Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly seek to allow local cities and towns to enact “anti rent gouging” ordinances that would regulate what property owners can charge renters and when rent can be raised, and additionally seek to add $100 million to the budget to fund “long-term direct rental assistance” for 5,000 families via vouchers.
Delegate Nadarius Clark (D-Suffolk) introduced HB 721 in early January to allow “any locality” to adopt an “anti-rent gouging” ordinance that would force landlords to provide two months of written notice in the event of a rent increase, prevent landlords from raising rent more than once within a 12-month period, cap how much rent can be increased and allow communities “to establish an anti-rent gouging board” to create regulations “by which landlords may apply for and be granted exemptions” from the legislation.
Clark’s bill narrowly advanced along partisan lines in late January but was recommended to be revisited in 2025 with new amendments on Monday.
A second initiative proposed by Delegate Carrie Coyner (R-Chesterfield) and State Senator Ghazala Hashimi (D-Henrico) would amend the budget proposed in December by Governor Glenn Youngkin to include an additional $100 million to subsidize the rent of 5,000 Virginia families.
Described as a “pilot” for further expansion, the 5,000 Families Program would spend “provide long-term direct rental assistance to households with at least one child aged 16 or below and with an income at or below 50 percent of Area Median Income.”
The benefit would be received as “a voucher to reduce their housing costs to 30 percent of their monthly income,” and calls for a report analyzing the program’s outcomes by the end of November 2025.
Coyner claimed in a January press conference that prioritizing families with children would help minors academically, citing the number of children purportedly required to change schools due to frequent moves caused by poverty, and citing the importance of stability for children.
Rent across Virginia was up about 3.7 percent toward the end of 2023, according to Virginia Realtors, who reported the areas that saw the highest increase during the third quarter were Charlottesville, Harrisburg and Northern Virginia.
The pushes for Virginia to directly fund and regulate rentals come after Youngkin announced $18 million in federal grants to promote infrastructure and housing in more than a dozen communities throughout the commonwealth last month, some of which will be used to revitalize housing.
– – –
Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “House for Rent” by Sean Dreilinger CCNCSA2.0.
