How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Virginia?

No more than two months' periodic rent. The cap comes from Va. Code 55.1-1226, and the lease repeats it in the deposit clause.

What does a Virginia landlord have to disclose with the lease?

Beyond the federal lead paint disclosure for a building built before 1978, the Virginia checklist has four items: name and address of the person authorized to manage the Premises and of the owner or a person authorized to act for the owner, in writing at or before the start of the tenancy; the Statement of Tenant Rights and Responsibilities, given with this lease, and a copy of the signed lease within 10 business days; and a written move-in report itemizing existing damage within five days after occupancy. The other one are on the checklist in the document. Each one names its statute and the landlord initials it in the document.

Which Virginia statutes does this lease cite?

Va. Code 55.1-1226, Va. Code 55.1-1253, Va. Code 55.1-1229, Va. Code 55.1-1216 and Va. Code 55.1-1204, read on October 23, 2026. They print in the document footer so a reader can check each clause against the statute in a minute.

Should a lawyer look at this Virginia lease before I use it?

It is a general form, not legal advice, and it does not claim to comply with any law. The clauses state what the Virginia statute requires and name the statute. A lawyer who works with Virginia landlords can tell you whether the form fits your property, your city and the terms you want to add, which is worth the hour before signing a lease for a large rent or a long term.

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Virginia Residential Lease Agreement

A plain-language lease for a house or apartment in Virginia. The deposit, notice, entry and disclosure clauses follow Virginia statute, cited in the document. Download the blank PDF or e-sign it online; electronic signatures are recognized under the federal ESIGN Act and state UETA laws.

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Different state?

Page one of the Virginia Residential Lease Agreement — Page 1 of the PDF. Tinted boxes are the placed fields, one color per role.

Virginia rules in this lease

Security deposit cap: No more than two months' periodic rent
Deposit return: Within 45 days after the tenancy ends or the Tenant vacates, whichever is later, the Landlord sends the deposit to the forwarding address the Tenant provides, with a written notice itemizing any deductions for unpaid rent, damage beyond ordinary wear and other lawful charges, and holds the deposit in escrow until the Tenant provides a forwarding address.
Ending a month-to-month tenancy: Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with written notice served at least 30 days before the next rent due date, unless the lease sets a different period.
Landlord entry: The Landlord gives notice before entering and enters only at reasonable times, gives at least 72 hours' notice before routine maintenance the Tenant did not request, and needs no notice in an emergency or when the Tenant asked for the work.
Disclosures: 5 items, listed below with the section that requires each one
Statutes: Va. Code 55.1-1226, Va. Code 55.1-1253, Va. Code 55.1-1229, Va. Code 55.1-1216, Va. Code 55.1-1204. Read the Virginia statute
Rules read on: 2026-10-23

A general form, not legal advice, and not a claim that it complies with any law. Rules change and vary by city. Check the statute cited here, or ask a lawyer, before you rely on it.

What is different in Virginia

Pick Virginia and four parts of this lease change: the security deposit clause, the notice clause for a month-to-month tenancy, the entry clause and the disclosures checklist, each rewritten from the Virginia statute. The rest of the document reads the same in every state.

Start with the deposit. Virginia caps it at two months' periodic rent. The statute does not say where the money is kept, so the lease leaves that to the landlord, but its return rule, quoted in full below, says when and how the deposit comes back, and requires an itemized statement of anything kept, turns on the tenant's forwarding address and leaves ordinary wear out of the deductions.

Ending a month-to-month tenancy works the same from both sides in Virginia. Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with written notice served at least 30 days before the next rent due date, unless the lease sets a different period.

Before coming in, the landlord gives notice, and Virginia puts a number on it. The Landlord gives notice before entering and enters only at reasonable times, gives at least 72 hours' notice before routine maintenance the Tenant did not request, and needs no notice in an emergency or when the Tenant asked for the work.

The disclosures checklist carries four Virginia items on top of the federal lead paint notice, among them a written move-in report itemizing existing damage within five days after occupancy, each with the section that requires it and a line for the landlord's initials.

This row notes no city or county overlay for Virginia; if the property is in a city with its own rental ordinance, check it before signing. The state clauses follow five sections of Virginia law, read on October 23, 2026 and listed in the Statutes row above; the same citations print in the footer of the PDF.

