Virginia · House Bill 721 · 2025 Regular Session

Local anti-rent gouging authority; civil penalty.

HB 721 Sponsored by Nadarius E. Clark Died in committee

  1. Introduced Jan 9, 2024
  2. In committee Jan 9, 2024
  3. Died  
  4. Passed the Senate  
  5. To the governor  
  6. Became law  

What it does

The legislature's own summary of the bill, or its official long title.

Local anti-rent gouging authority; civil penalty. Provides that any locality may by ordinance adopt anti-rent gouging provisions. The bill provides for notice and a public hearing prior to the adoption of such ordinance and specifies that all landlords who are under the ordinance may be required to give at least two months' written notice of a rent increase and cannot increase the rent by more than the locality's…

Read the full title (226 words)

Local anti-rent gouging authority; civil penalty. Provides that any locality may by ordinance adopt anti-rent gouging provisions. The bill provides for notice and a public hearing prior to the adoption of such ordinance and specifies that all landlords who are under the ordinance may be required to give at least two months' written notice of a rent increase and cannot increase the rent by more than the locality's calculated allowance, described in the bill as the maximum amount a landlord can increase a tenant's rent during any 12-month period, in effect at the time of the increase. The bill sets such allowance as equal to the annual increase in the Consumer Price Index or seven percent, whichever is less, states that such allowance is effective for a 12-month period beginning July 1 each year, and requires the locality to publish such allowance on its website by June 1 of each year. Certain facilities, as outlined in the bill, are exempt from such ordinance. The bill also allows a locality to establish an anti-rent gouging board that will develop and implement rules and procedures by which landlords may apply for and be granted exemptions from the rent increase limits set by the ordinance. Finally, the bill provides that a locality may establish a civil penalty for failure to comply with the requirements set out in the ordinance.

Every action

13 steps, oldest first, as the legislature records them.

Show the 5 earlier steps
  1. House of DelegatesPrefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24104529D
  2. CommitteeReferred to Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns · House of Delegates Counties, Cities and Towns
  3. CommitteeAssigned CC & T sub: Subcommittee #2 · House of Delegates Counties, Cities and Towns: Subcommittee 2
  4. CommitteeSubcommittee recommends reporting (4-Y 3-N) · House of Delegates Counties, Cities and Towns: Subcommittee 2
  5. CommitteeSubcommittee recommends referring to Committee for Courts of Justice · House of Delegates Counties, Cities and Towns: Subcommittee 2
  1. CommitteeReported from Counties, Cities and Towns (11-Y 9-N) · House of Delegates Counties, Cities and Towns
  2. CommitteeReferred to Committee for Courts of Justice · House of Delegates Counties, Cities and Towns
  3. CommitteeAssigned Courts sub: Civil · House of Delegates Counties, Cities and Towns: Subcommittee 2
  4. House of DelegatesHouse subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
  5. CommitteeSubcommittee recommends continuing to 2025 with amendment(s) (Voice Vote) · House of Delegates Courts of Justice: Subcommittee 2
  6. House of DelegatesCommittee amendment
  7. CommitteeContinued to 2025 with amendment(s) in Courts of Justice (Voice Vote) · House of Delegates Courts of Justice
  8. CommitteeLeft in Courts of Justice · House of Delegates Courts of Justice

Roll calls

No recorded votes on this bill yet.

Sponsors

The member who introduced it, joined by 9 cosponsors: 9 Democrats.

All 9 cosponsors

From Virginia's official records (lis.blob.core.windows.net), checked Nov 2, 2026. Text links go to the official versions; LegiList does not copy bill text.