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Richmond, Virginia Medium Risk Clause

Lease Renewal Clause
in Your Lease

LDWritten by LeaseDecoded Research Team
Last reviewed: October 2026
Not legal advice
How this page is sourced

Statutes verified against primary state sources

Every statute cited here was read in its published text before this page went live: on the state's own site where that site can be reached, otherwise on a republished copy of the code. Court decisions are quoted from the published opinion and linked to it, so you can read the original yourself.

Primary sourcesNot legal advice

Content verified against primary state statutes before publicationLast updated: October 2026

Location: Richmond, Virginia
Read time: 8 minutes

What it actually means, what Virginia law says, what's specific to Richmond - and exactly what to do. In plain English.

Short answer for Richmond

If your landlord owns more than four rental dwelling units, they must give written notice of nonrenewal, and of any rent increase where your lease renews by option or automatically, no less than 60 days before your term ends (Va. Code § 55.1-1204(K)). Month to month, either side gives 30 days' written notice before the next rent due date, unless your lease sets a different period (§ 55.1-1253(A)). On a smaller landlord's fixed term, read your renewal paragraph first.

Copy the letter asking about renewal

What is your situation?

My lease ends soon and I want to stay

Ask your landlord in writing whether they will renew, at what rent, and how many rental units they own. One who owns more than four, or more than a 10 percent interest in more than four, owes written notice of nonrenewal no less than 60 days before the term ends (Va. Code § 55.1-1204(K)). Staying on with your landlord's agreement and no new lease keeps the old terms (§ 55.1-1253(D)).

Copy the letter asking about renewal
My landlord won't renew my lease

If your landlord owns more than four rental dwelling units, or more than a 10 percent interest in more than four, written notice of nonrenewal must reach you no less than 60 days before the end of the term (Va. Code § 55.1-1204(K)). On a smaller landlord's fixed term, read the renewal paragraph you signed first. Take a disputed nonrenewal to a Richmond tenant attorney or legal aid office.

Count the 60-day notice date
My rent is going up at renewal

If your lease renews by option or automatically and your landlord owns more than four rental units, written notice of the increase must reach you no less than 60 days before the term ends (Va. Code § 55.1-1204(K)), rising to 90 days from July 1, 2027. If you stay with no new lease, a new rent set by written notice waits for the next rent due date coming 30 days after the notice (§ 55.1-1253(D)).

Read the Virginia law section
My lease renews automatically

Virginia lets a lease include automatic renewal and rules for notice of intent to vacate (Va. Code § 55.1-1204(A)), so find the opt-out date in your renewal paragraph the day you sign. If your landlord owns more than four rental dwelling units, any rent increase for the renewed term needs written notice no less than 60 days before the term ends (§ 55.1-1204(K)). Note the day any renewal notice arrives.

Find your lease end date
I'm the landlord and not renewing

If you own more than four rental dwelling units, give written notice of nonrenewal no less than 60 days before the term ends (Va. Code § 55.1-1204(K)). Month to month takes written notice at least 30 days before the next rent due date, unless the lease differs (§ 55.1-1253(A)). Letting the greater of 20 or 50 percent of a multifamily property's month-to-month tenancies expire within 30 days takes 60 days' written notice to each (§ 55.1-1253(B)).

Read the Virginia law section
Quick summary: 5 key points
  • A landlord with more than four rental units owes written notice of nonrenewal 60 days before the term ends.
  • That landlord also owes 60 days' written notice of a rent increase when your lease can renew.
  • On a smaller landlord's fixed-term lease, the renewal paragraph you signed is the first place to look.
  • Month to month: either side gives 30 days' written notice before the next rent due date, unless your lease differs.
  • Our record of the Richmond City Code finds no city notice period for declining to renew a lease.

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Count it for your dates

60 days before: the last day to act

Last day to give the notice

What it means: This is the last day a larger landlord's written notice of nonrenewal, and of any rent increase for the next term where your lease renews by option or automatically, can reach you: no less than 60 days before the end of the term you entered. Applies to a landlord who owns more than four rental dwelling units, or more than a 10 percent interest in more than four; it does not apply to a periodic tenancy under § 55.1-1253(C), and a month-to-month tenancy runs on 30 days under § 55.1-1253(A). The 60 days for a rent increase notice apply until July 1, 2027, when the version of § 55.1-1204 taking effect then moves that notice to at least 90 days; the 60-day nonrenewal notice stays (Va. Code § 55.1-1204(K)). Calendar arithmetic only; check how the section counts days before you rely on a date.

