RentingSmart Academy

RentingSmart Academy is a series of courses to inform and educate landlords, property managers, and renters about topics from rights and responsibilities, the importance of renters insurance, applicant screening, to successfully completing a rental search. Featured academy tracks include, Good Landlord Track, Court-Ordered Landlord Track, Good Renter Track, and Good Landlord Continuing Education Track. 

Classes offered in the RentingSmart Academy vary per track and each track has a set of core classes and electives. Each track requires the participants to complete all the core classes and two (2) electives, unless otherwise noted, to receive their RentingSmart Academy Certification. 

RentingSmart Track(s)

• Good Landlord Track: The good landlord track will educate landlords and/or property managers about renting their residential residences to prospective renters. This track will provide landlords/property managers with a foundation to operate a successful residential rental. The core courses for this track are: 
  • Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act - Your Rights and Responsibilities as a Landlord 
  • Fair Housing
  • Property Management: A Reliable Landlord 
  • Property Maintenance: Keeping Up the Quality  
• Good Renter Track: The good renter track will educate prospective renters about their rights and responsibilities, and their role as a renter. This track will encourage renters to make sound decisions when it comes to selecting a residence to call home and encourage renters to become a part of the fabric of their neighborhood and community. The core courses for this track are: 
  • Virginia Residential Landlord Tenant Act - Your Rights and Responsibilities as a Renter 
  • Benefits of Being a Model Renter

Registering for Class and/or Track Certification

Interested landlords and property managers can register for a class by emailing rentready@norfolk.gov or visiting Rent Ready Norfolk's Eventbrite Page. Confirmation for registering for a RentingSmart Academy class will be sent via e-mail.

Landlords and property managers interested in completing a track in the RentingSmart Academy can register by completing a Rent Ready Norfolk Enrollment Form. Confirmation of enrollment in the Rent Ready Norfolk Program will be sent via e-mail or mailed within five (5) business days. 

Interested renters can inquire about the Good Renter Track by emailing rentready@norfolk.gov. Workshops can be conducted individually or with a group. 

Quality Assessment 

A quality assessment will consist of an evaluation of your rental unit's interior, exterior, common areas, amenities, and nuisance (if applicable). Properties assessed by Rent Ready Norfolk (RRN) will be scored on a four-point scale. The four-point scale determines if a property is: 

• Excellent: 2.60 - 3.00 (Certified Score) 
  • The exterior, interior and common areas comply with Virginia Maintenance Code AND are in new or excellent condition. 
• Average: 2.00 - 2.59 (Certified Score) 
  • The exterior, interior and common areas comply with Virginia Maintenance Code AND are in good condition. 
• In Violation: 1.00 - 1.99 (No Score) 
  • The exterior, interior and common area do not comply with Virginia Maintenance Code, and may be in less than acceptable condition. 
• Hazardous Violation: 0 - 0.99 (No Score) 
  • The exterior, interior and common areas do not comply with minimal standards under the Virginia Maintenance Code.

If your property receives a score of a 1.99 or lower and/or has code violations, a certified quality assessment score will not be given until all issues are remediated. Once the issues have been addressed, the landlord or property management company can request a quality re-assessment. 

A property, in addition to its certified RRN property score, can receive a plus rating. For a property to receive a plus rating, the landlord or property manager must provide at least 3 of these amenities to their renter(s): 

• Renters Insurance
• Online Rental Payment 
• 24-Hour Maintenance 
• Security
• Off-Street Parking

Requesting a Quality Assessment 

A landlord or property manager, can request a free quality assessment to be preformed in their residential rental property by calling 757-664-7368 or e-mailing rentready@norfolk.gov. Within two (2) business days, an appointment will be scheduled to perform a quality assessment on the residential rental property. 

Once the appointment has been scheduled, you will received an e-mail confirming the appointment along with the:

• Quality Assessment Rubric 
• Quality Assessment Guidelines 

Good Neighbor Campaign 

Through the Good Neighborhood Campaign, Rent Ready Norfolk partners with renters, landlords, property management companies, homeowners, civic leagues, anchor institutions and community-based organizations. The partnership allows for dialogue about the misconception of renters and rental properties and provides a neighborhood specific strategy, which is co-developed with Rent Ready and its partners, to address resources and services needed for all individuals in the community to co-exist and create neighborhoods of choice. Strategies, resources and services provided by Rent Ready Norfolk vary based on neighborhood needs. Some examples of the resources provided by Rent Ready Norfolk include: 

• Informative Walks - Rent Ready Norfolk and partners canvas neighborhoods with resources that educate residents on resources and services related to their needs. 
• Renter's Corner - A service provided for renters that allow their questions and/or issues to be addressed on-site by the Rent Ready Norfolk staff and the city's Landlord and tenant Relations Officer. 
• Community Collaboration - A service hosted by Rent Ready Norfolk to get community partners around the table on a consistent basis to talk about how to develop and maintain neighborhoods of choice. 
• City Service Mobilization - A service provided by Rent Ready Norfolk to address gaps in city services. 
• Customized and Accessible Courses - Courses provided by Rent Ready Norfolk tailored towards a targeted audience within the community to ensure accessibility of the information.