Henrico County, Virginia Eviction Risk: Moderate

Henrico County carries a 4/10 Elevated average eviction-risk score across its 13 communities, placing it at rank 14 of 132 counties in Virginia. That ranking puts only 13 counties in a riskier position statewide, while 118 are less risky or more landlord-friendly. For an investor sizing up the Richmond eviction risk metro, this is a county where conditions are manageable but demand careful neighborhood selection: the average rent of $1,579 per month and a rent-burden rate of 30.4% signal tenants who are stretched, which historically correlates with higher eviction filing frequency.

The intra-county spread tells an equally important story. Individual community scores range from 4.4 to 6.2, a full 1.8-point gap that means a landlord operating in the wrong zip code faces materially different conditions than one two miles away. Virginia's regulatory environment holds constant across that range, but economic stress, renter share, and local demographics do not.

The cities inside Henrico County

The highest-risk communities cluster in the eastern and central portions of the county. Montrose and Dumbarton each score 5.9/10, the ceiling within the county. Laurel follows at 4.4/10 with a population of 18,721, and East Highland Park, Highland Springs, Lakeside, and Sandston all score 4.2/10. These communities share higher renter concentrations and lower average household income relative to the county norm. Eviction filings per capita tend to run elevated in exactly this type of profile.

The western corridor offers a meaningful contrast. Glen Allen, with 17,551 residents, scores 3.8/10, the lowest in the county, while Wyndham (population 12,099) scores 3.4/10. Even Tuckahoe, the county's most populous community at 49,183 residents, holds a mid-range 4.1/10. The data reinforce a point that experienced investors already know: risk in Henrico County is hyper-local, and portfolio strategy should reflect that granularity rather than treating the county as a uniform market.

State-level laws that apply here

All landlords in Henrico County operate under the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Va. Code § 55.1-1200 et seq.). For nonpayment of rent, the required notice is 5 days under Va. Code § 55.1-1245. Material lease violations require 21 days notice to cure, and non-curable material breaches require 30 days. Month-to-month terminations also carry a 30-day notice requirement under Va. Code § 55.1-1253. Understanding the full Virginia eviction process is essential before filing, because an uncontested case still typically takes 21 to 45 days from filing to writ, while contested matters can run 45 to 120 days. Court filing fees range from $58 to $90, sheriff lockout fees from $40 to $150, and attorney fees from $500 to $3,000, so Virginia eviction costs can reach several thousand dollars even in straightforward cases. Virginia does not require just cause for non-renewal and, importantly, state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so no Henrico County locality may cap rents below the state framework.

With a countywide poverty rate of 8.6% and 37.3% of households renting, Henrico County has a renter base large enough to support active acquisition but concentrated enough in certain communities that due diligence at the city level, using the grid above, is the essential first step before committing capital.