Copy and send: Early in your lease term, well before the 60-day mark

Ask about renewal in writing

Fill in the brackets and keep a copy of what you send.

Section 01

Understanding the Lease Renewal Clause

This page is for Richmond renters whose lease is ending and who want to know how much warning they get, or owe, about renewal. Two things decide the answer: how many rental units your landlord owns, and what kind of tenancy you have.

Virginia's longer notice rule binds larger landlords at the end of a lease term. Month-to-month tenancies run on their own shorter clock that binds both sides.

On a smaller landlord's fixed term, read your renewal paragraph early in the term, not in the final weeks.

What renters assume

Every Richmond landlord owes me 60 days' notice before declining to renew my lease, because that is Virginia's renewal rule.

What is actually true

The 60 days in § 55.1-1204(K) bind a landlord who owns more than four rental dwelling units, or more than a 10 percent interest in more than four. Find out who owns your unit, and how many units they hold, before you count.

Richmond makes 28 rows in the comparison on this page. Thirteen of the 28 rows sit at 30 days or one month: Austin, Chicago, Phoenix, Nashville, Boston, Las Vegas, Columbus, Detroit, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Louisville and Oklahoma City.

Six bars sit at 60 days, in Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle, Atlanta, Baltimore and Richmond, and three at 90, in New York City, Denver and Portland.

Milwaukee's bar sits at 28 days, Philadelphia's and Salt Lake City's at 15 days, and Charlotte's at 7 days. Washington, DC and Newark draw no bar, because their rows read cause required to not renew.

Richmond's bar is the 60 days of § 55.1-1204(K), and its label carries the limit: it binds a landlord with more than four rental dwelling units, or more than a 10 percent interest in more than four. A Richmond month-to-month tenancy runs on the 30 days of § 55.1-1253(A), which the bar does not draw.

Clause decoder

Lease Renewal Clause Example - What the Wording Looks Like in Richmond, VA

The sample clause below comes from a Pennsylvania court case, and the notes explain what Virginia law says about each part. It is real lease language - a court quoted it word for word, and then ruled on it. What the judge decided is at the bottom of this block.

Real clause - quoted in a published court opinion

Find the equivalent paragraph in your own lease and read the two side by side. The wording will differ; the moving parts rarely do.

(c) Landlord may increase the rent or change any other term of the Lease for any renewal period by sending written notice to Tenant. Landlord must send this notice at least 60 days before the end of the Term or of any renewal term. Tenant may reject the renewal terms by sending written notice to Landlord 60 days prior to the end of the current lease ending date. Tenant must then vacate at the end of the current Term. The Lease will renew on the terms set forth in Landlord's renewal notice if Tenant does not send notice ending the Lease.

Quoted from the published opinion in Cooper v. SGYS St. Ives, LLC, 333 A.3d 1046, 2025 PA Super 66 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2025). Judicial opinions are not subject to copyright; the lease language is reproduced in limited part for commentary under 17 U.S.C. § 107.

What the 4 highlighted phrases mean
1

“(c) Landlord may increase the”

A higher rent at renewal is the first power this paragraph reserves, and Virginia attaches a notice duty to exactly that move. Under Va. Code § 55.1-1204(K), a landlord who owns more than four rental dwelling units, or more than a 10 percent interest in more than four, must give written notice of any rent increase for the next term. The duty runs to a tenant with an option to renew or an automatic renewal provision, and this paragraph renews the Lease unless someone acts.

