# Virginia SB373: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; defense to action for possession for nonpayment of rent.

Virginia SB373, Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; defense to action for possession for nonpayment of rent., is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Jennifer B. Boysko (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-13 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0959)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB373-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia SB373
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; defense to action for possession for nonpayment of rent.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2026-01-13
- Last action: 2026-04-13, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0959)
- Sponsor: Jennifer B. Boysko (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 9 (168 yes, 84 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 2

## Summary

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; noncompliance as defense to action for possession for nonpayment of rent. Removes the provision requiring that a tenant in possession of a dwelling unit, prior to asserting a defense against an action for rent or possession, pay into court the amount of rent found by the court to be due and unpaid and for such amount to be held by the court pending the issuance of an order. The bill also limits the discretion of the court in actions for possession based upon nonpayment of rent and actions for rent by a landlord when the tenant is in possession of a dwelling unit.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Renters gain eviction defenses without court deposits: benefit, high. Virginia renters can raise unsafe housing conditions as a defense against rent claims or eviction for unpaid rent. Qualifying problems include fire hazards, serious safety threats, or a landlord’s major failure to follow the lease or law. Examples include missing heat, water, light, electricity, or…
- Renters keep repair orders but lose options: mixed, low. Courts must make factual findings on the defense and can reduce rent to reflect the housing problem. They can order repairs for conditions caused by a landlord’s major failure to follow the lease or law. The law removes listed options for ordering renters to surrender the home or delaying cases for…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Jennifer B. Boysko (Democratic), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-02-26 | Senate | House substitute agreed to by Senate | pass | 21 | 19 |   |
| 2026-02-24 | House | Passed House with substitute | pass | 63 | 34 |   |
| 2026-02-19 | House | Reported from General Laws with substitute | pass | 15 | 6 |   |
| 2026-02-10 | Senate | Read third time and passed Senate | pass | 21 | 19 |   |
| 2026-02-09 | Senate | Senator Boysko Amendment agreed to | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-09 | Senate | Reading of amendment waived (Voice Vote) | 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 | pass | 9 | 6 |   |

## Actions (38)

- 2026-04-13: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0959) (Governor)
- 2026-04-13: Approved by Governor-Chapter 959 (effective 7/1/2026) (Governor)
- 2026-03-10: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 (Governor)
- 2026-03-10: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026 (Senate)
- 2026-03-02: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB373) (Senate)
- 2026-03-02: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB373ER) (Senate)
- 2026-03-02: Enrolled (Senate)
- 2026-03-02: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2026-03-02: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2026-02-26: House substitute agreed to by Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-24: Passed House with substitute (63-Y 34-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-02-24: Engrossed by House - committee substitute (House)
- 2026-02-24: committee substitute agreed to (House)
- 2026-02-24: Read third time (House)
- 2026-02-23: Read second time (House)
- 2026-02-20: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB373) (Senate)
- 2026-02-19: Committee substitute printed 26108192D-H1 (House)
- 2026-02-19: House committee offered (House)
- 2026-02-19: Reported from General Laws with substitute (15-Y 6-N) (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: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB373) (Senate)
- 2026-02-10: Read third time and passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-09: Floor offered (Senate)
- 2026-02-09: Senator Boysko Amendment agreed to (Senate)
- 2026-02-09: Reading of amendment waived (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-02-09: Engrossed by Senate as amended (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)
- 2026-02-04: Reported from General Laws and Technology (9-Y 6-N) (Senate)
- 2026-01-26: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB373) (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 26100767D (Senate)

## Bill text

- Chaptered, 2026-04-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1224749.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1224748.PDF)
- Enrolled, 2026-03-02: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1186704.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1186703.PDF)
- Substitute, 2026-02-19: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1170607.HTML), [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1170057.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1170056.PDF), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1170606.PDF)
- Amendment, 2026-02-09: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1135311.HTML)
- Engrossed, 2026-02-09: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1135354.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1135353.PDF)
- Introduced, 2026-01-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1089824.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1089823.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/1224749.HTML)
- [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1224748.PDF)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1186704.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1186703.PDF)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1170607.HTML)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1170057.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1170056.PDF)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1170606.PDF)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1135311.HTML)
- [Engrossed (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1135354.HTML)
- [Engrossed (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1135353.PDF)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1089824.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1089823.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)
- [Virginia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB373-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).