Lease Dispute Attorneys in Northern Virginia
Hold the Other Side to the Lease
A lease is a binding contract. When rent goes unpaid, repairs go undone, or the terms are ignored, you have rights. We represent landlords and tenants in residential and commercial lease disputes across Northern Virginia.
✓ Landlords & Tenants
✓ Leesburg & Fairfax
✓ Residential & Commercial
A Signed Lease Is Enforceable
What Virginia Lease Law Says
5 Years
Virginia’s limit to sue for breach of a written lease, so acting promptly protects your claim
In Writing
A lease longer than one year must be in writing to be enforceable under the statute of frauds
2 Frameworks
Residential leases fall under the VRLTA, commercial leases under the contract itself
Sources: Code of Virginia § 8.01-246 (limitation on written contracts); § 11-2 (statute of frauds); § 55.1-1200 et seq. (Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act).
Whether you are a landlord facing unpaid rent or a tenant stuck with an owner who will not perform, the lease sets the rules and the law backs them. The sooner a breach is addressed, the more leverage you keep.
When the Deal Stops Working
Lease disputes take many shapes. A tenant falls behind or stops paying. A landlord ignores repairs or shuts off a service. The parties read a clause two different ways. A commercial tenant balks at a common area maintenance charge, or a landlord tries to enforce a percentage rent or exclusivity term. A tenant holds over past the term, or wants to assign or sublet and the landlord refuses.
We represent both sides. We read the lease closely, identify the breach and the remedy, and pursue it through negotiation or the courts. When the answer is removing a tenant, we handle the unlawful detainer process. When a dispute traces back to unclear drafting, we fix it and help you avoid the next one with sound commercial lease drafting.
Schedule a ConsultationWhere We Come In
- ✓ A tenant stopped paying, underpaid, or bounced payments
- ✓ A landlord will not make repairs or cut off an essential service
- ✓ The parties disagree over what a lease clause actually requires
- ✓ A commercial CAM, operating cost, or percentage rent charge is disputed
- ✓ A tenant is holding over, or wants to assign or sublet
- ✓ An option to renew or purchase is being contested
What We Handle
Lease Conflicts We Handle
From a missed rent payment to a fight over a complex commercial clause, we enforce the bargain you struck.
Breach & Default
Pursuing or defending a claim that one side failed to meet the lease, with the notice, cure, and remedy the situation calls for.
Rent & Payment Disputes
Unpaid or underpaid rent, late fees, escalations, and disagreements over what is actually owed under the lease.
Commercial Lease Disputes
CAM and operating costs, percentage rent, exclusivity, use restrictions, and other terms unique to commercial space.
Repair & Maintenance
Who is responsible for what, and what happens when a landlord or tenant lets the condition of the premises slide.
Options, Renewals & Assignments
Disputes over a renewal or purchase option, or over a tenant’s right to assign the lease or sublet the space.
Holdover & Termination
A tenant who stays past the term, an early termination, or a default that ends the lease, and the fallout from each. See unlawful detainer.
Residential and commercial leases play by different rules
Residential rental agreements in Virginia are governed by the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, which sets required notices, cure periods, repair duties, and security deposit rules, and often allows a prevailing party to recover attorney fees. Commercial leases are different. They are governed largely by the contract itself and general property law, which means the lease you signed controls, for better or worse. Knowing which framework applies is the first step in any lease dispute, and it shapes every move that follows.
Attorney Insight
“With leases, the words on the page usually win, so the first thing I do is read the lease, not react to the argument. Landlords sometimes assume they can act faster than the law allows, and tenants sometimes assume they have no options when they have several. The right notice, sent the right way, changes the whole footing. Whether you are collecting rent or forcing repairs, precision early saves you a much bigger fight later.”
Anthony I. Shin, Esq.
Founder, Shin Law Office
Common Questions
Answers Before You Call
What counts as a breach of a lease?
Any failure to meet an obligation the lease imposes, such as not paying rent, not making required repairs, using the space in a prohibited way, or holding over past the term. Whether a breach is material, and what remedy follows, depends on the lease language and the facts.
My tenant stopped paying rent. What can I do?
You generally must give the proper notice before pursuing possession or a money judgment. For residential tenants, that leads into the unlawful detainer process. For commercial tenants, the lease’s default and notice terms control. We make sure the notice is correct so the case is not derailed on a technicality.
Does the VRLTA apply to my commercial lease?
No. The Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act governs residential rentals. Commercial leases are governed by the lease itself and general contract and property law. That distinction matters, because commercial tenants and landlords do not get many of the statutory protections that apply to residential tenancies.
Can I recover my attorney fees?
Often, yes. Many leases include a fee-shifting clause, and the VRLTA allows a prevailing party to recover reasonable attorney fees in certain situations. Whether fees are available in your case depends on the lease terms and the governing law, which we review at the outset.
What if the lease was never put in writing?
A lease for a term longer than one year generally must be in writing to be enforceable under Virginia’s statute of frauds. Shorter oral leases can be valid, and for residential tenants without a written lease, the VRLTA supplies default terms. We assess what you can enforce given how the arrangement was formed.
Related Real Estate Services
Enforce the Bargain You Struck
If the other side is not honoring the lease, the terms and the law are on your side, but timing matters. Tell us what the lease says and what went wrong. Serving Leesburg, Fairfax, and all of Northern Virginia.
Prefer to talk now? Reach Anthony I. Shin, Esq. at 571-445-6565.
Based in Loudoun County and serving clients across Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland, we know that when everything’s on the line, the right attorney doesn’t just make a difference, they determine the outcome.
Navigate
Reproduction of any content on this site is prohibited except for individual, non-commercial, informational use. This limited permission does not allow modification, distribution, or incorporation of any content into other works or publications in any medium. You may not reproduce or distribute content from this site to any third party.
Copyright © 2026 Shin Law Office, PLC. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2026 Shin Law Office, PLC. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of any content on this site is prohibited except for individual, non-commercial, informational use. This limited permission does not allow modification, distribution, or incorporation of any content into other works or publications in any medium. You may not reproduce or distribute content from this site to any third party.