Press Release
UNREASONABLE: The Dramatic Rise in Attorney Fees Charged to Tenants in Virginia Residential Eviction Proceedings
Published
Richmond, VA – A new report from Virginia Poverty Law Center and VCU’s RVA Eviction Lab exposes how growing attorney fees are deepening Virginia’s eviction crisis. Despite clear standards in Virginia law, tenants across the state are being charged hundreds — even thousands — of dollars each in legal fees, often for cases that require only negligible attorney time.
In 2024 alone, courts awarded nearly $18 million in attorney fees in eviction cases — a 48% increase over pre-COVID levels even though the number of eviction judgments went down by 19%. The inflated costs force families already behind on rent deeper into debt, disqualify some from getting emergency rental assistance, and block their legal rights to redemption and appeal.
The report brings these numbers to life with stories like Justin’s, who lost his job after a car breakdown and was buried under $4,000 in attorney fees before losing his home. Or Wynton, who paid his landlord $7,000 in attorney fees over two years and likened the experience to “quicksand” — every time he got close to catching up, a new fee pulled him under.
The authors call for key reforms: judicial training on reviewing attorney fees, legislation to require attorney affidavits to accompany fee requests, and stronger tenant self-advocacy. Their conclusion is clear: court-assessed attorney fees should reasonably reflect the legal work performed — not serve as another way to profit from poverty.
Read the report here.
Contacts:
Phil Storey, VPLC Housing Attorney, phil@vplc.org, 804-418-3210.
Connie Stevens, VPLC Communications Director, connie@vplc.org, 510-354-8597.
