A measure put forward by Del. Michelle Lopes Maldonado would bolster protections for tenants by ensuring more comprehensive termination notices are provided before eviction proceedings move forward. The legislation also proposes clarifying associated court procedures, the Virginia State House reports.
HB1361, which was introduced Jan. 20, 2026, during the regular session, is officially described as: “Virginia Residential Landlord & Tenant Act; civil action for unlawful detainer, termination notice.”
The summary below is based on the text of the bill and aims to make its components more understandable.
This legislation seeks to impose stricter procedures on eviction cases for residential properties in Virginia and on the issuance of tenant termination notices. Landlords would be required to supply tenants with a valid termination notice, including a written statement of all charges and payments during the tenancy or the previous 12 months, before pursuing or continuing an eviction. Any court order for possession or judgment must include that notice as evidence. The proposal also specifies procedures for hearing scheduling, document and rent proof standards, and permits electronic notice delivery if proof of delivery is provided.
The bill lists Del. Michelle Lopes Maldonado (Democrat-20th District), Del. Kathy K.L. Tran (Democrat-18th District), and Del. Marcia S. “Cia” Price (Democrat-85th District) among its sponsors, plus a fourth cosponsor.
Since the session began, Lopes Maldonado has introduced 19 other bills.
Maldonado holds a BA from Barnard College, awarded in 1991, and earned a JD from The George Washington University Law School in 1996.
Voters elected Maldonado, a Democrat, to the 20th District seat in the Virginia State House in 2024, filling the vacancy left when John Avoli departed.
The legislative process in Virginia starts with introduction of a bill in either legislative chamber, after which it is assigned to relevant committees for discussion and possible change. If it advances out of committee, the bill goes to both chambers for debate and votes. When both chambers approve identical text, the measure is sent to the governor, who may sign, veto, or allow it to become law without signing. The General Assembly meets in regular session each year starting the second Monday in January. Legislators typically propose hundreds of bills every session, with only some enacted.
| Patron(s) | Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michelle Lopes Maldonado, Kathy K.L. Tran, Marcia S. “Cia” Price, and Rae Cousins | HB1361 | 01/20/2026 | Virginia Residential Landlord & Tenant Act; civil action for unlawful detainer, termination notice. |
| Michelle Lopes Maldonado | HB1314 | 01/16/2026 | Civil action for deprivation of rights; liability of persons acting under color of law. |
| Michelle Lopes Maldonado | HB1325 | 01/16/2026 | Manufactured Home Lot Rental Act; landlord obligations. |
| Michelle Lopes Maldonado, Irene Shin, Jackie H. Glass, Bonita G. Anthony, C.E. Cliff Hayes, Jr., Margaret A. Franklin, and Rozia A. Henson, Jr. | HB635 | 01/14/2026 | Artificial Intelligence Chatbots Act; established, prohibited practices, penalties. |
| Michelle Lopes Maldonado, Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, Irene Shin, Leslie Chambers Mehta, Marcia S. “Cia” Price, Bonita G. Anthony, Charlie Schmidt, Dan I. Helmer, Elizabeth R. Guzman, Holly M. Seibold, Jackie H. Glass, Joshua G. Cole, Kathy K.L. Tran, Margaret A. Franklin, Marty Martinez, May Nivar, Nadarius E. Clark, Nicole Cole, Rae Cousins, Rozia A. Henson, Jr., and Sam Rasoul | HB636 | 01/14/2026 | Prospective employer; prohibited from seeking wage or salary history of prospective employees. |
| Michelle Lopes Maldonado, Bonita G. Anthony, and Rozia A. Henson, Jr. | HB638 | 01/14/2026 | Data brokers; regulation, civil penalties. |
| Michelle Lopes Maldonado, Dan I. Helmer, David A. Reid, Nicole Cole, Betsy B. Carr, Bonita G. Anthony, Jessica L. Anderson, Marty Martinez, Nadarius E. Clark, and Rozia A. Henson, Jr. | HB655 | 01/14/2026 | Zoning; manufactured housing. |
