Beginning July 1, 2027, Virginia landlords subject to the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act will have a new disclosure step at the very front of the rental application process. Before requesting or collecting any payment or information about a prospective tenant, the landlord must first provide specified information about fees, screening criteria, denial criteria, and consumer reports.
For owners using PMI James River's tenant screening services, the practical issue is sequencing. The disclosure must come before the application starts collecting applicant information or money. The broader tenant screening for rental property owners framework still governs verification and consistent decision-making, while this article focuses on the new Virginia pre-application disclosure requirement.
Key Takeaways
- The new requirement takes effect July 1, 2027, under Virginia Code § 55.1-1203.
- The disclosure must be provided before the landlord requests or collects any payment or information about a prospective tenant.
- Landlords must disclose six categories of information, including fees, selection criteria, denial criteria, consumer reporting agency information, and specified consumer-report rights.
- The statute allows the disclosure to be given in writing or posted in a manner accessible to a prospective tenant. It does not require one specific form or software platform.
- The Virginia pre-application disclosure is separate from the federal adverse-action notice that may be required later if a consumer report influences an unfavorable decision.
- The safest operational approach is to build the disclosure into the application workflow as a required first step and keep it synchronized with the criteria actually being used.
In This Guide
- What Changes on July 1, 2027?
- What Virginia Landlords Must Disclose
- When the Disclosure Has to Happen
- Disclosure Does Not Replace Existing Application Rules
- Pre-Application Disclosure and Adverse Action Are Different
- How Landlords Should Build This Into the Workflow
- Why Documentation Matters
What Changes on July 1, 2027?
The Virginia General Assembly enacted this change in 2026. The future version of Virginia Code § 55.1-1203 is already published and is labeled effective July 1, 2027. The historical citation identifies the 2026 enactment as Chapter 1050.
This requirement is part of the Virginia landlord-tenant law changes enacted in 2026, but it does not take effect until July 1, 2027. That distinction matters. Owners have time to prepare their application systems now, while continuing to follow the version of § 55.1-1203 that remains effective until the new language takes over.
The change adds a new subsection at the beginning of the application statute. It does not simply require more information somewhere in the application packet. It changes the sequence by requiring the disclosure before the landlord asks for or collects applicant information or payment.
What Virginia Landlords Must Disclose
Effective July 1, 2027, the landlord must notify the applicant of six categories of information before collecting payment or prospective-tenant information:
- Fees and application deposits. State the amount of any fees or application deposit that may be charged and whether each is refundable.
- Tenant selection criteria. Disclose the selection criteria that apply to the unit.
- Automatic-denial criteria. Identify criteria that will result in automatic denial of the application.
- Other possible denial criteria. Identify additional criteria that may result in denial even when they are not automatic disqualifiers.
- Consumer reporting agency information. If a consumer report will be used, provide the name and address of the consumer reporting agency.
- Consumer-report rights. Tell the applicant about the right to obtain a free copy of the consumer report in the event of a denial or other adverse action and the right to dispute inaccurate information in the report.
The phrase "applicable to the unit" deserves attention. A landlord who uses different criteria for different property types, rent levels, programs, or other lawful reasons should make sure the disclosure presented for that property matches the standards that will actually be used. A generic form is only useful if it accurately describes the real decision process.
This also makes the distinction between automatic denial criteria and other criteria important. If a landlord's written policy treats one item as a hard stop but another as a factor that requires additional review, the disclosure should reflect that difference rather than blending every concern into one vague list.
When the Disclosure Has to Happen
The timing language is broad. Section 55.1-1203 says the landlord must provide the disclosure before "requesting or collecting any payment or information about a prospective tenant." The obligation therefore is not written merely as a rule about when an application fee can be charged.
Owners should review every point where the leasing process begins collecting prospective-tenant information. That can include an application portal, a listing site's application button, a property-management website, a QR code, or a manual application link. The statute does not define every website interaction, so a basic showing inquiry and a formal screening workflow should not automatically be treated as the same thing. The practical risk-control point is simpler: do not let the application system collect screening information first and present the statutory disclosure afterward.
The statute permits the notice to be given in writing or posted in a manner accessible to a prospective tenant. It does not say that every applicant must sign a separate acknowledgment. Even so, landlords should preserve evidence of what version of the disclosure was available and where it appeared in the process. That record can be useful if the application workflow is later questioned.
Disclosure Does Not Replace Existing Application Rules
The July 1, 2027 amendment adds the new disclosure requirement to an existing application statute. The rest of § 55.1-1203 still matters. For example, the future version keeps Virginia's existing application-fee limits: generally no more than $50 for the application fee, exclusive of actual out-of-pocket third-party screening costs, and a $32 application-fee limit for specified HUD-regulated housing, again exclusive of qualifying third-party costs.
In other words, disclosing a fee does not make an otherwise impermissible fee lawful. The owner still has to comply with the underlying fee and application-deposit rules in the statute.
PMI James River already publishes rental qualification standards for applicants to review before paying the nonrefundable application fee. The 2027 change makes that front-end transparency more specific. The disclosure used after July 1, 2027 needs to contain all of the statutory items and stay synchronized with the screening rules and vendors actually in use.
