Renter guide · Virginia
Three Virginia move-in records to check before you unpack
Virginia's official 2026 Statement of Tenant Rights and Responsibilities was updated July 1, 2026. These three records are current law for rentals covered by the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, including Arlington, Fairfax, and Loudoun.
The current tenant-rights statement comes with the lease
The landlord must provide the current Statement of Tenant Rights and Responsibilities with the written lease. Your signature confirms receipt; it does not waive any rights. Keep your copy.
The lease must begin with an itemized list of charges
The written lease must begin with an itemized list of the security deposit, the rent due for each payment period, and one-time charges due before the lease starts or in the first payment. This is not a list of every fee that could ever apply later in the tenancy.
The move-in damage report is due within five days
A written move-in damage report is due within five days after you move in. Usually the landlord prepares it; a written landlord policy can let you prepare it instead.
You have five days after receiving a landlord-prepared report to object in writing. If neither side objects in time, the report can be treated as correct.
Do a two-minute phone check
- Photograph every room before furniture covers anything.
- Email any missing damage during your five-day window. Photos do not replace the written report or a written objection.
- Keep the lease, rights sheet, report, photos, and email together in one move-in folder.
Who this covers
The Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act covers most Virginia residential rentals, but some housing is exempt under Va. Code § 55.1-1201, so these records do not apply to every rental.
The three records are not all due at the same moment: the rights statement comes with the written lease, the itemization is part of the lease itself, and the damage report is due within five days after you move in.
Primary sources
Optional: check the building's record
RentSift does not create or verify the landlord's move-in damage report, and it does not determine whether an exempt housing category applies.
Rental research, not legal advice. This guide is general information about published rules, not advice for your situation. Laws change; the cited source is always the authority.