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misdemeanor. A pro se litigant may represent his own interests in a court of law;
however, a pro se litigant may not represent another entity or person. Thus, except in
limited circumstances, a property manager may only represent his interests and not those
of his apartment complex. Under Virginia Code Section 55-246.1, a property manager
may attend a return date and request appropriate relief from the Court as set forth in the
aforesaid code section. If the defendant/tenant appears at the return date and contests the
pending action, then the property manager may request a continuance. Note that the
property manager should obtain his attorneys’ available dates or the appointed Court date
may create scheduling problems for the attorney. Also, in a recent 2016 amendment to
Virginia Code Section 8.01-375, in an unlawful detainer action filed in general district
court, a managing agent, as defined under the VRLTA, is exempt from being excluded as
a witness upon a motion by the Court or by any one of the parties to the action.
STEP SEVEN – The Contested Hearing
As noted in Step Five, the landlord must prove the breach. Plaintiff’s attorney must
put on evidence of the lease, notice, and ledger. Also, the landlord must utilize testimony
from witnesses who observed the breach (for example, neighbors, police, or security
guards). The evidence must prove that the breach occurred, a notice was served on the
tenant/defendant, and the tenant/defendant failed to vacate the leased premises. Plaintiff
must also prove the amount of rent and fees owed to the plaintiff.
For a tenant, the landlord’s non-compliance may be used as a defense to an action for
possession for nonpayment of rent, pursuant to Virginia Code Section 55-248.25.
Virginia Code Section 55-248.25 addresses the landlord’s non-compliance as a potential
defense for tenants involved in actions for possession for nonpayment of rent. In cases
where the landlord is pursuing an action for possession based on nonpayment of rent, the
tenant may assert as a defense that there exists upon the leased premises a condition or
conditions which “constitutes or will constitute, a fire hazard or a serious threat to the
life, health or safety” or is a material breach of the lease and/or a provision of law. Prior
to asserting this defense, however, there are certain requirements that the resident must
satisfy as set forth in subsections (A)(1) and (A)(2) of Virginia Code Section 55-248.25.
The landlord may respond by establishing that the conditions do not exist, or that they
have been removed or remedied, or that the conditions were caused by the resident, or
that the tenant has unreasonably refused entry to the landlord of the leased premises for
the purpose of correcting the condition.
As set forth in Virginia Code Section 55-248.25, a General District Court may make
findings of fact and enter an Order, including any one of the enumerated remedies that
are contained in subsections (C)(1) through (C)(3). If the Court finds that the tenant
raised this defense in bad faith or caused the violation or unreasonably refused entry to
the landlord for the purpose of correcting the condition, the Court, in its discretion, may
impose certain costs incurred by landlord, which could include court costs, costs of repair
if caused by tenant, and reasonable attorneys’ fees.