Can a tenant sublet in Virginia?
In Virginia, when a rental agreement lets the landlord approve or disapprove a sublessee or assignee, the landlord must decide within 10 business days of receiving the prospective sublessee’s or assignee’s written application. The application is made on a form the landlord provides. A landlord’s failure to act within 10 business days is evidence of approval. The lease can add its own conditions where the statute allows, so read the lease’s sublet clause together with this rule. This is Va. Code § 55.1-1204.
| What | Virginia |
|---|---|
| Subletting | Lease may require approval; landlord must answer within 10 business days |
| Kind of rule | The lease decides, within the statute’s limits |
Source
Va. Code § 55.1-1204
Read the statute in the Code of Virginia (Virginia General Assembly): law.lis.virginia.gov.
Checked against the statute on November 13, 2026.
This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.
How Seayora uses this rule
Seayora keeps every lease’s term, rent and signers in one record and dates every change to it. This page states the state’s rule so a lease’s own early-termination and sublet clauses can be checked against it before the lease is signed.
Guides on this rule
- Subletting Laws by State: When a Tenant May Sublet — Whether a tenant may sublet an apartment, the 18 states with a statute on subletting, and who owes the rent during a sublease.
Compare this rule in every state
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The same question in other states
- Alaska
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Missouri
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- New York