Eviction notice or court date
What a notice does and does not do, and what to do with a court date.
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This playbook is written and sourced, but a qualified Virginia reviewer has not signed off on it yet. Use it to understand the landscape and to prepare, not as a legal conclusion, a deadline, or a remedy.
A notice is not an eviction. Only a court can order you out, and a court date is the one thing you cannot ignore. Get a lawyer or legal aid involved before the date on the paper.
What the law says
- A notice is not a court order. Only a court can order you out of your home.
- Virginia eviction cases are filed in the General District Court for the city or county where the property sits; for Richmond City that is the Richmond General District Court, not a Henrico court.
- If you are served with a summons, it carries a hearing date. Missing that date can decide the case against you even if you were right about everything else.
- There are programs and defenses that depend on facts you may already have; payment records, conditions in the unit, and whether notice was properly given. A lawyer can tell you in minutes what takes hours to research.
Steps tenants usually take
- 01Write the date you actually received the paper on the back of it, and keep the envelope.
- 02Read the paper for a date and time. If there is a hearing, that date controls what you do next.
- 03Call legal aid before the hearing date; the same day if the hearing is within two weeks.
- 04Gather payment records and any written agreement you have about the rent that is claimed.
- 05Attend any scheduled hearing. If you truly cannot, contact the court before the date, not after.
Do not skip these
- Do not ignore a court date while you look for help. Call legal aid the day you receive the paper.
- Do not move out or hand over keys based only on a notice until you have talked to someone. Leaving can affect your defenses and your deposit.