| Michelle Lopes Maldonado, Jessica L. Anderson, Nadarius E. Clark, Rozia A. Henson, Jr., and Sam Rasoul | HB662 | 01/14/2026 | Offenses relating to gift cards; penalties. |
| Michelle Lopes Maldonado, Irene Shin, Jackie H. Glass, Jessica L. Anderson, Michael B. Feggans, Nicole Cole, Sam Rasoul, and Shelly A. Simonds | HB665 | 01/14/2026 | Financial institutions and services; virtual currency kiosk operators, license required, penalties. |
| Michelle Lopes Maldonado, Irene Shin, Adele Y. McClure, Alfonso H. Lopez, Charlie Schmidt, Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, Elizabeth R. Guzman, Joshua G. Cole, Kathy K.L. Tran, Katrina Callsen, Marcia S. “Cia” Price, Phil M. Hernandez, and Rodney T. Willett | HB667 | 01/14/2026 | Juvenile/domestic rel. district cts.; petition, noncitizen aged 18-21 years for leg. custody/relief. |
| Michelle Lopes Maldonado, Irene Shin, Bonita G. Anthony, Charlie Schmidt, Jeion A. Ward, Laura Jane Cohen, Margaret A. Franklin, Nadarius E. Clark, and Rozia A. Henson, Jr. | HB670 | 01/14/2026 | Labor & employment provisions; application of law, protection of employees, definition of employer. |
| Michelle Lopes Maldonado, Amy J. Laufer, Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, Elizabeth R. Guzman, Jennifer D. Carroll Foy, Jessica L. Anderson, Karen R. “Kacey” Carnegie, Laura Jane Cohen, Leslie Chambers Mehta, Nadarius E. Clark, Patrick A. Hope, Rozia A. Henson, Jr., Stacey Annie Carroll, and Virgil Thornton | HB671 | 01/14/2026 | Jurors; exemptions from jury service upon request, competency to perform jury duty. |
| Michelle Lopes Maldonado, Irene Shin, Amy J. Laufer, Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, Marty Martinez, Nadarius E. Clark, Nicole Cole, Rozia A. Henson, Jr., and Sam Rasoul | HB672 | 01/14/2026 | Appliance minimum energy and water conservation standards; requirement of manufacturers. |
| Michelle Lopes Maldonado, John Chilton McAuliff, Margaret A. Franklin, Adele Y. McClure, Alfonso H. Lopez, Atoosa R. Reaser, Briana D. Sewell, Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, Elizabeth R. Guzman, Irene Shin, Jessica L. Anderson, Kathy K.L. Tran, Marcia S. “Cia” Price, Marty Martinez, May Nivar, Phil M. Hernandez, Rae Cousins, and Rozia A. Henson, Jr. | HB674 | 01/14/2026 | Department of Health; collection and publication of food insecurity information. |
| Michelle Lopes Maldonado, Irene Shin, Adele Y. McClure, Alfonso H. Lopez, Atoosa R. Reaser, Bonita G. Anthony, Charlie Schmidt, Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, Elizabeth R. Guzman, Joshua G. Cole, Kathy K.L. Tran, Katrina Callsen, Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler, Marcia S. “Cia” Price, Marcus B. Simon, Margaret A. Franklin, Patrick A. Hope, Phil M. Hernandez, Rodney T. Willett, Rozia A. Henson, Jr., and Saddam Azlan Salim | HB675 | 01/14/2026 | Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil penalty. |
| Michelle Lopes Maldonado, Nadarius E. Clark, Rozia A. Henson, Jr., and Sam Rasoul | HB676 | 01/14/2026 | Health insurance claims; electronic attachments accepted, delayed effective date. |
| Michelle Lopes Maldonado | HB677 | 01/14/2026 | Residential property owners; insurance policies, roofing services by contractors. |
| Michelle Lopes Maldonado, Adele Y. McClure, Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, Charlie Schmidt, Jackie H. Glass, Kathy K.L. Tran, Marcia S. “Cia” Price, Nadarius E. Clark, Nicole Cole, Rae Cousins, Rozia A. Henson, Jr., Sam Rasoul, and Virgil Thornton | HB678 | 01/14/2026 | Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; terms and conditions of rental agreement. |
| Michelle Lopes Maldonado | HB701 | 01/14/2026 | Health and insurance; notice of adverse determinations. |
| Michelle Lopes Maldonado and Amy J. Laufer | HB736 | 01/14/2026 | Health insurance; required provisions regarding prior authorization for prescription drugs. |
Information in this article was sourced from the Virginia State House. Access the original data here.
