Featured Image from One of Them Days (2025), Sony Pictures.

The FWD #230 • 862 words

For Virginians struggling to afford rent, the threat of eviction looms large yet again.

According to recent data from the RVA Eviction Lab, eviction judgments across Virginia have not only returned to pre-pandemic levels, but have dramatically surpassed them in several key areas. With COVID-era financial support well in the past, it’s a snap back to a frustrating reality.

In some communities, the increased eviction activity has been alarming. Arlington leads with a staggering 172% rise in judgements over pre-pandemic levels, followed by Alexandria (115%) and Fairfax County (110%). Numerous Richmond City ZIP codes have also seen troubling spikes, and many Hampton Roads localities (particularly Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Newport News, and Portsmouth) have all seen thousands of new eviction filings.

As eviction remains ever-present in our communities, Hollywood has recently brought the issue to attention in the Sony Pictures film, One of Them Days. In the film, roommates Dreux (played by Keke Palmer) and Alyssa (played by SZA) navigate the fear and instability of being evicted — with some comedic money-raising schemes along the way.

Rising Rents, Limited Representation

The surge in evictions comes as the U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey reports 63% of Virginia renters have experienced rent increases. This financial pressure is compounded by a critical lack of legal support—the median representation rate for tenants facing eviction is just 0.25% across Virginia jurisdictions. In practical terms, this means only about 2.5 tenants have legal representation for every 1,000 eviction cases. Research from other jurisdictions has demonstrated that legal representation can reduce eviction judgments by 70-90%, making this disparity particularly consequential.

The Thin Financial Margin

Most eviction judgments involve relatively modest amounts of back rent—typically equivalent to just 1.5 to 2 months of housing payments. This narrow financial margin highlights the precarious situation many Virginians face: a single financial emergency or temporary setback can quickly escalate to housing instability. The concentration of median principal amounts owed in the $1,000-1,500 range reveals that many evictions could potentially be prevented with targeted emergency rental assistance.

The Virginia Eviction Reduction Pilot (VERP), established in 2020 when the General Assembly allocated $3.3 million to implement programs aimed at preventing evictions across the Commonwealth, sought to help bridge that often small financial gap households at risk faced. Financial support is one part of the “collective impact model” promoted by VERP, where organizations that serve as a safety-net within communities collaborate to ensure households have early access to resources to prevent eviction. Core program services promoted as a result of VERP funding include:

• Financial Assistance: Direct rental and utility payments to prevent eviction
• Case Management: Personalized support to stabilize housing situations
• Court Navigation: Assistance with the legal process after unlawful detainers are issued
• Landlord Outreach: Working with property owners to prevent evictions before court involvement
• Legal Services: Connections to legal aid resources
• Systems Coordination: Creating networks of support organizations and services

Understanding Eviction Patterns

The latest RVA Eviction Lab data reveals several important patterns worth examining:

Geographic Disparities: The highest increases in eviction judgments are concentrated in Northern Virginia (Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax) and specific Richmond ZIP codes. These areas typically have higher housing costs and may be experiencing more rapid rent escalation compared to other regions.

Eviction Filing vs. Judgment Gap: The data shows a notable gap between eviction filings (orange bars) and actual judgments (orange line) in the quarterly tracking. This difference represents cases that were dismissed, settled, or otherwise resolved before a judgment—highlighting potential intervention points where housing stability might be preserved.

Temporal Trends: The dramatic dip in evictions during the pandemic (2020-2021) followed by the rapid return to and surpassing of pre-pandemic levels demonstrates the temporary nature of emergency interventions like eviction moratoriums and emergency rental assistance programs that were implemented during COVID-19.

Context Behind the Numbers

To fully understand Virginia’s eviction landscape, several key contextual factors deserve attention:

Rental Burden Reality: While the data shows typical evictions occur at 1.5-2 months of back rent, this statistic reflects a broader rental burden problem. Housing experts generally consider spending more than 30% of income on housing to be “cost-burdened,” yet many Virginia renters spend substantially more, leaving little financial cushion for emergencies.

Legal Representation Impact: The minuscule share of tenants represented by attorneys stands in stark contrast to landlord representation rates, which typically exceed 70%.

Post-Pandemic Housing Market: The surge in evictions coincides with dramatic changes in Virginia’s housing market. The pandemic-era housing boom pushed both purchase prices and rents to record levels in many communities, creating pressure at all levels of the housing ecosystem.

Data Resources and Measuring Progress

For those interested in tracking eviction trends, several key resources provide valuable insights:

RVA Eviction Lab: Continues to publish quarterly data on eviction filings and judgments across Virginia jurisdictions, providing the most comprehensive look at statewide eviction patterns.

U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey: This ongoing national survey includes housing-specific questions that help contextualize local data, including information about rent increases, housing security, and confidence in ability to pay rent. As of the time of writing this blog, The US Census Bureau has discontinued the Household Pulse Survey, and PULSE data is only available through September 16, 2024.

Court Records Analysis: The methodology behind these findings involves analyzing civil court data through the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) Civil Court Data Initiative, which makes understanding local eviction patterns possible.

Are you tracking housing stability metrics in your community? Share your experiences with us!