Will I Get Evicted?
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How long before eviction in Virginia?

Tenant protection: Strong7 of 9 checked

Tenant protection rating, from nine protections in Virginia law. 2 not yet verified, and each counts as zero until it is. How the rating works.

Last verified 2026-09-23

Law change in effect or pending. Starting July 1, 2027, a landlord who owns more than four rental units must offer some tenants a payment plan before proceeding with an eviction for nonpayment of rent, and a landlord must give a termination notice before filing an unlawful detainer for any lease violation. The 14-day pay-or-quit notice period for nonpayment is unchanged.

From notice to removal

Each stage has its own timing. A landlord notice alone does not authorize removal.

  1. 01
    Notice

    14 days

  2. 02
    Court stage

    Timing not verified

  3. 03
    Writ wait

    10 days before execution

  4. 04
    Removal

    Enforcement follows a court order

At a glance

Grace period before a late fee
Not verified
Late fee cap
A landlord may not charge a late fee unless the written rental agreement provides for one, and the fee cannot exceed the lesser of 10 percent of the periodic rent or 10 percent of the remaining balance the tenant owes.
Pay-or-quit notice
14 days
The 14-day pay-or-quit notice applies once rent is unpaid when due. The statute does not say landlords and tenants may shorten or lengthen this period by lease, and does not set a different rule for a tenant's first late payment. City overlays were not checked.
Recorded court-stage timing
Not verified
Wait before the writ can be executed
10 days
Can paying stop it before judgment?
Yes
Can paying stop it after judgment?
Yes
Lockouts without a court order banned?
Yes
A landlord cannot take back possession by cutting off an essential service or by refusing the tenant access to the unit, unless a court has already ordered possession. A tenant who is unlawfully excluded, has an essential service cut off, or has the unit made unsafe can go to court for an order restoring access or service, and can recover actual damages, at least $5,000 in statutory damages or four months' rent, whichever is greater, and attorney fees.
Record sealing available?
Yes
Right to counsel
Not verified
Fastest lawful timeline
35 daysNot independently verified. Figure from the Eviction Research Network's state eviction timeframes dataset, as of 2026-07-13. We have not yet checked it against the statutes.
Not legal advice. This page reports what the state statute says as of the last-verified date. It does not describe how a particular court applies it, and it does not account for your lease, local ordinances, or the facts of your case. If you have received a notice or a court summons, contact a legal aid organization listed below.

Can I stop it by paying?

Before judgment: Yes. A tenant, or anyone paying on the tenant's behalf, can stop an unlawful detainer for nonpayment by paying the landlord, the landlord's attorney, or the court all rent, late charges, attorney fees and court costs due as of the court date; the case is then dismissed. A tenant can also give the court a written commitment from a local government or nonprofit to pay within 10 days, which pauses the case. A landlord who owns four or fewer rental units may limit a tenant to using this right once per lease period.

After judgment: Yes. Even after a judgment for possession, the tenant can still stop the eviction by paying the landlord, the landlord's attorney or the court everything claimed, including sheriff fees for the writ, at least 48 hours before the sheriff is scheduled to carry it out. The landlord must then tell the sheriff to cancel it. A landlord who owns four or fewer rental units may limit a tenant to using this right once per lease period.

Behind on utilities in Virginia too? See Virginia's shutoff protection rules.

Where to get help

  • Free legal help
  • Virginia has not enacted a statewide right to counsel in eviction proceedings. The state does not appear in the NCCRC enacted-legislation survey.

Sources