See the example
The size line decides whether § 55.1-1204(K) reaches your landlord at all. Our record of that subsection states the duty for landlords above it, which leaves this paragraph as the first document to read on a smaller landlord's lease. Ask in writing who owns the building and how many rental units they hold.
Tenant-favourable“Any rent increase for a renewal period needs Tenant's written agreement before the renewal begins”
What this lease said“(c) Landlord may increase the”
Landlord-favourable“Landlord may raise the rent for any renewal period by any amount, effective on the first day of that period”
2

“60 days before the end of the Term or of any”

The lease sets this count for every landlord who signs the form, while Virginia sets it by the landlord's size. For a landlord above the line, § 55.1-1204(K) says its notices, the rent increase and the nonrenewal alike, must reach the tenant “no less than 60 days prior to the end of the rental agreement term”. The paragraph then repeats its count for every renewal term, so check each year's last day against both.

See the example
That clock is due to change for rent. The version of § 55.1-1204 effective July 1, 2027 keeps the 60-day nonrenewal notice for the same landlords and moves their rent increase notice to at least 90 days before the end of the term. Read the current text before counting from either.
Tenant-favourable“Landlord must send any renewal or nonrenewal notice at least ninety days before the end of the Term or of any renewal term”
What this lease said“60 days before the end of the Term or of any”
Landlord-favourable“Landlord may send renewal terms at any time before the last day of the Term”
3

“sending written notice to Landlord 60 days prior to”

Here the lease turns the same 60 days on the tenant. In Virginia the figure comes from § 55.1-1204(K), whose words put the notice duty on a landlord above the size line and deliver the notice to the tenant. On the tenant's side, the Virginia sections we read send you back to the lease: § 55.1-1204(A) lets a rental agreement include “requirements for notice of intent to vacate or terminate the rental agreement”, and this sentence is one.

See the example
Once a tenancy runs month to month, § 55.1-1253(A) lets either side end it by written notice at least 30 days before the next rent due date, “unless the rental agreement provides for a different notice period”. On a Richmond affordable dwelling unit, City Code § 16-28 adds a renter's affidavit of continuing occupancy due each year at least 90 days before the lease expires.
Tenant-favourable“Tenant may decline renewal by letter or email at any time before the last thirty days of the Term”
What this lease said“sending written notice to Landlord 60 days prior to”
Landlord-favourable“Tenant's rejection counts if hand-delivered to the management office seventy-five days before the Term ends, and not otherwise”
4

“Landlord's renewal notice if Tenant does not”

Under this sentence the landlord's notice becomes the renewal's terms unless the tenant writes back, so the day that notice arrived matters as much as what it says. Virginia has enacted a further step for that notice. The version of § 55.1-1204 effective July 1, 2027 requires a larger landlord's rent increase notice to give the tenant a deadline to decide on renewal, no sooner than 30 days after delivery. Until that date, read the version in force.

See the example
If the Lease instead ends and you stay on with the landlord's agreement and no new lease, § 55.1-1253(D) keeps the old terms. A new rent set by written notice then waits for the next rent due date coming 30 days after the notice.
Tenant-favourable“The Lease renews on Landlord's proposed terms if Tenant signs them; unsigned, the current terms continue month to month”
What this lease said“Landlord's renewal notice if Tenant does not”
Landlord-favourable“Tenant's continued occupancy after the notice date is acceptance of every term in Landlord's renewal notice”
What the court did with it

The clause was enforced exactly as written, and it came back on the landlord who wrote it. The underlying dispute was not about renewal at all - it was a claim under Philadelphia's lead-disclosure ordinance, and the landlord's answer was that the Coopers were former tenants with no right to bring it. The Superior Court disagreed. Because paragraph 24 renewed the lease automatically unless a party gave 60 days' written notice, and this landlord gave none, brought no eviction and filed no suit, the lease was still alive and the Coopers were still tenants - even though they had stopped paying rent. The landlord, the court held, “had a duty to take specific action against Appellants in order to end the lease,” and a tenant's own breach does not quietly turn them into a former tenant. Two things to keep in view. This is a standing holding that construes an automatic-renewal clause, not a renewal dispute, and it should not be read as one. And the same paragraph priced the renewal it created: subsection (b) raised the rent for each renewal term to market rent, as determined by Landlord, with a minimum increase of 7% above current rent. Automatic renewal runs in whichever direction the paperwork points, and here the paperwork pointed at the landlord.

