Residents of Pelham Place told the Norfolk City Council that the pending sale of their apartment complex has left dozens of families facing sudden nonrenewals and the prospect of rapid rent increases, and asked the council to urge the buyer to provide at least 180 days’ notice and meet directly with the tenant association.

Why it matters: Tenants said short notice can cause displacement, financial hardship and disruption to children’s schooling; speakers cited Virginia Code §55.1‑1302 and asked the council to use its influence to protect the community.

Gabe Harrell, a Pelham Place resident, described a community that has formed a garden, held events and supported neighbors and said the sale threatens that stability. “Pelham Place is in process of sale. We live there because we can afford to live there. And while we've lived there, we've built a community,” Harrell said.

Robin Perkins, who identified herself as part of the New Virginia Majority Tenant Association at Pelham Place Apartments, said many tenants were placed on month‑to‑month leases after a one‑year lease expired on June 30, 2025, and that some received notice only six days earlier. “That is simply not affordable,” Perkins said, urging the council to ask the new owner to extend notice periods and meet with tenants.

Several other residents echoed the request at the meeting, asking council members to visit Pelham Place, meet the tenant association and press the new owner to delay nonrenewals and rent increases for at least 180 days starting on Oct. 31, 2025 (the date tenants and organizers proposed). Speakers said the complex contains 74 units and that a longer notice period would allow families to plan and avoid abrupt displacement.

City staff described the limits of local authority. The city manager explained that the circuit court clerk’s office will record deed transfers and that the city real estate assessor typically updates ownership records after recordation. The city attorney told council that the city does not have legal authority to require a private owner to meet with tenants or to give more than the 60 days’ notice required by state statute; council members said they could request that the buyer meet with tenants but not compel it.

Tenants asked the council to (1) encourage the new owner to extend nonrenewal and rent‑increase notices to 180 days, (2) require or facilitate a meeting between the new owner and the Pelham Place Tenant Association for transparency, and (3) accept an invitation to tour Pelham Place. Council members and staff advised tenants that the city can request but not legally require those steps, and offered a technical path for residents to learn the deed recorder and assessor timing.

The meeting included multiple public comments in support of the tenants’ requests; no formal ordinance or resolution on Pelham Place was introduced or voted on during the session.

Looking ahead: Tenants said they will continue to press for meetings and outreach to the buyer and asked council members to visit Pelham Place before any nonrenewals take effect.