Virginia tenants already have the right to request copies of their tenant records. Starting July 1, 2027, Virginia adds a more specific accounting requirement for many landlords: when a tenant makes a written request for tenant records, the landlord must provide a written statement of charges and payments within 10 business days.
This is one of the Virginia landlord-tenant law changes enacted in 2026, but the new statement requirement has a delayed effective date. Owners who already use consistent property management accounting should treat the change as a records-production process, not a reason to rebuild the books after a request arrives.
The rule sits inside the broader Virginia landlord-tenant law framework, but this page stays narrow: what a tenant may request, what the new 2027 statement must contain, which landlords are exempt from that added statement requirement, and when utility-accounting details belong in the response.
Key Takeaways
- Virginia law already allows a tenant to request a copy of tenant records in paper or electronic form.
- Beginning July 1, 2027, a written request triggers an additional 10-business-day statement requirement for landlords covered by the new rule.
- The statement covers the tenancy or the past 12 months, whichever is shorter, and must show specified charges and payments.
- The small-landlord exception applies to the new subsection F statement requirement. It does not erase the tenant's existing subsection E right to request tenant records.
- Utility allocation details belong in the statement only when the rental agreement uses the specific submetering, energy allocation, or ratio utility billing systems named in the statute.
- Virginia is directing the Department of Housing and Community Development to publish a standardized template, but the statute says a landlord may use it rather than making the template mandatory.
In This Guide
- What Changes on July 1, 2027?
- What Must the 10-Business-Day Statement Include?
- Which Landlords Are Exempt From the New Statement Rule?
- What Changes for Utility Allocation Records?
- How Landlords Should Prepare Before July 1, 2027
- Common Record-Request Mistakes to Avoid
What Changes on July 1, 2027?
The starting point is Virginia Code § 55.1-1209. Subsection E already says a tenant may request a copy of the tenant's records in paper or electronic form. If the rental agreement allows it, a landlord may charge the actual cost of preparing more than one copy. A tenant cannot be charged merely to access records that the landlord makes available through an electronic portal.
The phrase tenant records is broader than a rent ledger. Virginia Code § 55.1-1200 defines tenant records to include financial, maintenance, and other information about a tenant or prospective tenant, in written, electronic, or other form.
Effective July 1, 2027, new subsection F adds a specific response requirement when a tenant requests a copy of tenant records in writing. A covered landlord must provide, within 10 business days, a written statement of charges and payments. The statement may be provided in writing or through an electronic portal that is available to the tenant at no charge. The Virginia Division of Legislative Services summarizes the change in its 2026 In Due Course report.
Key point: The 10-business-day language is tied to the new written statement of charges and payments. The statute does not expressly say that every financial, maintenance, and other tenant record covered by the broader definition must also be produced within that same 10-business-day period.
What Must the 10-Business-Day Statement Include?
For a landlord covered by subsection F, the statement must cover the duration of the tenancy or the past 12 months, whichever is shorter. It must show the charges and payments incurred by the tenant and specifically include the following items:
| Account Item | What the 2027 Statement Must Show |
|---|---|
| Application fee | The application fee charged to the tenant, if applicable. |
| Application deposit | Any application deposit associated with the tenancy. |
| Security deposit | The security deposit charged or credited to the account. |
| Rent | Rent charges and payments during the required statement period. |
| Additional charges that comprise rent | Additional charges treated as rent in accordance with the rental agreement. |
| Certain utility charges | Additional detail is required only when the lease uses the utility allocation systems identified in the statute. |
The security deposit entry in this statement does not replace the separate rules governing deposit handling, deductions, and end-of-tenancy accounting. Owners dealing with that issue should keep the Virginia security deposit rules as a separate compliance process.
The law also directs the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development to develop a standardized printable template for this statement. Under Virginia Code § 36-139, a landlord may use that template. The statute does not make the state form the only permissible format.
Which Landlords Are Exempt From the New Statement Rule?
Subsection F contains a specific ownership-based exception. The new 10-business-day statement requirement does not apply to a landlord who owns fewer than four rental dwelling units, or who owns less than a 10 percent interest in more than four rental dwelling units, whether individually or through a business entity in Virginia.
There is an important exception to that exception. The subsection F requirements still apply if the landlord receives state or local rental or utility assistance funds on behalf of the tenant.
The ownership language is technical, especially when properties are held through LLCs, partnerships, or minority interests. An owner near the boundary should confirm how the statute applies to the actual ownership structure rather than assuming the number of properties personally managed is the only test.
The most important scope distinction: this small-landlord language says that subsection F does not apply. Subsection E still says a tenant may request a copy of tenant records. A landlord who is exempt from the new 10-business-day statement requirement should not treat that exemption as a blanket exemption from tenant record requests.
What Changes for Utility Allocation Records?
The utility component is narrower than the general accounting rule. If the rental agreement provides for energy submetering equipment, energy allocation equipment, or a ratio utility billing system, the 2027 statement must also disclose the allocation method and itemize the tenant's debits and credits for energy and utility bills, along with additional charges permitted under subsections C and D of Virginia Code § 55.1-1212.
