) |
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Requirements one by one
Governing law
Virginia's rule is part of the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act
(VRLTA), at Va. Code § 55.1-1229. It is built around consent — the tenant "shall
not unreasonably withhold consent" to a lawful entry — backed by a notice rule and
a hard limit in subsection (C): the landlord "has no other right to access except
by court order or that permitted by §§ 55.1-1248 and 55.1-1249 or if the tenant has
abandoned or surrendered the premises." In practice that makes the listed reasons
the only ones a landlord may enter for. The section was last amended in 2024.
Advance notice required
Virginia does not put a single hours figure on an ordinary entry. For inspections,
repairs, services, or showings, the landlord must "give the tenant notice of his
intent to enter and may enter only at reasonable times" (§ 55.1-1229(A)(4)) — the
statute leaves "notice" unquantified and leans on "reasonable." The one place it
sets a number is routine maintenance the tenant did not ask for: "Unless impractical
to do so, the landlord shall give the tenant at least 72 hours' notice," the work
"shall be performed within 14 days of delivery of the notice," and the notice must
"state the last date on which the maintenance may possibly be performed." If you
requested the repair, the landlord owes you no separate notice.
Reasons a landlord may enter
Section 55.1-1229(A)(1) lists the lawful reasons: to inspect the premises; make
necessary or agreed-upon repairs, decorations, alterations, or improvements; supply
necessary or agreed-upon services; or exhibit the unit to "prospective or actual
purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workmen, or contractors." Subsection (A)(4) adds
emergency entry. Because subsection (C) bars any other access route, a landlord
cannot enter for an unlisted reason — there is no general "just checking in" right.
Permitted hours
Entry is limited to "reasonable times" (§ 55.1-1229(A)(4)). Virginia sets no clock
hours, so what is reasonable depends on the circumstances. An emergency entry is not
held to the reasonable-times limit.
When no notice is needed
Four situations require no advance notice: a genuine emergency (the landlord "may
enter the dwelling unit without consent of the tenant in case of emergency"); when
giving notice "is impractical to do so"; when you requested the maintenance or
service (your request is the permission); and after you have abandoned or surrendered
the unit (§ 55.1-1229(A)(4), (C)). Separately, during an eviction (unlawful detainer)
case the landlord can ask the court to order you to provide access (A)(5).
Form and delivery of the notice
For an ordinary entry the statute requires only "notice of his intent to enter" — it
does not spell out a written form, exact content, or delivery method. The detailed
rule is reserved for unrequested routine maintenance: that 72-hour notice must "state
the last date on which the maintenance may possibly be performed," and the work must
happen "within 14 days of delivery of the notice."
Special rules for showings
Showings use the same "reasonable times" notice as any other entry, but Virginia
adds a tool that points at the tenant: if the lease says so, a tenant who "without
reasonable justification declines to permit" a sale-or-lease showing can be made to
pay the landlord's "damages, costs, and reasonable attorney fees" (§ 55.1-1229(A)(3)).
There is a health carve-out — during a Governor-declared communicable-disease
emergency, a tenant's reasonable health concern is a "reasonable justification," and
the tenant must instead give the landlord "a video tour of the dwelling unit or other
acceptable substitute."
Tenant's remedies for unlawful entry
The statute's backstop is that the landlord "shall not abuse the right of access or
use it to harass the tenant" (§ 55.1-1229(A)(4)). An unlawful entry is a noncompliance
with the VRLTA, so § 55.1-1234 supplies the remedy: the tenant may serve written
notice and terminate the lease, and "may recover damages and obtain injunctive relief
for noncompliance," plus "reasonable attorney fees unless the landlord proves ... that
the landlord's actions were reasonable under the circumstances." The duty is mutual —
a tenant may not unreasonably refuse a lawful entry, and during an eviction case the
landlord can obtain a court access order.
What trips people up
The only hard number is 72 hours, and only for maintenance you didn't ask for.
People often assume Virginia has a 24-hour rule. It does not. Ordinary entries need
only "notice ... at reasonable times." The 72-hour written figure applies to routine
maintenance the tenant did not request, and that work must then be finished within 14
days (§ 55.1-1229(A)(4)).
Requesting a repair waives your notice. Once you ask the landlord to fix
something, "the landlord is not required to provide notice to the tenant" to come do
that work — your request is treated as your permission.
Refusing a showing can cost you. If your lease allows sale or lease showings and
you block one without a good reason, § 55.1-1229(A)(3) lets the landlord recover
damages, costs, and attorney fees from you — a rule most tenants never see coming.
Common questions
Does my Virginia landlord have to give 24 hours' notice? No. The statute requires
only "notice of his intent to enter" at "reasonable times" for an ordinary entry
(§ 55.1-1229(A)(4)); it sets no 24-hour rule. The single fixed figure is at least 72
hours' notice for routine maintenance you did not request.
Can my landlord enter in an emergency without telling me? Yes. The landlord "may
enter the dwelling unit without consent of the tenant in case of emergency"
(§ 55.1-1229(A)(4)) — for example a fire, flood, or burst pipe.
Do I have to let my landlord show the place while I still live there? Generally
yes, at reasonable times and after notice. If your lease permits showings and you
refuse one without a reasonable justification, you can be liable for the landlord's
damages, costs, and attorney fees (§ 55.1-1229(A)(3)).
What can I do if my landlord keeps entering without notice? The landlord may not
"abuse the right of access or use it to harass" you (§ 55.1-1229(A)(4)). Under
§ 55.1-1234 you can give written notice, terminate the lease, and seek damages, an
injunction, and attorney fees.
Statutes and sources
- Va. Code § 55.1-1229 — the VRLTA access statute: the consent-and-purposes list (A)(1); the showing-refusal fee rule and communicable-disease carve-out (A)(3); the emergency/impractical entry, no-harassment rule, "reasonable times" limit, and 72-hour/14-day routine-maintenance rule (A)(4); the court-ordered access during an eviction (A)(5); and the "no other right to access" limit (C).
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title55.1/chapter12/section55.1-1229/ (accessed 2026-07-11) - Va. Code § 55.1-1234 — noncompliance by the landlord: written notice, termination, damages, injunctive relief, and attorney fees for a violation of the chapter (including an unlawful entry).
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title55.1/chapter12/section55.1-1234/ (accessed 2026-07-11)
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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