🇺🇸 Virginia tenant document
Landlord kept your deposit? Check the Virginia return rules, then challenge withheld funds with an organized written demand, your dates and amounts, an evidence plan, and official starting points in one downloadable pack.
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Official framework
Code of Virginia §§ 55.1-1214 and 55.1-1226 (Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act)
Virginia generally requires the landlord to itemize the security deposit and any deductions, damages, and charges in a written notice to the tenant, together with any amount due, within 45 days after the termination date of the tenancy or the date the tenant vacates, whichever occurs last.
Read the official statute ↗Content reviewed October 1, 2026. General information only—not legal advice.
Virginia security deposit rules
Virginia generally requires a landlord to give the tenant a written notice itemizing the security deposit and any deductions, together with any amount due, within 45 days after the tenancy ends or the tenant vacates, whichever is later, and limits deductions to listed uses such as accrued rent and damage less reasonable wear and tear. Va. Code § 55.1-1226(E) describes what a court shall order, including return of the deposit, actual damages, and reasonable attorney fees, when a landlord willfully fails to comply.
Watch your own deadline: Va. Code § 55.1-1226(B) allows a landlord that has not received a forwarding address to continue holding the deposit and, one year after the 45-day period ends, to remit it to the State Treasurer as unclaimed property. Give the landlord a written forwarding address and keep proof of when and how you sent it.
Check coverage: Va. Code § 55.1-1201 applies the Act to single-family and multifamily dwelling units statewide but excludes certain occupancies, such as institutional residence, condominium owner occupancy, campgrounds, rent-free occupancy, and some employer-conditioned housing, and exempts most transient lodging. The Act supersedes local landlord-tenant ordinances.
These are general summaries, not conclusions about your situation. Review the linked official text and obtain legal advice when needed.
Deadline calculator · Normal wear and tear vs. damage · How to get your deposit back · Deadlines in other states
Virginia deposit dispute
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Virginia generally requires the landlord to itemize the security deposit and any deductions, damages, and charges in a written notice to the tenant, together with any amount due, within 45 days after the termination date of the tenancy or the date the tenant vacates, whichever occurs last. Check the official statute for the conditions that apply to your tenancy.
No. The pack organizes a written demand and supporting record. The lease, facts, delivery, evidence, defenses, and any court decision control the result.
A personalized demand letter, timing worksheet, deduction dispute organizer, evidence and delivery log, and escalation-preparation sheet with official source links.
No. It identifies provisions to review and makes clear that potential enhanced remedies depend on facts and, if disputed, a court determination.
Yes. Complete the guided form to see a personalized preview. The finished five-part PDF costs $39 USD as a one-time purchase.