Current listings
West End spans dozens of buildings from 1960s garden-style complexes to new construction near Willow Lawn. This page covers pricing, transit, and tenant rules; for live unit-by-unit inventory, use a rental search platform’s filters directly.
Rent by unit type in West End
| Unit type | HUD FY2026 Fair Market Rent (Richmond) |
|---|---|
| Studio | $1,442 |
| 1 bedroom | $1,507 |
| 2 bedroom | $1,655 |
| 3 bedroom | $2,072 |
| 4 bedroom | $2,553 |
Source: HUD FY2026 Fair Market Rents, compiled by Affordable Housing Online.
HUD’s benchmark covers the whole Richmond FMR area, not West End specifically, so treat it as a floor federal payment standards are built on, not a ceiling on what a market-rate unit actually asks.
What’s the average rent for a one-bedroom in West End right now? Budget $1,507 to $1,672 depending on the source: the low end is HUD’s federal benchmark, the high end reflects what’s currently listed. Either way, at 30% of income, that means a household income near $60,000 to $67,000 a year for a comfortable one-bedroom.
How West End compares to nearby neighborhoods
| Neighborhood | Avg. 1BR rent | Note |
|---|---|---|
| West End (Richmond city) | $1,672 | Platform snapshot, Jan. 2026 |
| Near West | $1,699 | Adjacent Richmond city submarket |
| Far West End | $1,784 | Unincorporated Henrico County, past the city line |
| Museum District | $1,184 | Richmond city, budget tier |
| Richmond citywide | $1,462 | All-neighborhood average |
Source: Rent.com Richmond rent trends.
The West End platform average of $1,672 sits closer to Near West’s $1,699 than to the Museum District’s $1,184, placing it in Richmond’s upper-middle price tier, not its budget tier.
Is West End more or less expensive than the Museum District? More. West End runs roughly $488 higher per month for a one-bedroom, per Rent.com’s neighborhood index.
Getting around
| Mode | Frequency / hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GRTC Pulse (BRT) | Every 10 min peak, 15 min midday, 30 min late night | 7.6-mile dedicated-lane route, Willow Lawn to Rocketts Landing, zero-fare |
| Local GRTC bus routes | Varies by route | Serve side streets off Broad Street; check current schedules |
| Driving (I-64 / US-250) | N/A | Primary vehicle corridors linking West End to downtown and I-295 |
Source: GRTC schedules; Henrico County transit.
Pulse’s 10-minute peak frequency and its fixed Willow Lawn terminus make car-free commuting realistic for the Richmond-city stretch of West End; Far West End, past that terminus, depends on local buses with sparser schedules or a car.
Do I need a car to live in West End? Not if you’re within walking distance of a Pulse station along Broad Street. Past Willow Lawn, in Henrico County, transit thins out and a car becomes the practical default.
Is now a good time to rent here?
Richmond’s citywide rent rose 3.57% year over year as of July 2026 per RentCafe, and 3.1% as of June 2026 per Zumper, two independent trackers pointing the same direction. Citywide rental vacancy sits near 3%, a tight market where fewer available units tend to push rents up. No source publishes a West End-specific trend line separate from the citywide figure.
Is rent rising or falling in West End? Citywide Richmond rent is rising, roughly 3% over the past year as of mid-2026. No neighborhood-level trend is published for West End specifically.
Who West End suits
- Car-light commuters to downtown or VCU Health: the Pulse corridor along Broad Street removes the need for a daily drive.
- Budget-conscious renters: the Museum District and citywide average both undercut West End by a wide margin; West End itself sits in the upper-middle tier.
- Families needing 3+ bedrooms: citywide, only about 18% of Richmond’s occupied rental stock is 3-bedroom or larger, so expect a narrower, pricier search than for a one- or two-bedroom.
- Henrico County renters: Far West End trades city-limit access for lower transit density and a different local tax and school jurisdiction.
Before you apply
- Security deposit cap: Virginia law limits a deposit to two months’ rent, no exceptions for credit history or pets. (Va. Code ยง55.1-1226)
- Deposit return window: 45 days after move-out, with an itemized list of any deductions.
- Notice to end a month-to-month lease: at least 30 days before the next rent due date.
- Card payment fees: as of a 2026 amendment, landlords can’t charge more than their actual processing cost for rent paid by card. (HB1005/CHAP0722, 2026 Va. Acts)
- No statewide rent control: Virginia law does not permit local rent-stabilization ordinances, so price growth isn’t capped by city or county rule.
About the West End neighborhood
West End Richmond runs along the Broad Street corridor from the city’s inner blocks out past Willow Lawn, Richmond’s first shopping center, opened in 1956. In May 2026, demolition began on a new apartment building near Willow Lawn, part of a 37-acre, 2,200-plus-unit mixed-use rezoning Henrico County approved for the site in 2023, a two-decade redevelopment that will keep adding rental supply to the corridor. GRTC’s proposed Western Extension would push the Pulse four miles further to Parham Road, though it remains in design and environmental review with no construction date set.
Listing counts and prices shift week to week; the figures above reflect a July 2026 snapshot.
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