Fees in Residential Rental Agreements - 2025-2027 Legislative Look Ahead

Sep 16, 2026

Overview of residential rental agreement fee transparency and related consumer-protection rules across Virginia and multiple U.S. states, focusing on where landlords must disclose rent, security deposits, one-time fees, processing charges, and application costs. Summarizes key Virginia reforms effective July 1, 2026, including first-page itemization, limits on convenience and processing fees, and notice requirements for rent increases. Compares state approaches on total price disclosure, application fee caps or actual-cost mechanisms, and documentation requirements for notices and eviction-related utility records.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLetters

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time6 min

AccessFree to download

Virginia TransparencyRegulations

2025 & 2026 Transparency Reforms

First-Page LeaseTransparency

Convenience &Processing Fees

HB379 Rental Application Transparency

HB678 90-Day Notice of Rent Increase

HB616 Tenant Ledgers

HB1361 & SB294 Eviction Notices &Utility Records

State Comparisons

States Requiring Total Price Transparency in Advertisements

Other Disclosure Laws

Rental Application Fee Limitations by State

Payment and Portal Fees

# Fees in Residential Rental Agreements June 16, 2026 Presented by Molly Bowers ## Virginia TransparencyRegulations 2025 & 2026 Transparency Reforms * Effective as of July 1, 2026 ## First-Page LeaseTransparency HB 2430 (VA § 55 . 1-1204 . 1) * HB 374 (VA § 55 . 1-1302) Requires landlords to place anexplicitly itemized list of allcharges, security deposits,and one-time fees directly onthe first page of the writtenlease agreement. ## Convenience &Processing Fees HB 2218 (VA. § 55 . 1-1204) * HB 1005/ SB 313 (§§ 55 . 1-1204 ) Prohibits landlords from chargingpayment processing fees unless ano-fee alternative is provided. Landlords are required to acceptchecks or money orders and capsprocessing fees at the actual third -party cost. 3 2027 Legislative Look ahead ## HB379 Rental Application Transparency Del. Bennett-Parker: Mandates that before a landlord canrequest or collect any payment or personal informationfrom a prospective tenant, they must first provide writtenor accessibly posted information detailing the rentalapplication process and associated fees. ## HB678 90-Day Notice of Rent Increase Del. Maldonado: Requires landlords who own more thanfour units to provide written notice of any rent increase atleast 90 days prior to the end of the current lease term,with a minimum of 30 days for the tenant to decide onrenewal. Shifted to July 1 via Governor's amendment. ## HB616 Tenant Ledgers Del. Anthony: Requires landlords to provide an itemizedstatement of all rent and utility charges and paymentsfrom the past 12 months within 10 business days of atenant's written request. DHCD will develop a standardizedtemplate. Landlords with fewer than four units are exemptunless they receive state or local rental/ utility assistance. ## HB1361 & SB294 Eviction Notices &Utility Records Del. Maldonado, Sen. Aird: Prohibits landlords from filing foreviction without first providing a termination notice thatincludes a comprehensive 12-month ledger detailing allcharges, payments, late fees, attorney fees, and utilitydebits/ credits. Property owners must maintaintransparent utility fee records and provide them free ofcharge. ## State Comparisons 5 California SB478, 2024 Illinois PENDING: HB3564, 2026 States Requiring Total Price Transparency in |
Colorado
C. R. S. § 6-1-737

Massachusetts
940 CMR 38 . 00 | Advertisements

Connecticut
SB3, 2025

Minnesota
Minn . Stat. § 504B.120 | | --- | --- | Nevada AB121, 2025 New Mexico Oregon SB267, 2025 HB3521, 2026 ## Other Disclosure Laws Virginia § 55 .1-1204 .1 . Fee disclosure statement. A landlord shall provide, beginning on the first page of the written rental agreement, a description of anyrent and fees to be charged to the tenant in addition to the periodic rent. Immediately above the list offees, the written rental agreement shall state: No fee shall be collected unless it is listed below orincorporated into this agreement by way of a separate addendum after execution of this rental agreement. Rhode Island RI Gen Laws 34-18-15 Requires all non-rent fees to be clusteredin the exact same section of the lease asthe rent disclosure, granting tenants theright to legally recover any undisclosedfees later levied against them . Utah 55-22-4 Requires landlords with more than fourunits to provide a written good faithestimate of rent and all potential costsbefore accepting an application fee . Idaho 55-305 Prohibits landlords from charging higherfees than those listed in the rentalagreement, or any fees not included in theinitial agreement, unless the agreement isoral or the landlord provides 30-daywritten notice . 7 ## Rental Application Fee Limitations by State State Statutory Limit & Mechanism | California | Variable cap + CPI adjusted ( ~ $69) ; TSR option iflandlord accepts TSRs | | --- | --- | | Colorado | Actual cost; TSR mandate | | Connecticut

FAQs

What does “first-page lease transparency” require in Virginia?

Landlords must place an explicitly itemized list of all charges, security deposits, and one-time fees directly on the first page of the written lease agreement.

When can a Virginia landlord charge payment processing fees?

Payment processing fees are prohibited unless the landlord provides a no-fee alternative. Any processing fees must be capped at the actual third-party cost, and tenants must be able to use methods such as checks or money orders.

How do states generally limit rental application fees?

Rules vary by state: some prohibit application fees, others cap them at fixed amounts, and many use an actual-cost mechanism or require disclosure while restricting collection before written estimates or fee requirements are satisfied.

Sep 16, 2026

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