Virginia landlords must take rent by check and can't pad payment fees

If you rent in Virginia, your landlord must now take your rent and security deposit by check or money order. You can’t be forced to pay only through an online portal that charges a fee. If you pay in cash or by money order, your landlord must give you a written receipt.

Landlords can still charge a fee for paying online or by card, but only if they also offer a way to pay with no fee. Any fee they do charge can’t be more than what the payment processor actually charges them, so they can’t mark it up. The law also bans fees for maintenance or repairs to your home. The only exception is a repair you caused by breaking the rules of the landlord-tenant law.

You don’t need to apply. These rules became part of the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act on July 1, 2026, and they apply to landlords covered by that law. Landlords with four or fewer rental units still don’t have to take credit or debit cards.

Del. Kathy Tran carried the House bill, and Sen. Adam Ebbin carried an identical bill in the Senate. The General Assembly passed both, and Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed them on April 13, 2026.