*Please note: Any questions regarding Legal Hotline Spotlights should be submitted via the Virginia REALTORS^® Legal Hotline. Our attorneys are unable to respond to questions through our comments section.

Q: I am having some trouble with a tenant who is not allowing us to show the unit on weekdays during business hours. The lease requires access during “reasonable” days and times. What counts as a “reasonable” day and time to show a unit currently occupied by a tenant?

A: The Virginia REALTORS® standard lease requires a tenant to cooperate with the landlord or licensee to show the unit at reasonable times when the tenant has received reasonable notice.  What counts as a reasonable showing time will be fact-specific.

The language of the lease contemplates a situation in which the tenant cannot accommodate a showing on a particular date and time that might otherwise be reasonable. For example, if a tenant works from home, they might have a video conference on a particular day at a particular time that would make showing the unit during that time impractical. However, a blanket refusal by the tenant to cooperate with a showing on weekdays during business hours would likely be considered unreasonable, and therefore a violation of the lease.

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