For housing near James Madison University, can a JMU employee renting in Virginia recover an urgently needed repair bill from rent?
DIRECT ANSWER
§55.1-1244.1; not permission to withhold rent for ordinary dissatisfaction or make undocumented DIY deductions. Source as of: 2026-10-16 Use cited page body and explicit policy period. A page update date does not extend an expired rate or deadline. Confirm current requirements and the actual student, employee, household or property circumstances with the cited authority. No property inventory or named professional is assigned by this answer.
The statutory repair remedy is conditional. For a qualifying material or serious health-and-safety condition, written notice comes first; if the landlord takes no reasonable repair steps within 14 days, the tenant may use the specified licensed contractor or qualified pesticide business. Recoverable actual cost is capped at the greater of one month’s rent or $1,500. Deduction requires an itemized statement and receipts if the landlord has not reimbursed it. The remedy excludes tenant-caused conditions, denied access, and conditions already repaired before contracting.
Answer
The statutory repair remedy is conditional. For a qualifying material or serious health-and-safety condition, written notice comes first; if the landlord takes no reasonable repair steps within 14 days, the tenant may use the specified licensed contractor or qualified pesticide business. Recoverable actual cost is capped at the greater of one month’s rent or $1,500. Deduction requires an itemized statement and receipts if the landlord has not reimbursed it. The remedy excludes tenant-caused conditions, denied access, and conditions already repaired before contracting.
Scope and verification
§55.1-1244.1; not permission to withhold rent for ordinary dissatisfaction or make undocumented DIY deductions.
Source as of: 2026-10-16
Use cited page body and explicit policy period. A page update date does not extend an expired rate or deadline.
Confirm current requirements and the actual student, employee, household or property circumstances with the cited authority. No property inventory or named professional is assigned by this answer.
Sources & verification
- Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act Retained independently source-supported evidence for the stated question and qualifications
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