Read the Virginia clauses

The wording below is what prints in the PDF for Virginia, word for word, under the headings Security deposit, Entry, Ending the lease and default, and Disclosures.

Security deposit

Within 45 days after the tenancy ends or the Tenant vacates, whichever is later, the Landlord sends the deposit to the forwarding address the Tenant provides, with a written notice itemizing any deductions for unpaid rent, damage beyond ordinary wear and other lawful charges, and holds the deposit in escrow until the Tenant provides a forwarding address. The deposit may not exceed two months' periodic rent.

Entry

The Landlord gives notice before entering and enters only at reasonable times, gives at least 72 hours' notice before routine maintenance the Tenant did not request, and needs no notice in an emergency or when the Tenant asked for the work.

Ending the lease and default

Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with written notice served at least 30 days before the next rent due date, unless the lease sets a different period. If rent is unpaid or a term is broken, the Landlord gives the written notice Virginia law requires before ending the tenancy, and the Tenant is responsible for rent through the end of the term unless the Premises is re-rented sooner.

Disclosures the Landlord initials

Lead-based paint and hazards, for a building built before 1978, with the EPA pamphlet (42 U.S.C. 4852d)
Name and address of the person authorized to manage the Premises and of the owner or a person authorized to act for the owner, in writing at or before the start of the tenancy (Va. Code 55.1-1216)
The Statement of Tenant Rights and Responsibilities, given with this lease, and a copy of the signed lease within 10 business days (Va. Code 55.1-1204)
A written move-in report itemizing existing damage within five days after occupancy (Va. Code 55.1-1214)
A fee disclosure on the first page itemizing the deposit, the rent per period and any one-time charges due before the start date (Va. Code 55.1-1204.1)

Footer of the PDF: Virginia clauses follow Va. Code 55.1-1226, Va. Code 55.1-1253, Va. Code 55.1-1229, Va. Code 55.1-1216, Va. Code 55.1-1204 as read on 2026-10-23.

Virginia lease questions

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Virginia?: No more than two months' periodic rent. The cap comes from Va. Code 55.1-1226, and the lease repeats it in the deposit clause.
When does the security deposit come back in Virginia?: Within 45 days after the tenancy ends or the Tenant vacates, whichever is later, the Landlord sends the deposit to the forwarding address the Tenant provides, with a written notice itemizing any deductions for unpaid rent, damage beyond ordinary wear and other lawful charges, and holds the deposit in escrow until the Tenant provides a forwarding address.
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Virginia?: Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with written notice served at least 30 days before the next rent due date, unless the lease sets a different period.
How much notice does a Virginia landlord give before entering?: The Landlord gives notice before entering and enters only at reasonable times, gives at least 72 hours' notice before routine maintenance the Tenant did not request, and needs no notice in an emergency or when the Tenant asked for the work.
What does a Virginia landlord have to disclose with the lease?: Beyond the federal lead paint disclosure for a building built before 1978, the Virginia checklist has four items: name and address of the person authorized to manage the Premises and of the owner or a person authorized to act for the owner, in writing at or before the start of the tenancy; the Statement of Tenant Rights and Responsibilities, given with this lease, and a copy of the signed lease within 10 business days; and a written move-in report itemizing existing damage within five days after occupancy. The other one are on the checklist in the document. Each one names its statute and the landlord initials it in the document.
Which Virginia statutes does this lease cite?: Va. Code 55.1-1226, Va. Code 55.1-1253, Va. Code 55.1-1229, Va. Code 55.1-1216 and Va. Code 55.1-1204, read on October 23, 2026. They print in the document footer so a reader can check each clause against the statute in a minute.
Should a lawyer look at this Virginia lease before I use it?: It is a general form, not legal advice, and it does not claim to comply with any law. The clauses state what the Virginia statute requires and name the statute. A lawyer who works with Virginia landlords can tell you whether the form fits your property, your city and the terms you want to add, which is worth the hour before signing a lease for a large rent or a long term.

Who this is for. A Virginia lease is one half of a landlord's paperwork; proving a notice was received is the other. Both are covered at free e-signatures for landlords.

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