HB1908
Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; noncompliance with rental agreement, etc.
Summary
As Introduced. Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; noncompliance with rental agreement; prohibition on using negative credit information that arose during a closure of the United States Government against certain applicants for tenancy; penalty.
Prohibits a landlord who owns more than four rental dwelling units or more than a 10 percent interest in more than four rental dwelling units in the Commonwealth from taking any adverse action against an applicant for tenancy based solely on payment history or an eviction for nonpayment of rent ... (More) that occurred during a closure of the United States government when such applicant was a directly affected individual, defined as an individual who was furloughed or otherwise did not receive payments as a result of a closure of the United States government and was (i) an employee of the United States government, (ii) an independent contractor of the United States government, or (iii) an employee of a company under contract with the United States government. If such a landlord denies an applicant for tenancy, the bill requires the landlord to provide the applicant written notice of the denial and of the applicant's right to assert that his failure to qualify was based solely on payment history or an eviction based on nonpayment of rent that occurred during the proscribed period when such applicant was a directly affected individual. If a landlord does receive a response from the applicant asserting such a right, and the landlord relied upon a consumer or tenant screening report, the landlord must make a good faith effort to contact the generator of the report to ascertain whether such determination was due solely to the applicant for tenancy's payment history or an eviction for nonpayment that occurred during the proscribed period and that such applicant was a directly affected individual. The bill permits an applicant for tenancy to recover damages of up to $1,000, along with attorney fees, from landlords who do not comply with these requirements. (Less)-
Bill History
- 01/09/2021 - House: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/21 21101428D
- 01/09/2021 - House: Referred to Committee on General Laws
- 01/14/2021 - House: Reported from General Laws (14-Y 7-N)
- 01/15/2021 - House: Read first time
- 01/18/2021 - House: Read second time and engrossed
- 01/19/2021 - House: Impact statement from DPB (HB1908)
- 01/19/2021 - House: Read third time and passed House (57-Y 42-N)
- 01/19/2021 - House: VOTE: Passage (57-Y 42-N) Close Floor Vote
- 01/20/2021 - Senate: Constitutional reading dispensed
- 01/20/2021 - Senate: Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology
- 02/05/2021 - Senate: Continued to 2021 Sp. Sess. 1 in General Laws and Technology (14-Y 0-N)
- 02/17/2021 - Senate: Reported from General Laws and Technology (8-Y 5-N 2-A)
- 02/19/2021 - Senate: Constitutional reading dispensed (32-Y 0-N)
- 02/22/2021 - Senate: Read third time
- 02/22/2021 - Senate: Defeated by Senate (19-Y 20-N) Close Floor Vote
- 02/22/2021 - Senate: Reconsideration of defeated action agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N)
- 02/22/2021 - Senate: Passed by for the day
- 02/23/2021 - Senate: Read third time
- 02/23/2021 - Senate: Defeated by Senate (19-Y 20-N) Close Floor Vote