How this state's law treats this clause
The 60 days in this paragraph match a Virginia deadline, but the statute ties it to the landlord's size. One who owns more than four rental dwelling units, or more than a 10 percent interest in more than four, must give written notice of a renewal rent increase and of nonrenewal no less than 60 days before the term ends: Va. Code § 55.1-1204(K); Va. Code § 55.1-1253(A); Va. Code § 55.1-1253(B); Va. Code § 55.1-1253(D); Va. Code § 55.1-1204(A); Va. Code § 55.1-1204(C); Va. Code § 55.1-1204(F); Va. Code § 55.1-1258; Va. Code § 55.1-1201; Richmond City Code § 16-28

One court, one lease, one state. That answer is not automatically yours, and your lease may be worded to land differently. Use this to know what to look for and what to ask - your state's tenant hotline or a local tenant attorney can answer it for your document.

Section 02

Virginia Law on Lease Renewal Clause

The law in Virginia
  • The 60 days are in § 55.1-1204(K): a landlord who owns more than four rental dwelling units, or more than a 10 percent interest in more than four, in Virginia must give written notice of any rent increase for the next term to a tenant with an option to renew or an automatic renewal provision, and "shall also provide written notice of nonrenewal to any tenant." Both notices must reach the tenant "no less than 60 days prior to the end of the rental agreement term." Our record of § 55.1-1204(K) states this deadline only for landlords above that size, and the subsection does not apply to "any periodic tenancy created pursuant to subsection C of § 55.1-1253".
  • Periodic tenancies are on a different clock.
    Read the law's wordsUnder § 55.1-1253(A) "The landlord or the tenant may terminate a month-to-month tenancy by serving a written notice on the other at least 30 days prior to the next rent due date, unless the rental agreement provides for a different notice period", and a week-to-week tenancy on seven days' written notice before the next rent due date. Section 55.1-1204(A) lets a rental agreement include "automatic renewal of the rental agreement" and "requirements for notice of intent to vacate or terminate the rental agreement", and § 55.1-1204(F) says terminations of tenancies are governed by § 55.1-1253 "unless the rental agreement provides for a different notice period".
  • Large turnovers and holdovers have their own rules.
    Read the law's wordsSection 55.1-1253(B) requires an owner of a multifamily premises that fails to renew the greater of 20 or more month-to-month tenancies or 50 percent of them within a consecutive 30-day period to give each tenant written notice at least 60 days before letting the tenancy expire, except where the tenant has failed to pay rent. Under § 55.1-1253(D), a tenant who stays on with the landlord's agreement and no new lease keeps the old terms, and a new rent set by written notice takes effect no earlier than the next rent due date coming 30 days after the notice. Where no written lease was offered, § 55.1-1204(C) makes the tenancy 12 months and not subject to automatic renewal, except for a month-to-month lease under § 55.1-1253(D).
  • Two enacted changes carry later dates.
    Read the law's wordsThe version of § 55.1-1204 effective July 1, 2027 (2026, c. 1066) keeps the 60-day nonrenewal notice for the same landlords, moves their rent increase notice to at least 90 days before the end of the term, and requires that notice to give the tenant a deadline to decide on renewal no sooner than 30 days after delivery. The version of § 55.1-1258 effective January 1, 2027 (2026, c. 1111) lists "refusing to renew a tenancy where the tenant is receiving tenant-based rental assistance" through the Housing Choice Voucher Program or another program among the retaliatory actions a landlord may not take once it knows the tenant has made a protected complaint, joined a tenants' organization or testified against it; subsection C of that version lists exceptions, among them a landlord who "fails to renew a tenancy for good cause" where the tenant receives rental assistance through the same voucher program or another program. Check the current text of both sections before relying on either.

Sources include Va. Code § 55.1-1204(K); Va. Code § 55.1-1253(A); Va. Code § 55.1-1253(B); Va. Code § 55.1-1253(D); Va. Code § 55.1-1204(A); Va. Code § 55.1-1204(C); Va. Code § 55.1-1204(F); Va. Code § 55.1-1258; Va. Code § 55.1-1201; Richmond City Code § 16-28 - statutes change; verify the current text for your situation.

