Under Virginia law, regardless of whether you’re covered by the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (VRLTA), all landlords must do these things:

• Follow building and housing codes affecting health and safety.
• Make all repairs needed to keep the place fit and habitable (livable).
• Keep the common areas clean and safe.
• Keep in good and safe working order all electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and other facilities and appliances that the landlord supplies or must supply. This includes maintaining a carbon monoxide alarm installed by the landlord. The landlord must install a carbon monoxide alarm if the tenant requests it in writing, and it must be done within 90 days after the request is made. The landlord can charge the tenant a reasonable fee for the installation.
• Supply water, hot water, air conditioning if provided, and heat in season; unless the tenant alone controls the heat, air conditioning, or hot water, or unless provided directly by a utility company to the tenant on a separate meter.
• Maintain the place so as to prevent the accumulation of moisture and the growth of mold.
• Prevent or remove infestation of rodents.

You and the landlord may agree in writing that you will do some of the landlord's duties, except the duty to follow building and housing codes affecting health and safety. The landlord must do that no matter what. The things that the landlord and tenant can agree the tenant will do are to keep the common areas clean and safe, provide trash receptacles and removal of trash, and provide water, air condition, and heating. If you and the landlord agree that you will do some of the landlord's duties, this must be in writing and must be done in good faith. A writing that tries to shift to the tenant any duties, which the law does not allow to be shifted, cannot be enforced.

Under Virginia law, all tenants - whether covered by the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (VRLTA) or not - must do these things:

• Keep your rented space and plumbing as clean and safe as conditions permit.
• Keep your rented space free from pests and insects, and promptly notify the landlord of the existence of them in your unit.
• Use all utilities and appliances reasonably, and get rid of trash.
• Not destroy or damage the property, or allow anyone else to.
• Not disturb your neighbors, or allow your household members or guests to do so.
• Follow the lease and reasonable rules of your landlord.
• Pay your rent on time.

You must give the landlord enough time to reasonably make the repairs. If the problem is an emergency, (such as no heat in winter, or no water), your landlord must fix it immediately. This means within hours, or at most a day or two. For other repairs, you should give a reasonable time, such as 10-15 days, to make the repairs needed. (The law presumes that more than 30 days delay in making repairs is unreasonable.)

If repairs aren't made in a reasonable time, you can take your landlord to court with a "rent escrow" case. To use this procedure, you must be current on your rent to your landlord. At this point, it probably is best to get legal help.

To use the escrow procedure, you pay your full rent into court within 5 days of the date the rent first comes due. You fill out a "Tenant's Assertion and Complaint" form, #DC-429, at the General District Court for the county or city where you live. You should attach a copy of any inspection report and your letters to the landlord. You also can list the bad conditions on the form. To file and serve the papers will cost about $38. If you can't afford the filing and service fees, ask for the "Petition for Proceeding in Civil Case Without Payment of Fees or Costs" also called form "Form CC-1414.”

You could contact your landlords, because landlords are responsible for pest control and keeping infestations away but there are situations where a tenant can have living behaviors that lead to an infestation and in those cases, a tenant can be responsible for taking care of pest control. Generally, the landlord is responsible, but if a landlord can prove the tenant caused the infestation the tenant would be responsible.

As explained above, the landlord is legally obligated to maintain your rented space so that it is a fit, safe, and healthy place to live in. The presence of bed bugs makes a place not habitable. Therefore, the landlord has a responsibility to get rid of bed bugs at the landlord’s expense.

Remember that you, as the tenant, also have an obligation to keep your place free from insects and pests. And, you have the obligation to promptly notify the landlord of the existence of insects and pests. If you don’t meet your obligations, then the landlord may try to hold you responsible.

If you notice bed bugs, or any other pests and insects, in your rental unit, then you should immediately notify the landlord and ask that they be removed.

Tenants would either put in a maintenance request to try to clean up whatever is affecting the students' health, or otherwise it would have to work its way up through housing through either the RA or the office in the dorm building specifically.

Withhold Rent: In many states, tenants are able to withhold rent from their landlords whenever serious problems are not being addressed in a timely manner. If landlords do not clear the pest problem, tenants may be permitted to withhold rent until landlords remedy the issue.

This website provides comprehensive methods to address different types of bugs

According to VCU Audit and Compliance Services, it seems to be the responsibility of building access control, but says nothing about where students can submit concerns. In the VCU LiveSafe app, there do seem to be ways to contact VCU Police and security.

If you have an emergency browse this website and contact them immediately!

1. Verify their presence
2. Stay calm
3. Determine if you can escape
4. Stay put if you can't
5. Call the police
6. Keep quiet
7. Take notes afterward

1. How much the rent will be per month.
2. How much the security deposit will be, if there is one.
3. What day the rent is due and when it is considered late.
4. How much is the late fee, if you are late with the payment.
5. How long the lease runs; month to month, six months, a year.
6. How many days advance notice you have to give if you wish to move.
7. Whether the electric, heat, water and sewer are included in the rent.
8. Whether a refrigerator, stove, air conditioner, or other appliances are provided by the landlord.
9. What you must do to get repairs made.
10. Any specific rules or other charges.

Tenant does not have to move just because:

• Landlord says so, orally or in writing.
• Landlord files a summons for unlawful detainer in court.
• Landlord goes to court & gets a judgment of possession.
• Landlord gets a Writ of Eviction after the judgment of possession.
• Writ of Eviction is served on the tenant by the Sheriff.

Tenant must move only if:

• Landlord files an unlawful detainer.
• Gets a judgment of possession.
• Gets a Writ of Eviction which is served on the tenant.
• The Sheriff waits at least 72 more hours before coming back to evict.

Ask for an inspection when you move in. Make a written list of any damages that you see. Sign the list, put the date on it, and give a copy to the landlord. Keep a copy of the list. Before you move out, make a written request to attend a move out inspection. Be sure to give the landlord a phone number to notify you of the date and time of the inspection. The inspection should be held within 72 hours after you move out. After the inspection, ask for a copy of the landlord’s list of damages. You may want to take pictures of any damages you see when you move in and of the condition of the rental when you move out. You may also want to have someone else look at the condition of your apartment when you move out so he or she could be a witness.

No one may be denied housing due to:

• Race or color.
• Religion.
• National origin.
• Sex.
• Sexual harassment.
• Family status (having children under 18, or being a pregnant female).
• Age (55 or older).
• Disability or handicap. Being handicapped includes, but is not limited to, psychological disorders, emotional and mental illnesses, learning disabilities, and drug addiction and alcoholism.
• Sexual orientation.
• Gender identity.

If the landlord locks you out or “diminishes” your services, you may get an order from the General District Court to get back possession of your rental unit, including requiring the landlord to restore your services. If you can prove you had other costs and expenses due to being locked out, you can ask the court to order the landlord to pay you those costs. You should go to the clerk of the General District Court to file for such an order.