GOVERNOR'S VETO

Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto House Bill 597, which provides enforcement of the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (VRLTA) by localities.  

The proposal is nearly identical to House Bill 802 which I vetoed in the 2022 General Assembly Session, and my concerns persist.  

The legislation contains unnecessary and duplicative provisions, already established under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC). The existing USBC powers provide enforcement authority to localities to enforce the USBC against both the landlord and the tenant, whereas House Bill 597 proposes only to provide localities powers to enforce the VRLTA against the landlord.   

Under the USBC and the VRLTA, landlords and tenants both have responsibilities to maintain safe, decent, and sanitary housing.  

It is neither clear why this language is necessary to enforce already existing provisions of state law, nor what the additional language contained in the legislation seeks to accomplish beyond what is already authorized in the USBC.  

Landlords should be held accountable for creating unsafe and hazardous living conditions for their tenants. The current Building Code regulations and the implementing regulations, 13VAC5-63-485, already address the policy objective of the underlying legislation.  

Accordingly, I veto this bill. 

GOVERNOR'S RECOMMENDATION

1. After line 27, enrolled

insert

2. That the provisions of the first enactment of this act shall not become effective unless reenacted by the 2025 Session of the General Assembly.

3. That the Department of Housing and Community Development (the Department) shall submit a report by December 1, 2024, to the Chairmen of the House Committee on General Laws and the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology detailing all amendments made to the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (§ 55.1-1200 et seq. of the Code of Virginia), as amended by this act, within the past five years and the effects such amendments have had on the cost, accessibility, and availability of rental dwelling units in the Commonwealth. The Department shall also provide in its report an analysis of whether such amendments have facilitated or hindered the Commonwealth's efforts to address statewide housing needs.