AI Frontier Institute

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

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House Bill 1252 (Virginia, offered January 14, 2026) has not been enacted. It was referred to the Committee on General Laws, and it was continued to the next session. If enacted, it would amend the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. In § 55.1-1200 it would add a definition of "algorithmic pricing device." The term covers automated systems or software that use algorithms, machine learning, predictive analytics, or similar methods to generate, recommend, or influence rents or rent increases. It excludes a landlord's internal spreadsheets or manual analyses. It also excludes publicly available market-rent surveys that don't rely on individualized landlord or tenant data. A new § 55.1-1204.2 would apply only to landlords who own more than 10 rental dwelling units, or more than a 10 percent interest in more than 10 such units, in Virginia. These landlords would have to give written disclosure when they use an algorithmic pricing device to set advertised, renewal, or offered rent. The disclosure must state that such a device was used and name the software, platform, or service. It would be due before a written rental agreement is signed, or before occupancy under an oral agreement. On request, the landlord must give a plain-language summary of the general factors the device considers. Trade secrets, such as proprietary formulas, source code, and input weighting, need not be disclosed. On request, a tenant or prospective tenant would be entitled to human review of a device-generated or device-recommended rent determination or renewal increase. Landlords could not misrepresent whether they use such a device. They could not advertise a price as nonnegotiable solely because a device generated it. They could not use a device in a deceptive or misleading way. The Attorney General could sue for an injunction and civil penalties of up to $1,000 per violation. The bill creates no private right of action. It requires no extra recordkeeping. It puts no duties on the Department of Housing and Community Development. It puts no obligations on software vendors or third-party platforms.

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