Alexandria recorded 3,738 eviction summonses in 2025 as of Thursday, up 21% from the previous year, according to the city’s eviction trends dashboard. The figure represents an increase of nearly 200 filings since Mayor Alyia Gaskins reported 3,544 filings during Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
The rising numbers come as Alexandria faces economic pressures from federal downsizing affecting approximately 13,000 federal employees living in the city and a federal government shutdown that began Wednesday.
Gaskins told council members that a small number of corporate landlords are driving the surge.
“When you dive deeper into the data, what we’re finding is that it’s a small number of corporate landlords that are really driving increases in filings,” Gaskins said. “It’s about five properties where we’re seeing the greatest eviction filing.”
The mayor did not identify the five properties during the public meeting.
Gaskins also noted eviction filings have increased substantially since 2020, when the city recorded 2,632 filings. However, 2020 figures were affected by pandemic-era eviction moratoriums and court closures.
The mayor reported 3,544 filings during Tuesday’s council meeting based on data from Friday’s Health and Safety Coordinating Committee meeting. By Thursday, the dashboard showed the count had risen to 3,738
The mayor noted 57% of Alexandria households are renters, totaling 43,000 rental households. The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment stands at $2,280.
City officials also discovered what Gaskins described as “serial filings” — the same people receiving evictions repeatedly.
“What we’ve talked about as a committee is kind of how do we begin to pinpoint who those people are, how do we engage with them, and how do we help put them on a pathway to better stability,” Gaskins said.
The Health and Safety Coordinating Committee, which includes Gaskins and Councilwoman Jacinta Greene, examined the city’s authority to address problematic landlords. Officials are exploring what actions the city can take against properties with high eviction filing rates and what additional authority might be needed from Richmond.
The committee brings together representatives from the City Manager’s Office, the Department of Community and Human Services, Code Administration, the Police Department, the Sheriff’s Office, the Commonwealth’s Attorney, Alexandria Public Schools, and the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
The eviction discussion was part of a broader housing safety initiative that includes the city’s new Safe Housing Team, a multi-departmental coalition addressing quality of life issues at properties such as Brent Place and Mason Van Dorn.
“This is a multi-sector, multi-department coalition that is really focused on how we engage residents, how we address the quality of life issues, how we better coordinate, and then also how we track our progress,” Gaskins said.
According to the dashboard, the number of writs of eviction issued declined by 7% to 1,246 in 2025. The average time from summons to writ of eviction increased 13% to 54 days. The dashboard showed 95% of cases involved unpaid rent, with an average amount of $5,432. Only 16% of tenants received legal information, while the landlord judgment rate was 27%, down 20% from the previous year.
The city offers eviction prevention resources through the Department of Community and Human Services and the Office of Housing. Virginia law provides legal protections for furloughed federal employees and contractors during government shutdowns, allowing them to request 60-day continuances of eviction cases and stays of foreclosure proceedings.
An Eviction Prevention Task Force composed of representatives from city departments, Legal Services of Northern Virginia, Christ Church, and emergency financial providers is working to understand the local eviction landscape and identify gaps in services.
