How To Create Virginia Lease Agreements

How To Compose Proper Virginia Lease Agreements

Once you find a convenient apartment or house to rent in Virginia, reaching a verbal agreement with the landlord may seem enough, but this option is too risky. The best bet is to sign a written lease agreement to protect the rights of both parties and ensure smooth cooperation.

Composing a contract can be complicated for anyone who doesn’t know much about legal documents. Our guide will focus on introducing you to the essentials of Virginia lease agreements and help you write them fast and easy!

What Is a Virginia Lease Agreement?

A Virginia lease agreement enables the tenant and landlord to establish rental terms and conditions. It outlines the essential regulations both signing parties must comply with to prevent potential misinterpretations.

The landlord allows the tenant to occupy the accommodation for a certain period in exchange for monthly rent. They can sign one of the following contracts:

  1. Standard annual lease agreement—This contract lasts for a year and doesn’t renew automatically. Once it ends, you can choose if you want to terminate the lease, renew it, or switch to a month-to-month lease contract
  2. Month-to-month lease agreement—This is a short-term contract that lasts for 30 days. It can be renewed as long as the involved parties want to continue their cooperation

The Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (VRLTA), a law regulating specific lease-related rules in this state, covers all residential rental agreements except for:

  • Single-house agreements
  • Townhouse rental agreements
  • Condominium rental agreements
  • Condo rental contracts for the owners who lease four or fewer units

What Sections Should the Virginia Lease Agreement Contain?

According to the VRLTA, a valid lease agreement in Virginia should contain the sections presented in the table below:

SectionsDetails
Personal and general details
  • Name of the landlord
  • Name of the tenant
  • Contact details of both parties—phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses
  • Lease type
  • Lease duration—the start and end date
Property details
  • Property address
  • Premises condition and description
  • Furniture availability
  • Parking availability
Rent details
  • Amount
  • Payment method
  • Security deposit amount and details
  • Penalties for late or missing monthly fees—amount and changeability
Responsibilities
  • Furniture and appliances
  • General maintenance
  • Utility bills
  • Pet policy
  • Homeowners association duties
  • Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
Termination details
  • Notice requirements—in Virginia, it’s three months for a standard lease or 30 days for a month-to-month lease
  • Resolutions in the event of bankruptcy or death
Other mandatory disclosures
  • Mold
  • Move-in checklist
  • Defective drywall
  • Lead-based paint disclosure
  • Methamphetamines disclosure
  • Military zone disclosure
  • Air zone disclosure
  • Planned demolition
  • Ratio of utilities

Does a Virginia Rental Agreement Need To Be Notarized?

The document becomes legally binding as soon as both concerned entities sign it, which means that having your lease agreement notarized is unnecessary. It can also serve as evidence in the court in case of incidents or rule violations.

DoNotPay Helps You Create the Best Lease Agreements

If you need help with composing your lease contract without a lawyer, DoNotPay has a fast and affordable solution! Our app offers a vast collection of standardized contract templates you can personalize and make as many legal documents as you need! This means you don’t have to waste unreasonable amounts on legal experts or write your contract from scratch. All you need to provide is a few pieces of information—we will do the rest!

Here’s how to use our service:

  1. Log in to DoNotPay using your preferred
  2. Pick the desired document template
  3. Complete a short questionnaire about the details you want to include in your contract

Once you submit the necessary info, we will create a customized document you can sign or get notarized right away!

Do you need other contracts? Our database offers numerous legal documents, including:

Find Out More About Various Contracts in a Snap

Educating yourself on various types of agreements and legal documents can come in handy in business or any other collaboration, which is why you should check out ’s knowledge base.

It has loads of handy articles explaining how lease agreements work in various parts of the USA, such as Utah, Colorado, New Jersey, New Mexico, Tennessee, Oklahoma, etc.

Besides residential lease agreements, our guides explain the essentials of other contracts, including:

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