Virginia renters get 14 days, not 5, to catch up on late rent

If you rent in Virginia and fall behind, your landlord has to give you written notice before ending your lease for unpaid rent. That notice now gives you 14 days to pay in full. Until July 1, 2026, it was five days. The same 14 days apply if a rent check bounces or a stop payment is placed in bad faith. In that case you can make it right with cash, a cashier’s or certified check, or a completed electronic payment.

You don’t have to apply. The clock starts when the landlord serves the notice. If you pay the overdue rent within 14 days, the landlord can’t use that missed rent to end your lease. After 14 days, landlords keep the same options they had before. Many people are paid every two weeks, so the longer window can mean the difference between catching up and facing an eviction case with court costs and attorney fees.

Del. Cia Price of Newport News carried the bill, and it took her five tries over several years to get it signed. Sen. Aaron Rouse of Virginia Beach carried an identical Senate bill. HB 15 passed the House 63–36 and the Senate 21–19, and Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed it on April 8, 2026.