Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; access to dwelling unit during certain emergencies.
Summary
Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act;access to dwelling unit during certain declared states of emergency;emergency. Provides that a tenant shall be deemed to have reasonablejustification for declining to permit a landlord or managing agentto exhibit the tenant's dwelling unit for sale or lease if the tenanthas reasonable concern for his own health, or the health of any authorizedoccupant, during a state of emergency declared by the Governor inresponse to a communicable disease of public health threat and thetenant has provided written notice to the landlord informing thelandlord of such concern. The bill requires the tenant in such circumstancesto provide to the landlord or managing agent a video tour of the dwelling unit or other acceptable substitute for exhibiting the dwellingunit for sale or lease. The bill also provides that during a stateof emergency declared by the Governor in response to a communicabledisease of public health threat a tenant may provide written noticeto the landlord requesting that one or more nonemergency propertyconditions in the dwelling unit not be addressed in the normal courseof business of the landlord due to such communicable disease of publichealth threat. The bill provides that in such case, the tenant shallbe deemed to have waived any and all claims and rights under theVirginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act against the landlordfor failure to address such nonemergency property conditions. Thebill contains an emergency clause.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2021
Committee Review
Feb 2021
House of Delegates Passage
Feb 2021
Senate Passage
Feb 2021
Signed into Law
Mar 2021
Introduced Jan 11, 2021
Signed Mar 30, 2021
Floor votes · Senate Feb 15, 2021 · House of Delegates Feb 1, 2021
How they voted
22–11
Passed
Total votes 33
Feb 15, 2021
D
Democratic17
94% Yea
R
Republican16
62% Nay
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
39
Key actions
10
Committee
8
Amendments
6
Mar 30, 2021
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 409 (effective 7/1/21)
executive
Feb 17, 2021
Introduced
Reconsideration of Senate amendments agreed to by House
lower
Feb 17, 2021
Introduced
Senate amendments agreed to by House (55-Y 44-N)
lower
Feb 15, 2021
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate with amendments (27-Y 12-N)
upper
Feb 15, 2021
Introduced
Engrossed by Senate as amended
upper
Feb 15, 2021
Upper · Passed
Committee amendments agreed to
upper
Feb 15, 2021
Introduced
Reading of amendments waived
upper
Feb 10, 2021
Upper · Passed
Reported from General Laws and Technology with amendments (14-Y 0-N)
upper
Feb 10, 2021
Upper · Passed
Senate committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
upper
Feb 2, 2021
Committee
Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology
upper
Feb 1, 2021
Lower · Passed
Read third time and passed House (55-Y 45-N)
lower
Jan 29, 2021
Introduced
Engrossed by House as amended HB1981E
lower
Jan 29, 2021
Lower · Passed
Amendments by Delegate Simon agreed to
lower
Jan 28, 2021
Lower · Passed
Passed by for the day
lower
Jan 26, 2021
Lower · Passed
Reported from General Laws (13-Y 9-N)
lower
Jan 21, 2021
Lower · Passed
Subcommittee recommends reporting (7-Y 0-N)
lower
Jan 17, 2021
Committee
Assigned GL sub: Housing/Consumer Protection
lower
Jan 11, 2021
Committee
Referred to Committee on General Laws
lower
Jan 11, 2021
Introduced
Prefiled and ordered printed with emergency clause; offered 01/13/21 21102398D
lower
1 primary · 2 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Betsy Carr
DDemocratic
Co
Cia Price
DDemocratic
Co
Mark H. Levine
DDemocratic
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