The July 1, 2027 version of § 55.1-1212 also expands the underlying recordkeeping requirement for these systems. The owner must maintain adequate records that include how monthly energy and utility billing fees are calculated and a history of billing-fee payments for each tenant over the tenancy or the past 12 months, whichever is shorter. Tenants may inspect and copy the records for the leased premises during reasonable business hours at a convenient location.
If the resident contracts directly with the utility and the landlord does not use one of the lease-based submetering, energy-allocation, or ratio-billing systems named in the statute, this added utility-itemization language is not the feature driving the tenant statement. The practical question is whether the landlord is allocating or rebilling utility costs through one of the statutory systems.
How Landlords Should Prepare Before July 1, 2027
The strongest preparation is not a new form. It is a tenant account that can already be explained line by line. A self-managing landlord or property manager should be able to produce the required statement without reconstructing the account from bank deposits, email threads, spreadsheets, and memory.
- Standardize charge categories. Application fees, application deposits, security deposits, rent, credits, and other charges should not be buried under a generic "other" label.
- Tie charges to the lease. If an additional charge is treated as rent, the accounting record should make it possible to identify the lease basis for that charge.
- Keep deposits distinct. Application deposits and security deposits should be identifiable separately from rent and ordinary account charges.
- Preserve credits and reversals. A useful statement shows what was charged, what was paid, and what was later credited or corrected.
- Document utility allocation methods where they apply. The file should identify the agreed method and preserve the billing history needed to explain each tenant debit or credit.
- Create a written-request workflow. A tenant's written request should be date-stamped, assigned, and tracked against the 10-business-day deadline when subsection F applies.
- Test the process before the effective date. Pick an active tenant account and see whether the required statement can be produced cleanly without manual reconstruction.
PMI James River's practical standard is simple: the tenant account should be reproducible from the management system. Organized records reduce the amount of judgment required after a request arrives and make it easier to identify an incorrect charge before it becomes a dispute.
Common Record-Request Mistakes to Avoid
- Applying the 2027 deadline too early. The new subsection F statement requirement is enacted, but it does not take effect until July 1, 2027.
- Assuming the small-landlord exception eliminates all record rights. The exception is written into subsection F. The separate subsection E right to request tenant records remains.
- Assuming portal access automatically satisfies the new rule. A portal can be the delivery method, but the required written statement still has to be available within the statutory time and the portal must be available to the tenant at no charge.
- Using vague ledger categories. Generic entries such as "fee," "adjustment," or "other" make it harder to show what the account actually reflects.
- Omitting credits and corrections. A statement of charges without the corresponding payments, credits, and reversals can give an incomplete picture of the account.
- Ignoring utility allocation records. Owners using submetering, energy allocation, or ratio utility billing systems need the extra allocation and billing history required by the 2027 statutes.
- Waiting for the request to reconcile the ledger. The 10-business-day response period is easier to meet when the account is already clean.
- Charging for records without checking the lease and statute. Subsection E permits actual copying costs for more than one copy only if the rental agreement provides for that charge, while portal access cannot carry an access fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Virginia tenant request tenant records before July 1, 2027?
Yes. The existing version of § 55.1-1209(E) already says a tenant may request a copy of tenant records in paper or electronic form. The July 1, 2027 change adds the specific written account-statement requirement in subsection F.
Does every Virginia landlord have to provide the new statement within 10 business days?
No. Subsection F contains an ownership-based exception for certain landlords with fewer than four rental dwelling units or qualifying minority interests. That exception does not apply when the landlord receives state or local rental or utility assistance funds on behalf of the tenant.
Does the 10-business-day rule require every maintenance record and communication to be produced within 10 business days?
The statutory text specifically requires the written statement of charges and payments within 10 business days after a written request for tenant records. It does not expressly impose that same 10-business-day deadline on every other item that may fall within Virginia's broader definition of tenant records.
How far back must the 2027 statement go?
The statement must cover the duration of the tenancy or the past 12 months, whichever period is shorter.
Can a landlord charge a tenant for copies of tenant records?
Under § 55.1-1209(E), if the rental agreement provides for it, the landlord may charge the actual costs of preparing more than one copy of the tenant's records. If records are made available through an electronic portal, the tenant cannot be charged for access to that portal.
Is the Virginia DHCD statement template mandatory?
No. The 2027 statute says a landlord may use the standardized template developed by the Department of Housing and Community Development. The form should make compliance easier, but the statutory language does not make use of that specific template mandatory.
Prepare the Record Before the Request Arrives
The July 1, 2027 change is manageable when the accounting system already tells a clear story. Owners should know whether subsection F applies to their portfolio, whether any lease uses a covered utility allocation method, and how the required statement will be produced before the first request comes in.
PMI James River's accounting and financial reporting process tracks rent collection, owner reporting, security deposit activity, and tenant setup through an organized management system. For owners who do not want record production and compliance deadlines handled through a patchwork of separate files, that operating structure is part of what professional management is designed to provide.
Published: August 24, 2026
