Landlord Entry Notice Requirements in Virginia

At a glance

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)