Read the full state law section
  • Larger landlords, § 55.1-1204(K). A landlord who owns more than four rental dwelling units, or more than a 10 percent interest in more than four, must give written notice of nonrenewal, and of any rent increase where your lease renews by option or automatically, no less than 60 days before the term ends.
  • Month to month, § 55.1-1253(A). Either side gives written notice at least 30 days before the next rent due date, unless your lease sets a different period. Week to week: seven days.
  • Many expirations, § 55.1-1253(B). A multifamily owner letting the greater of 20 or more, or 50 percent, of its month-to-month tenancies expire within a consecutive 30-day period owes each tenant 60 days' written notice, unless the tenant has not paid rent.
  • Staying on, § 55.1-1253(D). Staying on with the landlord's agreement and no new lease keeps the old terms. A new rent starts no earlier than the next rent due date coming 30 days after written notice.

From July 1, 2027, § 55.1-1204 moves the rent increase notice to 90 days. From January 1, 2027, § 55.1-1258 lists refusing to renew a tenant receiving tenant-based rental assistance among the retaliatory actions barred once a landlord knows of a protected complaint, with a good-cause exception. Check the current text.

Section 03

What's Specific to Richmond

Notice required to not renew

Same clause, 28 cities, different rules. Tap any city for its own guide.

New York City, New York
30-90 daysby tenure
Denver, Colorado
90 days
Portland, Oregon
90 daysafter first year
Los Angeles, California
60 days
Miami, Florida
Up to 60 dayslease-set
Seattle, Washington
60 days
Atlanta, Georgia
60 daystenancy at will
Baltimore, Maryland
60 dayslease or month-to-month
Richmond, Virginia
60 dayslandlords with 5+ units
Austin, Texas
30 daysmonth-to-month
Chicago, Illinois
30 daysmonth-to-month
Phoenix, Arizona
30 daysmonth-to-month
Nashville, Tennessee
30 daysmonth-to-month
Boston, Massachusetts
30 daystenancy at will
Las Vegas, Nevada
30 daysmonth-to-month
Columbus, Ohio
30 daysmonth-to-month
Detroit, Michigan
1 monthmonth-to-month
Minneapolis, Minnesota
1 monthtenancy at will
Kansas City, Missouri
1 monthmonth-to-month
Indianapolis, Indiana
1 monthmonth-to-month
Louisville, Kentucky
30 daysmonth-to-month
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
30 daysmonth-to-month
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
28 daysmonth-to-month
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
15 days30 if over 1 yr
Salt Lake City, Utah
15 daysmonth-to-month
Charlotte, North Carolina
7 daysmonth-to-month
Washington, District of Columbia
Cause required to not renew
Newark, New Jersey
Cause required to not renew

Figures are the state rule, or the stronger city ordinance where one exists. Verify the current law for your own situation before relying on it.

Va. Code § 55.1-1201(E) says the state Act supersedes “all other local ordinances or regulations concerning landlord and tenant relations and the leasing of residential property”. One Richmond section does tie a date to lease expiry.

On a unit in the city's voluntary affordable dwelling unit program, Richmond City Code § 16-28 requires a lease of six months to one year and a yearly affidavit of continuing occupancy at least 90 days before the lease expires. We take no position on how § 55.1-1201(E) applies to it.

Does it say who sends the nonrenewal notice, and when?

It should. A landlord above the size line in § 55.1-1204(K) owes written notice no less than 60 days before the term ends.

Does it state the notice period for a month-to-month tenancy?

§ 55.1-1253(A) sets 30 days unless the rental agreement provides for a different notice period. Find yours and compare.

Does it let the rent for the next term change with no written notice?

A landlord above the size line owes written notice of a renewal rent increase on the same 60-day deadline.

Does it renew on its own unless you opt out by a set date?

§ 55.1-1204(A) lets a lease include automatic renewal and notice-to-vacate requirements. Find that date before you sign.

Sources

The law this guide relies on, and where to read it. Statutes change, so confirm the current text before you act on it.

Section 04

Red Flags to Watch Out For

  • A short nonrenewal from a large landlord

    If your landlord owns more than four rental dwelling units, § 55.1-1204(K) sets no less than 60 days. Count back from the last day of the term.

