An amended version of a Virginia Senate bill that would require landlords to establish payment plans for tenants before they can be evicted passed the House on Friday.
Substituted Senate Bill 5088 would prevent a landlord who owns more than four dwelling units or has more than a 10 percent interest in four dwelling units from evicting a tenant until providing the opportunity to pay back rent through a payment plan. The payment plan would extend over a six-month period or until the end of the rental agreement, whichever is less. A tenant in a payment plan still can apply for rent relief programs.
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Under the substitute version, the law would expire July 1, 2021. The original language passed by the Senate did not include an expiration date. It passed 55-42 in the House on Friday.
The Senate is considering a substitute version of a similar House bill, House Bill 5064, which it initially passed, 19-17, but then voted to reconsider. After the vote to reconsider, the Senate passed by the legislation, choosing not to take it up for a vote.
The Senate has passed an amended version of House Bill 5106, which would prohibit landlords from reporting poor credit information accrued because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Centers for Disease Control ordered a temporary nationwide suspension of evictions until the end of the year, which yielded criticism and lawsuits from landlord associations that argued some landlords cannot afford to sustain the dwelling units when tenants are not paying their rent.
