Got the Lousy Landlord Blues?

Our MVNA President, Alicha Grubb (an attorney with Gentry-Locke), offers some tips for neighbors who might be dealing with bad landlords in this month's feature column:

Most likely, if you are paying rent to a private landlord (a person or a company), the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies to your rental situation as well as your individual Lease. You should always look at your specific lease as well as the statutes to find out how to handle specific situations, and you should seek legal advice from Blue Ridge Legal Services (540-344-2080 https://brls.org/roanoke-office/) should you find yourself in a tricky spot.

Here are a few short tips:

·      If you get behind in your rent, the landlord is required to give you certain notices before evicting you, especially if you rent pursuant to a federal subsidy like Section 8. If you think you are being evicted without the proper notice, call Blue Ridge Legal Services.

·      If there is damage to your property that needs repaired (e.g. a fire hazard, health hazard, rodents), or there is a missing essential service that you need (heat, running water, hot water, electricity and gas), you may be able to file a Tenant’s Assertion and pay your rent into Court until the issue is fixed. If your landlord is not fixing a problem like that, you should contact Blue Ridge Legal Services for help.

·      Once you move out, the landlord has 45 days to return your security deposit to you or otherwise detail repairs made to damage. If that doesn’t happen, you should contact Blue Ridge Legal Services.

·      If your landlord has a no-pets policy, that does not likely apply to emotional support or service animals. If your landlord is denying you an emotional support or service animal, you should seek legal advice.

·      If you believe you have been or are being discriminated against based on your race, family status, religion, gender or sex, or source of income, you should contact legal counsel.

We want our neighborhood to be a place for all residents to be successful and happy!

Disclaimer: Neither Alicha nor Gentry Locke are your attorney or represent you. This column does not create an attorney/client relationship and is not meant to convey legal advice for individual situations. Should you need legal representation, you should contact Blue Ridge Legal Services at 540-344-2080