HB 374: Manufactured Home Lot Rental Act; written rental agreement, lot rent increase prohibition, etc. - Virginia

Housing/Consumer Protection Subcommittee Substitute → General Laws and Technology Substitute · 7 edits

MODERATE

The bill was transferred from the House to the Senate committee, which altered the bill's title to reflect only one new section instead of two. Key changes include removing a specific penalty clause for unlisted fees, adding a requirement for landlords to provide a 90-day notice when not renewing a lease, and modifying the rules for when a community can increase rent based on unresolved code violations. A new section was also added to require communities to disclose registration needs when selling, and the registration deadline was extended to July 1, 2026.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed by removing the addition of a new section regarding community registration, leaving only the amendment to existing sections on rental terms and rent increases.

TECHNICAL

The bill was moved from the House Committee on General Laws to the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology, changing the bill type from 'House Substitute' to 'Offered for Consideration' and adjusting the committee attribution in the title.

REQUIREMENT

A provision allowing tenants to recover statutory damages for unlisted fees was removed, leaving only actual damages and attorney fees available for such disputes.

Landlords must now provide written notice at least 90 days prior to a lease renewal date if they choose not to renew the agreement for reasons other than valid termination grounds.

Owners selling a manufactured home community must now disclose the need to register the community under the new ownership at the time of title transfer.

The entire section requiring manufactured home communities to register with the Department and detailing registration fees and procedures was removed from the bill.

ENFORCEMENT

The definition of a 'properly resolved' notice of violation now includes confirmation from the locality that adequate progress has been made toward remediation, not just that the violation is fully cured.

TIMELINE

The deadline for existing communities to register with the Department was extended to July 1, 2026, and the expiration of the registration fine provision was set to July 1, 2030.

General Laws and Technology Substitute → Chaptered · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill was formally approved and enacted into law as Chapter 598 of the 2026 Session. The substantive policy content regarding manufactured home lot rentals, including definitions, lease terms, and rent increase prohibitions, remains identical to the previous Senate substitute version.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; it continues to apply to landlords and tenants in manufactured home parks in Virginia.

TECHNICAL

The document format changed from a proposed Senate substitute to the final enacted Chaptered version, including the addition of approval dates and official chapter numbers, while the legal text of the statute itself was not altered.

Enrolled → General Laws Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was converted from an 'Enrolled' final version to a 'General Laws Substitute' draft version, meaning it is now being re-introduced or amended by the House Committee on General Laws. The substantive policy text regarding manufactured home lot rentals, including definitions, lease terms, and rent increase prohibitions, remains largely identical, though the bill title was updated to include a new section number (55.1-1321) that does not appear in the provided text.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; it still governs the Manufactured Home Lot Rental Act in Virginia.

TECHNICAL

The bill header changed from 'Enrolled' (final) to 'General Laws Substitute' (draft/amended), indicating a procedural reset rather than a policy change.

The bill title was updated to reference the addition of sections 55.1-1320 and 55.1-1321, whereas the previous version only mentioned 55.1-1320.

The text includes line numbers and formatting typical of a legislative draft, replacing the clean text of the enrolled bill.

The 'Approved' status line was removed as the bill is no longer in its final enacted form.

Engrossed → Enrolled · 6 edits · Apr 13, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was converted from an 'Engrossed' draft to an 'Enrolled' final version, resulting in the removal of a new section (55.1-1321) that required manufactured home communities to register with the state and a new rent increase prohibition based on zoning violations. The final version also simplified the text of existing sections by removing specific attorney fee amounts and clarifying renewal rules, while retaining the core definitions and general requirements for landlords.

Scope change

The bill's scope was significantly reduced; it no longer mandates the registration of manufactured home communities or includes a specific penalty for rent increases when the community has unresolved zoning violations.

REQUIREMENT

Deleted Section 55.1-1321, which required manufactured home communities to register with the Department of Housing and Community Development and established a $100 registration fee.

Simplified the automatic renewal clause by removing the specific rule that security deposits cannot be increased upon renewal.

ENFORCEMENT

Removed the provision prohibiting landlords from increasing rent if the community has an unresolved notice of violation from the locality.

Removed the specific statutory damages amount of $500 per occurrence for landlords who charge unlisted fees, leaving only actual damages and attorney fees.

DEFINITION

Adjusted the definition of 'Rent' to remove the word 'a' before 'monthly payment' for grammatical consistency.

TECHNICAL

Standardized formatting and line breaks throughout the document to match the official enrolled legislative style.

General Laws Substitute → Housing/Consumer Protection Subcommittee Substitute · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill text was reformatted to include a new header and page numbering, but the substantive legal content regarding manufactured home lot rentals remains identical to the previous version. No new rights, fees, or deadlines were added or removed.

TECHNICAL

The document header was updated to include 'HOUSE SUBSTITUTE' and a new bill number (26106147D), and the text was re-aligned with line numbers, but the actual legislative provisions and definitions are unchanged.

Introduced → Engrossed · 3 edits · Mar 10, 2026

MINOR

The bill was amended to remove the amendment of § 59.1-200 (Virginia Consumer Protection Act), which previously added numerous prohibited practices related to consumer transactions. The bill also removed the effective date for a new registration fee provision and the expiration date for a grace period for existing communities to register. The remaining text regarding definitions, rental terms, rent increase prohibitions, and community registration requirements remains substantively unchanged.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed by removing the addition of new prohibited practices to the Virginia Consumer Protection Act, meaning those specific consumer protection rules are no longer being added to this legislation.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the amendment to § 59.1-200 that would have added 79 new prohibited fraudulent or deceptive practices to the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.

TIMELINE

Removed the provision setting an effective date of July 1, 2026, for the new registration fee and the expiration of the 180-day grace period for existing communities.

TECHNICAL

Adjusted the bill title and introductory text to reflect the removal of the Consumer Protection Act amendments and the new bill number.

Manufactured Home Lot Rental Act; written rental agreement, lot rent increase prohibition, etc.

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