Virginia landlord entry: reasonable access, 72 hours for maintenance and court-ordered access

What is the baseline in Virginia?

The statute states: "The tenant shall not unreasonably withhold consent to the landlord to enter into the dwelling unit." The mirror duty is that the landlord shall not abuse the right of access or use it to harass the tenant. Between those two sentences sits the notice rule.

What is the 72-hour maintenance rule?

For routine maintenance that the tenant has not requested, the landlord must give 72 hours' notice unless that is impractical. The work must then be performed within 14 days of the notice. Both numbers shape planning: a quarterly filter change or a corridor-side inspection of a balcony needs a notice three days out, and the landlord should not let the visit drift past two weeks.

If the tenant asked for the repair, the request itself is the reason for the visit, and a landlord can still pick a reasonable time and tell the tenant when to expect the worker.

What else does the section cover?

• Court-ordered access: during an unlawful detainer filed by the landlord, the landlord may ask the court to order the tenant to provide access.
• Temporary relocation: for certain nonemergency conditions the landlord can require the tenant to vacate on at least 30 days' written notice, for up to 30 days, to a comparable unit or hotel at no cost to the tenant, with rent still owed and the landlord paying for repairs.
• Emergency declarations: during a Governor-declared state of emergency for a communicable disease, a tenant may ask in writing that nonemergency conditions wait, and entry is then limited to seven days' written notice, at most once every six months, with protective equipment.

Outside those provisions, the landlord has no other right to access except by court order, or if the tenant has abandoned or surrendered the premises.

A notice habit that fits the 72 hours

Send the notice on a weekday morning for a visit that is at least three calendar days later. State what will be done and when the work window ends, then put a reminder on your calendar for day 14 so the work is finished inside the statutory period. If the vendor cancels, send a fresh notice rather than showing up on the new date.

Planning around the two clocks

Virginia gives the owner two numbers to manage together. The first is the 72 hours before a visit; the second is the 14 days in which the work must be finished. A building-wide task, such as replacing every smoke detector battery, can be split across several days, but the notice for each unit should go out three days before its turn and the last unit must still land inside the 14 days. List the units, assign dates, send the notices in one batch and set a reminder for the final day. If a vendor falls through, a new notice is cleaner than arguing that the old one still counts.

How DoorKeeping fits in Virginia

DoorKeeping keeps the messages you send tenants in one thread with each unit, so the entry notice you write for Virginia and the date it went out sit beside the lease and the work order. Work orders carry dates, so the 14-day window after the notice is easy to see on the unit. This is general information, not legal advice. Check the current statute and your lease before you act.

Sources

1. Code of Virginia 55.1-1229, Access to dwelling unit (Virginia Law), read Oct 30, 2026

Questions

How much notice for maintenance in Virginia?

Unless impractical, 72 hours' notice for maintenance the tenant did not request, with the work done within 14 days of the notice.

Can a Virginia landlord enter without consent?

In an emergency. Otherwise the landlord gives notice and enters at reasonable times.

Can a court order access in Virginia?

Yes. In an unlawful detainer the landlord filed, the landlord may ask the court to order the tenant to provide access.