This guide looks ahead. It covers state rules with 2027 effective dates, so you can update leases, listings and notices early. For rules that already took effect this year, see our companion guide, New Landlord Laws in 2026: State-by-State Changes to Know.
Note: This article is general education, not legal advice. Landlord-tenant rules vary by state, county and city, and bills can be amended before or after they take effect. Confirm how each law applies to your property with a qualified attorney in your state before changing your leases or practices.
The 2027 landlord law calendar at a glance
Dates below are when each rule starts, not when the bill was signed. Several rules apply only to leases signed or renewed after that date, which matters for your renewal calendar.
| Date | State | What starts |
|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2027 | Illinois | Rental fee disclosure rules and a list of banned fees |
| January 1, 2027 | Washington | 10 percent rent cap for the year, flood disclosures, smart lock rules |
| January 1, 2027 | Virginia | Broader anti-retaliation protections |
| January 1, 2027 | Oregon | 10 percent rent cap for the year, well water testing |
| January 1, 2027 | Tennessee | Limits on lease bans of lawful firearm possession |
| February 1, 2027 | Federal (HUD) | NSPIRE inspection standards for voucher units |
| July 1, 2027 | Virginia | Pre-application notice, 90-day rent increase notice, itemized nonpayment notices |
| July 1, 2027 | Colorado | Direct or submetered utilities for new permit applications |
Illinois in 2027: rental fee transparency and banned fees
Illinois House Bill 3564, now Public Act 104-0479, adds a rental fee section to the state Landlord and Tenant Act. A follow-up bill, House Bill 5234, moved its start date to January 1, 2027. According to Gould and Ratner, it applies to covered leases entered into after that date, so renewals signed in 2027 should use compliant terms.
What changes: Every non-optional fee, one-time or recurring, must appear on the first page of the lease. Per the Act, a renter is not liable for a non-optional fee left off that page. Listings that quote rent must also disclose non-optional fees, directly or through a link, and say whether utilities are included in rent.
The Act also bans several fees outright. These include:
- Application fees over $50, including the background check, unless the actual third-party check costs more and the landlord bills it with receipts within 14 days
- Fees for modifying or renewing a lease
- Fees for serving an eviction notice or filing before a court order, though court costs remain recoverable
- After-hours maintenance request fees, maintenance hotline fees and routine maintenance fees
- Pest control fees when the renter did not cause the infestation
- Fees for in-person move-in or move-out walkthroughs
Who it applies to: Most Illinois residential rentals. Leases for units in owner-occupied buildings with six or fewer units are excluded. A landlord also cannot rename a fee to avoid the rules, and any person alleging a violation can sue for injunctive relief, money, attorney's fees and costs.
What to do: Move every required fee to page one of your lease template, audit your listings, and drop any fee on the banned list. Our guide to the FTC rental junk fees rule and what small landlords need to know covers the federal side of fee disclosure.
Washington in 2027: rent cap, flood disclosure and smart locks
Rent cap: Under the rent stabilization law from House Bill 1217, the Washington Department of Commerce set the 2027 limit at 10 percent for increases taking effect between January 1 and December 31, 2027. The formula is 7 percent plus inflation or 10 percent, whichever is less. Some properties are exempt under RCW 59.18.710.
Washington also requires at least 90 days of written notice for most rent increases, per RCW 59.18.140, so an early 2027 increase needs its notice delivered this fall. Our guide on how to write a rent increase notice with a template walks through the wording.
Flood disclosure: Senate Bill 6237 amends RCW 59.18.060. For leases entered into after December 31, 2026, landlords must disclose that the property may be in a special flood hazard area or an area of potential flooding. They must also state that the landlord's insurance does not cover the renter's belongings, suggest renter's and flood insurance, and note that hazard information is available from the county.
Smart access systems: Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5937 takes effect January 1, 2027. If a building or unit uses a smart access system, such as a phone app or biometric entry, landlords must offer an alternative on request. Options include a key, key fob, key card or keypad code. Systems that rely only on a manually entered keypad code fall outside the definition.
The law also requires a written privacy policy, at lease signing or within five days of installation, if the vendor's policy falls short. Only the minimum data needed to run the system may be collected.
What to do: Check each 2027 increase against the 10 percent cap, add the flood disclosure to your Washington lease, and ask any smart lock vendor for its privacy policy now.
Virginia in 2027: retaliation, screening notices and rent increase timing
Virginia's 2026 session produced more 2027 changes than any other state here. The dates below come from the future versions of the Virginia Code published by the state, each listed with its start date.
January 1, 2027, retaliation: Chapter 1111 rewrites the anti-retaliation section, Va. Code 55.1-1258. Protected activity now includes complaints to news outlets, fair housing complaints, taking part in tenant organizations and testifying in administrative proceedings. Raising fees, selectively enforcing rules and threatening a renter are added to the list of retaliatory acts.
If retaliation is a gray area for you, our guide to landlord retaliation laws, what counts as retaliation and how to avoid risk is a useful primer.
July 1, 2027, pre-application notice: Under House Bill 379, before requesting any payment or information from an applicant, a landlord must give written or posted notice. It must cover fees and whether they are refundable, the selection criteria, any automatic denial criteria, the screening company's name and address, and the applicant's right to a free copy of the report after a denial.