  • A rent increase sprung at renewal

    That same landlord owes written notice of a rent increase for the next term 60 days before the term ends, where your lease renews automatically or by option.

  • A wave of month-to-month expirations

    Under § 55.1-1253(B), a large turnover at a multifamily property within 30 days requires 60 days' written notice to each tenant.

  • A new rent that starts at once

    If you stay on with no new lease, § 55.1-1253(D) starts a new rent no earlier than the next rent due date coming 30 days after written notice.

  • An affordable-unit lease silent on the affidavit

    On a Richmond affordable dwelling unit, § 16-28 requires a yearly affidavit at least 90 days before the lease expires. Find that date in yours.

Section 05

Your Rights as a Richmond Tenant

  • Sixty days from a larger landlord

    § 55.1-1204(K): written notice of nonrenewal no less than 60 days before the term ends, from a landlord above the size line.

  • Thirty days on a month-to-month

    § 55.1-1253(A): you or the landlord may end it on written notice 30 days before the next rent due date.

  • Old terms when you stay with consent

    § 55.1-1253(D): staying on with the landlord's agreement and no new lease keeps the old terms in place.

  • Twelve months with no written lease

    § 55.1-1204(C): where no written lease was offered, the tenancy runs 12 months and does not renew automatically.

Section 06

What To Do - Step by Step

1

Name your tenancy type first

Fixed term, month to month or week to week? § 55.1-1204(K) speaks to the end of a term; § 55.1-1253(A) covers the periodic tenancies.

2

Find out how many units your landlord owns

The 60 days bind a landlord with more than four rental dwelling units, or more than a 10 percent interest in more than four. Ask in writing.

3

Count back from the last day of the term

For that landlord, both notices must reach you 60 days before the term ends. Mark that date the day you sign.

4

Read your own renewal paragraph

Find any automatic renewal, opt-out date and renewal rent well before the term ends, especially on a smaller landlord's lease.

5

Check the affordable-unit rules if they apply

On a Richmond affordable dwelling unit, note the § 16-28 affidavit date, 90 days before the lease expires.

6

Read the current text, then get advice

Read § 55.1-1204 and § 55.1-1253 as they stand today, then take a disputed nonrenewal to a Richmond tenant attorney or legal aid office.

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Section 07

Frequently Asked Questions

how much notice does a landlord have to give in virginia to not renew a lease
A landlord who owns more than four rental dwelling units, or more than a 10 percent interest in more than four, owes written notice of nonrenewal no less than 60 days before the lease term ends (§ 55.1-1204(K)). A month-to-month tenancy takes 30 days (§ 55.1-1253(A)).
does a small landlord in richmond have to give 60 days notice to not renew
§ 55.1-1204(K) states its 60-day nonrenewal deadline for a landlord who owns more than four rental dwelling units, or more than a 10 percent interest in more than four. On a smaller landlord's fixed term, the renewal clause in your lease is the first place to look.
how much notice do i have to give to leave a month to month in virginia
Written notice at least 30 days before the next rent due date, unless your rental agreement provides for a different notice period (§ 55.1-1253(A)). The same rule binds the landlord. A week-to-week tenancy takes seven days' written notice.
does richmond have its own lease renewal notice rule
Our record of the Richmond City Code finds no city notice period for declining to renew a lease. Richmond § 16-28 does set lease rules, including a yearly affidavit date, for units in the city's voluntary affordable dwelling unit program.

Lease Renewal rules near Virginia

The same clause in the nearest states we cover.

District of ColumbiaWashingtonNotice to not renewCause required to not renewRead the guide →MarylandBaltimoreNotice to not renew60 daysRead the guide →PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaNotice to not renew15 daysRead the guide →North CarolinaCharlotteNotice to not renew7 daysRead the guide →

Clause Risk Level

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Medium. Always read this clause carefully before signing any rental agreement.

Lease Renewal Clause in Other Cities

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Legal Disclaimer: This guide is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Information reflects general Virginia and Richmond law as of October 2026 but may not reflect recent changes. Consult a licensed attorney in Virginia for advice about your specific situation.