A. Any tenant under a lease with a term of 12 months or longer may participate in the proceedings to determine just compensation to the same extent as his landlord or the owner, if, not less than 10 days prior to the date for the trial of the issue of just compensation, such tenant shall file his petition for intervention, in the manner provided in § 25.1-221. Such petition for intervention shall include (i) a verified copy of the lease under which he is in possession and (ii) an affidavit by the tenant or his duly authorized agent or attorney, stating:

1. That he claims an interest in the award; and

2. That he desires to offer admissible evidence concerning the value of the property being taken or damaged.

B. For the purposes of this section, the term of a tenant's lease shall include any renewals or extensions for which the tenant has an enforceable written option. The term "tenant" shall include the assignee of the original tenant, as well as any sublessee of the entire demised premises of the owner for the full unexpired term of the sublessor.

C. Nothing in this section shall be construed, however, as authorizing such tenant to offer any evidence in the proceedings to determine just compensation concerning the value of his leasehold interest in the property involved therein or as authorizing the body determining just compensation to make any such determination in formulating its report.

D. As used in this section, "proceedings to determine just compensation" means proceedings described in §§ 25.1-231, 25.1-232, and 25.1-233.

1966, c. 512, § 25-46.21:1; 2000, c. 1029; 2003, c. 940.