Pre-Application Disclosure and Adverse Action Are Different
The new Virginia disclosure should not be confused with the Fair Credit Reporting Act notice that may be required later in the screening process.
The Virginia rule is a pre-application disclosure. If a landlord plans to use a consumer report, the front-end notice must identify the consumer reporting agency by name and address and tell the applicant about the specified rights to a free report and to dispute inaccurate information.
A federal adverse-action notice is triggered later when information in a consumer report contributes to an unfavorable housing decision. The Federal Trade Commission's landlord guidance explains that adverse action can include denying an application, requiring a co-signer, requiring a larger deposit, or charging higher rent when a consumer report influenced the decision. The notice then has its own required content.
Owners who want the broader report-ordering and screening sequence can use PMI James River's guide to running a background check on a rental applicant. The important point here is that giving the new Virginia disclosure before the application does not eliminate the later FCRA obligation when adverse action occurs.
How Landlords Should Build This Into the Workflow
The strongest implementation is a process change, not a reminder to remember another form. Screening breakdowns tend to happen at handoffs: criteria are written one place, a vendor collects information somewhere else, an owner makes an exception under vacancy pressure, or a software change quietly alters the order of the steps. The July 1, 2027 requirement creates a new front-end handoff that should be controlled by the system.
- Inventory every application entry point. Identify the website, listing links, leasing portal, QR codes, property-management software, and manual application links that can collect applicant information or payment.
- Create one controlled disclosure source. Include all six statutory categories and identify who owns updates when criteria, fees, or screening vendors change.
- Place the disclosure before collection. Configure the workflow so the applicant can access the required information before the system requests screening information or payment.
- Separate hard stops from review factors. Define which criteria cause automatic denial and which may cause denial after additional review. That distinction should match the actual screening policy.
- Confirm the consumer reporting agency details. Use the current legal name and address for the consumer reporting agency used in the determination. Do not rely on an old template after a vendor change.
- Keep criteria and proof standards consistent. A disclosure is only useful if the standards stated there match the standards applied in the file. PMI James River's income-verification approach for suspicious pay documents illustrates why objective proof rules should be set before an application creates pressure to improvise.
- Preserve version evidence. Keep a record of the disclosure version in effect, the date it changed, and where it appeared in the application path.
For Richmond-area owners, the legal requirement is statewide, but the operational problem is local and familiar. A property may be advertised through several channels at once, while the owner, leasing agent, and screening platform each touch a different part of the applicant journey. The disclosure should sit ahead of those moving pieces so the process remains consistent whether the home is in Richmond City, Henrico, Chesterfield, or Hanover.
Why Documentation Matters
Section 55.1-1203 already contains applicant remedies for noncompliance, and the future version retains them. The statute provides for recovery of actual damages in specified circumstances, including amounts paid as an application fee, application deposit, or reimbursement of the landlord's out-of-pocket expenses charged to the prospective tenant, along with attorney fees. It also contains separate remedy language for application deposits that are wrongfully withheld.
That is another reason to treat the new rule as a documented workflow. A landlord should be able to show what disclosure was in effect, what the applicant could access before the application began collecting information or money, and which criteria were actually applied.
Because a future General Assembly session could amend the section before July 1, 2027, owners should recheck the effective version of § 55.1-1203 before final deployment. The current enacted version, however, gives landlords enough information to start building the process now.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the new Virginia rental application disclosure rule apply now?
No. The current Virginia Code publishes a separate version of § 55.1-1203 that becomes effective July 1, 2027. Until then, landlords must follow the version that remains in effect.
Does Virginia require a separate signed disclosure form?
The future statute does not require one specific signed form. It allows the landlord to notify the applicant in writing or by posting the information in a manner accessible to a prospective tenant. A landlord may still choose to use an acknowledgment as a recordkeeping tool.
Can the disclosure be posted on a website?
The statute allows posting in a manner accessible to a prospective tenant. A website or application portal may fit that method if the required information is actually accessible before the landlord requests or collects payment or applicant information. The sequence matters as much as the location.
Does the Virginia disclosure replace an FCRA adverse-action notice?
No. The Virginia notice comes before the application workflow collects information or payment. A federal adverse-action notice may be required later when a consumer report influences an unfavorable decision. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's tenant-screening guidance explains the applicant's federal rights after that type of decision.
Does the rule apply only in Richmond?
No. Virginia Code § 55.1-1201 states that the VRLTA applies across the Commonwealth and generally covers single-family and multifamily dwelling units, subject to listed exclusions and special rules. Richmond City, Henrico, Chesterfield, and Hanover therefore work from the same statewide statutory baseline when the VRLTA applies.
Prepare the Application Process Before July 2027
Virginia landlords do not need to wait until the effective date to solve this. The work is straightforward: identify the criteria and fees actually used, separate automatic denials from review factors, confirm consumer reporting agency information, and place the complete disclosure before the application starts collecting information or payment.
Owners who prefer to keep screening criteria, application technology, documentation, and compliance changes inside one managed process can use PMI James River's tenant screening process as part of professional leasing and property management.
Published: August 24, 2026