July 1, 2027, rent increase notice: House Bill 678 applies to landlords who own more than four rental units, or more than a 10 percent interest in more than four. They must give written notice of a rent increase at least 90 days before the lease term ends, with a renewal reply deadline at least 30 days after delivery. Nonrenewal notices stay at 60 days.
July 1, 2027, nonpayment notices: Senate Bill 294, identical to House Bill 1361, requires a nonpayment termination notice to include a written statement of charges and payments. It must also list submetered or allocated utility charges. The Code version starting that day also requires landlords with more than four units to state the exact amount owed and offer a payment plan in qualifying cases.
What to do: Draft a pre-application notice, rebuild your nonpayment notice, and move renewal decisions earlier if you own more than four units.
Oregon in 2027: a 10 percent cap and well water testing
Rent cap: The Oregon Department of Administrative Services published the 2027 maximum on September 28, 2026. It is 10 percent for tenancies covered by the statewide cap. Under ORS 90.323, units whose first certificate of occupancy was issued less than 15 years before the notice date are exempt. Increases after the first year need at least 90 days of written notice.
Well water testing: House Bill 3525 becomes operative January 1, 2027. According to the Oregon Legislature's measure summary, landlords must test drinking water for arsenic, coliform bacteria, lead and nitrates when a rental is served by an exempt domestic well inside a groundwater management area. The Oregon Health Authority will set the details by rule.
What to do: Confirm which units fall under the cap, and check whether any rental sits on a private well in a designated area.
Tennessee in 2027: firearm rules in residential leases
Tennessee Senate Bill 350, House Bill 469, became Public Chapter 606 and takes effect January 1, 2027. According to the bill summary, landlords generally cannot prohibit a residential renter from lawfully possessing, carrying, transporting or storing a firearm, firearm parts or ammunition. The rule covers the unit, a vehicle in renter parking and the areas needed to get to and from them.
Who it applies to: Leases entered into, amended, extended or renewed on or after January 1, 2027. What to do: Review your lease and house rules for weapons clauses and update them before your next Tennessee renewal.
Colorado in 2027: metering rules for new rental construction
Colorado House Bill 26-1013, signed March 26, 2026, mostly governs ratio utility billing. The 2027 piece is narrower. Per a Holland and Knight summary, residential premises with building permit applications filed on or after July 1, 2027 must have gas, electric and water service metered directly or submetered. If you plan to build, put metering in the design now.
A federal 2027 date: NSPIRE for voucher units
If you rent to Housing Choice Voucher holders, note one federal date. HUD extended the compliance date for its NSPIRE inspection standards in the voucher programs to February 1, 2027, per a September 2025 Federal Register notice and HUD Notice PIH 2026-18.
A 2027 landlord law preparation checklist
Work through this list before the end of 2026.
- List every unit by state and city, and note which of the laws above apply.
- Update lease templates: fee disclosures on page one in Illinois, flood language in Washington, weapons clauses in Tennessee.
- Audit listings and application pages for fee disclosure and screening criteria.
- Recheck planned 2027 increases against the Washington and Oregon caps, and send notices at least 90 days ahead.
- Rebuild nonpayment and rent increase notice templates for Virginia.
- Keep signed leases, disclosures and notices filed by property so you can show what you sent and when.
- Book a review with a local attorney before the first 2027 renewal goes out.
For a broader view of what a compliant lease contains, see our guide to lease agreement legal requirements and what landlords need to include. You can also browse every guide in our Compliance and Legal hub for independent landlords and property managers.
Frequently asked questions
Do 2027 landlord laws apply to leases I signed in 2026?
Often not right away. Illinois fee rules, the Washington flood disclosure and the Tennessee firearm rule apply to leases signed, or in Tennessee also renewed or amended, after the start date. Other rules, such as rent caps and notice requirements, apply to the action you take in 2027.
What is the maximum rent increase in Washington and Oregon for 2027?
Both states set 10 percent for 2027. Washington's cap covers increases taking effect during calendar year 2027. Oregon's cap does not apply to units whose first certificate of occupancy is less than 15 years old as of the notice date.
Do small landlords have to follow the Illinois fee law?
Usually yes. The only exclusion is for units in owner-occupied buildings with six or fewer units.
When do the new Virginia landlord rules take effect?
In two waves. Broader anti-retaliation protections start January 1, 2027. Pre-application notices, itemized nonpayment notices and the 90-day rent increase notice for owners of more than four units start July 1, 2027.
What to do next
The hard part of 2027 is not any single law. It is keeping fee disclosures, notice timing and lease records consistent across properties while renewals keep arriving. One missed page-one fee or late notice can cost more than the fee or increase was worth.
Shuk keeps the moving parts in one place. Property Documents stores updated leases and disclosures by property. Adobe-powered e-signature shows who signed each document and when. Configurable late fees are applied automatically and tracked separately from rent. Rent collection has zero ACH transaction fees, with any renter-paid card fee shown before the renter confirms. In-app messaging with email and push notifications keeps notices in one place.
At as low as $2 per unit per month, with no setup fees and no contract, and with White Glove Onboarding included at no additional cost, Shuk makes organized, well-documented 2027 lease and fee updates feasible for landlords and property managers running 1 to 100 units.
Book a demo at shukrentals.com/book-a-demo to see how Property Documents, Adobe-powered e-signature, configurable late fees and in-app messaging work together so your 2027 lease updates are signed, stored and easy to find.
