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Tenant Abandoned Property Laws in Virginia

In Virginia, a landlord may dispose of property left after the tenancy ends only after written notice warning of disposal; with a separate notice, items may be disposed of 24 hours after a 10 day period.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Virginia at a glance

Written notice required
Yes, written notice
The warning may be in the termination notice, in a 7 day notice under 55.1-1249, or in a separate notice.
Holding period
24 hours to 10 days plus 24 hours, by notice type
Disposal may follow 24 hours after termination, 24 hours after a 7 day notice period ends, or 24 hours after a 10 day period from a separate notice.
After the holding period
Dispose of it as the landlord sees fit
Any sale proceeds are applied to amounts owed, including storage and sale costs; any remainder is treated as a security deposit.

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Virginia

Does a landlord in Virginia have to notify the tenant before disposing of left-behind property?

Yes, written notice. Written notice required in Virginia: yes, written notice. The warning may be in the termination notice, in a 7 day notice under 55.1-1249, or in a separate notice.

How long must a landlord in Virginia keep a tenant's abandoned property?

Holding period in Virginia: 24 hours to 10 days plus 24 hours, by notice type. Disposal may follow 24 hours after termination, 24 hours after a 7 day notice period ends, or 24 hours after a 10 day period from a separate notice.

What can a landlord in Virginia do with abandoned property after the waiting period?

After the holding period in Virginia: Dispose of it as the landlord sees fit. Any sale proceeds are applied to amounts owed, including storage and sale costs; any remainder is treated as a security deposit.

Where do the Virginia tenant abandoned property laws come from?

The rules above come from Va. Code 55.1-1254. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

Good to know

This section does not apply after a writ of eviction has been executed under Va. Code 8.01-470.

What this means in practice

Before treating anything as abandoned, confirm that the tenancy has actually ended. Some statutes define when a unit counts as abandoned, and removing property while a tenant still has a right to possession can expose a landlord to claims for wrongful eviction or conversion.

Keep a written record. Photos or a video of the items, a dated inventory, a copy of any notice sent and proof of how it was delivered make it much easier to show that the required steps were followed if the former tenant later asks for the property or its value.

Store items safely and in a reasonable way during any holding period. Where a statute allows the landlord to charge reasonable moving and storage costs, or to keep sale proceeds to cover those costs, the rules on what may be charged and what happens to any surplus vary, so check the exact text for your state.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.