AI Frontier Institute

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; algorithmic pricing device use by certain landlords.

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Virginia House Bill 1252 (2026 Session, introduced January 14, 2026) amends the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (§ 55.1-1200) and adds new § 55.1-1204.2 to regulate landlords who use algorithmic pricing devices to set rents. The bill defines 'algorithmic pricing device' as any automated system, software, tool, platform, or service using algorithms, machine learning, predictive analytics, or similar methods to generate, recommend, or influence rental prices or rent-increase amounts, explicitly excluding internal landlord spreadsheets, manual analyses, and publicly available market-rent surveys that do not rely on individualized data. Under new § 55.1-1204.2, the requirements apply only to landlords owning more than 10 rental dwelling units or more than a 10 percent interest in more than 10 units in Virginia. Such landlords must disclose in writing to tenants or prospective tenants that an algorithmic pricing device was used and name the specific software, platform, or service, with disclosure required before lease execution or before occupancy for oral agreements. Upon request, landlords must provide a plain-language summary of general factors considered by the device, though proprietary formulas, source code, input weighting, and trade secrets need not be disclosed. Tenants and prospective tenants are entitled to request a human review of any rent determination or renewal increase generated by such a device. The bill prohibits landlords from misrepresenting their use or non-use of an algorithmic pricing device, advertising a price as nonnegotiable solely because it was algorithmically generated, or using such a device in a deceptive or misleading manner. Enforcement is limited to the Attorney General, who may seek injunctions and civil penalties of up to $1,000 per violation; the bill does not create a private right of action, impose reporting obligations on the Department of Housing and Community Development, or impose obligations on software vendors or third-party platforms.

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