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As a leading statewide voice on affordable housing and preventing and ending homelessness in the Commonwealth, the Virginia Housing Alliance was hard at work during the 2026 General Assembly session, advocating for laws that help expand housing opportunities around our state. This post will cover some of the housing bills that went into effect in Virginia on July 1st of this year – namely, tools for housing preservation and affordability.
First up is HB4 (Sen. Bennett-Parker), which allows Virginia cities and counties to intervene when housing that was supported by public funding is set to go up for sale on the private market. By establishing a Right of First Refusal – or a “first chance” to purchase – localities have the option to step in and help ensure these homes remain affordable for the future, as well.
HB375 (Del. Krizek) is based on a similar idea. This bill gives residents and localities the Right of First Refusal when a manufactured home community goes up for sale.
Finally, HB854 (Del. Cousins) gives cities and counties more flexibility around property taxes for affordable housing. Localities will now have the option to reduce the amount of property taxes that nonprofit affordable housing providers have to pay. This frees up resources for affordable housing providers, allowing them to invest in things like property maintenance, resident services, or even the development of new affordable homes.
To learn more about housing progress and VHA’s advocacy efforts during the 2026 Virginia General Assembly Session, be sure to check out our GA Wrap-Up Summary.