For as long as most Virginia landlords can remember, the process for a tenant who fell behind on rent started the same way: serve a 5-day pay-or-quit notice. That is now gone.
As of July 1, 2026, that notice is now 14 days.
It's a small-sounding change with real consequences, and in the first week of July we already had an owner about to serve the old 5-day version. Lately, we've been consulting with many property owners who are dealing with difficult tenant situations.
But in this case, we caught it. If he'd sent it, he wouldn't just have wasted time — he'd have handed his tenant a defense and had to start the whole clock over.
What actually changed
Before July 1, a landlord could give a tenant five days to either pay what they owed or move out before filing for eviction. Now the tenant gets fourteen. The notice still has to be in writing, still has to state the amount owed, and still has to give the tenant the chance to pay and stay.
The mechanics of how you serve it haven't changed. What changed is the window. And that window matters, because serving the wrong notice period doesn't just slow you down and it can get your case tossed.
Why it matters more than it looks
If you self-manage, this is exactly the kind of change that quietly costs you. Nobody sends landlords a memo when the law moves. You find out when a judge points it out after you've already lost weeks.
The 14-day notice means a nonpaying tenant now has more runway before you can move forward. That makes two things more important than ever: screening tenants well on the front end, and acting the day rent is late rather than "giving it a week."
What to do now
Update your notice templates. If you're using an old form, it's out of date. Start the notice process promptly when rent is late because the extra nine days makes procrastination expensive.
And if you're not sure your paperwork matches the new law, have someone who does this every day look at it.
We've already updated our standard notice and if you're managing your own and want a plain-English rundown of what changed July 1, send us a message. We'd be happy to walk you through it.
