Virginia HB 1252

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; algorithmic pricing device use by certain landlords; civil penalties. Requires a landlord, defined in the bill as a landlord who owns more than 10 rental dwelling units or more than a 10 percent interest in more than 10 rental dwelling units, whether individually or through a business entity, in the Commonwealth, who uses an algorithmic pricing device, defined in the bill, to establish the advertised rent, renewal rent, or rent offered to a prospective tenant to disclose such use in writing to the tenant or the prospective tenant under the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. The bill provides that, upon request, a landlord shall provide to the tenant or prospective tenant a plain-language summary of the general factors considered by the algorithmic pricing device in determining rent, and that a tenant or prospective tenant shall be entitled to a human review of any rent determination or renewal increase generated or recommended by an algorithmic pricing device. The bill allows the Attorney General to seek an injunction and civil penalties to restrain any violations of the bill.