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Senate committee holds bill requiring 60‑day notice for significant rent increases; committee seeks more stakeholder input
Summary
Senators heard testimony supporting a bill that would require landlords to give 60 days' written notice before terminating month‑to‑month tenancies or imposing rent increases over 5 percent. The committee voted to hold the measure for further review and to invite real‑estate stakeholders and private landlords to testify.
Senators on the Committee on Housing, Transportation and Telecommunications heard testimony May 14 from the Virgin Islands Housing Authority and other stakeholders on bill 36‑0022, which would amend Title 28, chapter 31, to require that residents on month‑to‑month tenancies or ending leases receive 60 days' written notice for either a termination of tenancy or a rent increase larger than 5 percent.
Senator Marvin A. Blyden, the bill sponsor and committee chair, said the measure is intended to reduce housing instability. "Short notice for rent increases and termination of tenancy is a major contributor to homelessness in a territory and housing instability," Blyden told the committee, describing cases where tenants have little time to find alternate housing.
Lydia Pell, chief operating officer of the Virgin Islands Housing Authority, told senators the housing authority already follows advance notice practices for federal housing participants and supported the bill’s tenant‑protection aims. "By allowing tenants the proper time to evaluate their options, secure alternative accommodations, and manage their finances effectively, we are ensuring that their rights are protected and their security is prioritized," Pell said on behalf of the authority.
Committee members debated specifics including the definition and method of "fair notice," the interaction of the proposed 60‑day notice with existing statutes that govern termination at will and forcible entry and detainer, and how the bill would affect private landlords who rely on rental income for mortgages. Legal counsel advised that the bill would set a 60‑day notice standard for increases of more than 5 percent or for termination of tenancy in month‑to‑month arrangements, and that separate eviction procedures (notice to quit and a forcible‑entry-and‑detainer action) would still govern removal from a property.
Senators said the committee should solicit input from the real‑estate community before finalizing any text. The committee voted to hold the bill in committee at the chair's discretion and to invite additional testimony from the Board of Realtors, private landlords and a real‑estate attorney. The motion to hold the measure passed by voice vote with recorded tallies: yes 6, no 1.
What’s next: the chair said staff will schedule follow‑up hearings with invited private‑sector witnesses and that amendments might be drafted to clarify the form of notice and the interplay with existing eviction statutes.
