A West Virginia residential lease agreement (“rental agreement”) is a legal contract between a landlord overseeing a residential property and a tenant who wishes to rent it. A residential lease may, on or before move-in, additionally require a security deposit from the tenant as assurance against future property damage.
This disclosure is required for all West Virginia residential lease agreements:
| Disclosure | Applicable To |
|---|---|
| Lead Paint | All Units Built Before 1978 |
Applicable to any rental units built prior to 1978.
For any property built before 1978, federal law requires that a West Virginia residential lease must contain a lead-based paint disclosure. This requires landlords to do the following:
The following lease agreement disclosures and addenda are not required by West Virginia law in residential lease agreements, but assist with tenant management and help limit landlord liability.
| Optional Disclosure | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Asbestos | Informs tenants about any asbestos hazards related to the property. Tenants can take precautions to reduce asbestos hazards by avoiding any disturbance of asbestos fibers. |
| Bed Bugs | Informs tenants whether the property or an adjacent unit has a history of suspected bed bug infestation, and reminds the tenant of the obligation to report suspected infestation immediately. |
| Landlord’s Name and Address | Specifies the name and address of the landlord or authorized agent, to enable smooth communication of any important legal notice. |
| Late/Returned Check Fees | Specifies late fees or returned check fees related to the lease. West Virginia does not restrict late fees except that they must be “reasonable.” Returned check fees have a $25 cap. [1] Fee collection requires 10 days of advance written notice to the tenant before legal action. [2] |
| Medical Marijuana Use | Informs tenants about policy related to medical marijuana use on the rental property. Some state laws allow landlords to restrict marijuana usage to non-smoking methods only, or allow use only in designated smoking areas. |
| Mold Disclosure | Informs tenants about actual or suspected mold contamination on the property, along with any remediation efforts, to help limit landlord liability. |
| Move-in Checklist | Takes inventory of existing property damage, when the tenant takes possession of the rental property. This enables accurate deductions from the security deposit upon move-out. |
| Non-Refundable Fees | Charges not agreed by the tenant in the lease may be refundable upon lease termination. For West Virginia landlords to charge a non-refundable fee, it must be disclosed and agreed as such in the lease. |
| Shared Utilities Arrangements | Discloses how charges are billed to individual tenants, when multiple rental units share a utility meter for the whole building or property and the landlord charges separately for utilities. |
| Smoking | Informs tenants of designated smoking areas that do not interfere with the quiet enjoyment of other tenants. |
Mandatory disclosures outline important health, safety, and property information for both landlord and tenant safety. A landlord who fails to provide federally or state-mandated disclosures could face legal consequences or monetary penalties, either from a tenant lawsuit or from state officials.
Failure to comply with the federal lead-based paint hazard disclosure risks fines of tens of thousands of dollars per violation.
The payee or holder of a check, draft or order which has been dishonored because of insufficient funds or credit may send notice thereof to the drawer of the check, draft or order. The payee or holder of any dishonored check may impose a fee of up to $25 a worthless check.
“You are hereby notified that a check, number ………………, issued by you on (date of check), drawn upon (name of bank), and payable to …………………………., has been dishonored. Pursuant to West Virginia law, you have ten days from the date of this notice to tender payment of the full amount of the check plus a fee of $………………… (not to exceed $25 a worthless check) to the undersigned at ……………………… You are further notified that in the event the above amount is timely paid in full you will not be subject to legal proceedings, civil or criminal.
3 24 CFR § 30.65 (a)General. The Director of the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control, or his or her designee, may initiate a civil money penalty action against any person who knowingly violates 42 U.S.C. 4852d . (b)Amount of penalty. The maximum penalty is $21,018 for each violation.
How Long Can a Residential Lease Be in West Virginia? Depending on circumstances, in West Virginia it’s usually possible to have a lease of any length of time, as long as the length of the lease term is specific and agreed in writing by the landlord and tenant. Oral leases can almost never be for a term of more than one year. Read more » Is a Contract to Lease Binding in West Virginia? Yes, a contract to lease is legally binding in West Virginia. To be valid, a contract to lease may have to be written, especially for a fixed term over one year. Oral leases may be valid in some cases (especially when both parties later behave as though there’s an enforceable oral lease), but often have strict limitations on enforceability for things like length of the lease term. Read more » Do Lease Agreements Need to Be Notarized in West Virginia? No, lease agreements do not need to be notarized in West Virginia. A notary helps establish the identity of the people signing the lease, if there’s a claim of fraud, but a notary isn’t necessary for a lease to be valid. Read more » Can a Lease Automatically Renew in West Virginia? Yes, a lease can automatically renew in West Virginia. Most rental agreements will automatically renew when the initial tenancy period is over. Past this point, the lease becomes a month-to-month rental agreement, with the same basic terms and conditions otherwise as the original lease. In some cases, such as if rent is being paid weekly, the lease may become a week-to-week lease. Read more »
