# Virginia SB294: Va. Residential Landlord & Tenant Act; submetering, energy allocation, & ratio utility billing sys.

Virginia SB294, Va. Residential Landlord & Tenant Act; submetering, energy allocation, & ratio utility billing sys., is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Lashrecse D. Aird (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-13 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0784)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB294-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia SB294
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Va. Residential Landlord & Tenant Act; submetering, energy allocation, & ratio utility billing sys.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2026-01-13
- Last action: 2026-04-13, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0784)
- Sponsor: Lashrecse D. Aird (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 9 (197 yes, 65 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 3

## Summary

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; civil action for unlawful detainer; termination notice; energy submetering equipment. Provides that no landlord shall file or maintain an action for unlawful detainer against a residential tenant for any alleged lease violation until the landlord has provided the tenant with a proper and effective termination notice and that no notice of termination of tenancy for nonpayment of rent pursuant to the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act shall be effective unless such notice contains a written statement of charges and payments over the course of the tenancy or the past 12 months, whichever is shorter, and any late charges, attorney fees, costs, and other charges or damages as contracted for in the rental agreement that are due and owing. The bill requires such notice to also include debits and credits incurred by the tenant for energy and utility bills and any additional charges permitted as applicable. The bill also requires the owner of any residential building to maintain adequate records indicating how monthly energy and utility billing fees are calculated and including a history of billing fee payments for each tenant over the duration of the tenancy or the past 12 months, whichever is shorter. Such records shall be made available to the tenant upon request. Finally, the bill removes a provision allowing for the collection of fees when a tenant requests such records. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. This bill is identical to HB 1361.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Clearer utility charges in renters’ notices: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2027, Virginia landlords must include utility billing details in notices ending a tenancy for unpaid rent. Notices must list energy and utility charges, credits, and extra charges allowed by law. This applies when the lease provides for separate utility meters, energy allocation e…
- Landlords can pass local fees to renters: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2027, Virginia landlords may split actual or expected local government fees billed to the building among tenants. This is allowed instead of raising rent, and the lease must clearly explain the program and how fees are split. Methods include floor area, number of residents, bedroo…
- Renters can face utility record copying fees: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2027, Virginia building owners may charge tenants to copy utility billing records for their rented home. The charge must be reasonable and reflect only actual copying materials and labor costs. The law sets no fixed fee.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Lashrecse D. Aird (Democratic), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-10 | Senate | House substitute agreed to by Senate | pass | 21 | 19 |   |
| 2026-03-06 | House | Passed House with substitute | pass | 75 | 23 |   |
| 2026-03-03 | House | Reported from General Laws with substitute | pass | 20 | 1 |   |
| 2026-02-26 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute | pass | 10 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-10 | Senate | Read third time and passed Senate | pass | 21 | 19 |   |
| 2026-02-09 | Senate | General Laws and Technology Substitute agreed to | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-06 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) | pass | 39 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-06 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-04 | Senate | Reported from General Laws and Technology with substitute | pass | 11 | 3 |   |

## Actions (40)

- 2026-04-13: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0784) (Governor)
- 2026-04-13: Approved by Governor-Chapter 784 (Effective 7/1/2027) (Governor)
- 2026-04-01: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB294) (Senate)
- 2026-03-31: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 (Governor)
- 2026-03-31: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026 (Senate)
- 2026-03-31: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2026-03-30: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB294ER) (Senate)
- 2026-03-30: Enrolled (Senate)
- 2026-03-30: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: House substitute agreed to by Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-03-06: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB294) (Senate)
- 2026-03-06: Passed House with substitute (75-Y 23-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-03-06: Engrossed by House - committee substitute (House)
- 2026-03-06: committee substitute agreed to (House)
- 2026-03-06: Read third time (House)
- 2026-03-05: Read second time (House)
- 2026-03-03: Committee substitute printed 26108714D-H1 (House)
- 2026-03-03: Reported from General Laws with substitute (20-Y 1-N) (House)
- 2026-02-26: House subcommittee offered (House)
- 2026-02-26: Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (10-Y 0-N) (House)
- 2026-02-23: Assigned HGL sub: Housing/Consumer Protection (House)
- 2026-02-13: Read first time (House)
- 2026-02-13: Referred to Committee on General Laws (House)
- 2026-02-13: Placed on Calendar (House)
- 2026-02-10: Read third time and passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-09: General Laws and Technology Substitute agreed to (Senate)
- 2026-02-09: Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-02-09: Read second time (Senate)
- 2026-02-06: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-02-06: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-06: Passed by for the day (Senate)
- 2026-02-06: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2026-02-06: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB294) (Senate)
- 2026-02-05: Committee substitute printed 26106528D-S1 (Senate)
- 2026-02-04: Reported from General Laws and Technology with substitute (11-Y 3-N) (Senate)
- 2026-01-28: Senate subcommittee offered (Senate)
- 2026-01-23: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB294) (Senate)
- 2026-01-21: Assigned GL&T sub: Housing (Senate)
- 2026-01-13: Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology (Senate)
- 2026-01-13: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26100979D (Senate)

## Bill text

- Chaptered, 2026-04-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1222884.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1222883.PDF)
- Enrolled, 2026-03-30: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1209860.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1209859.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-03-03: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1191551.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1191550.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-02-27: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1186965.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1186964.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-02-26: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1184897.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1184896.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-02-05: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1127957.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1127956.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-01-28: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1100349.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1100348.PDF)
- Introduced, 2026-01-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1088574.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1088573.PDF)

## Related bills

- HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with rental agreement. (signed)
- HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for certain individuals. (signed)
- HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, termination by landlord. (signed)
- HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil penalty. (signed)

## Sources
- [Chaptered (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1222884.HTML)
- [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1222883.PDF)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1209860.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1209859.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1191551.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1191550.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1186965.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1186964.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1184897.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1184896.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1127957.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1127956.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1100349.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1100348.PDF)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1088574.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1088573.PDF)

## Related
- [HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB5-2026)
- [SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB199-2026)
- [HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB95-2026)
- [HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1393-2026)
- [HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, terminat…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB834-2026)
- [HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB675-2026)
- [Virginia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia/bills)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB294-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).