Cabell County West Virginia Landlord Guide: Managing Rental Property in the Tri-State Hub
Huntington, the seat of Cabell County, is a city in transition. For decades it was best known outside West Virginia for two things: Marshall University and the 1970 plane crash that killed 75 members of the football team and coaching staff — a tragedy memorialized in the film We Are Marshall and still felt in the community’s identity. More recently, Huntington gained national attention as the epicenter of America’s opioid epidemic, a distinction that brought federal scrutiny, journalism, and eventually significant public health investment to the region. Today, Huntington is a city working through that chapter — building recovery infrastructure, attracting new employers, and leveraging its institutional anchors in healthcare and higher education to stabilize and eventually grow its economic base.
For landlords, this context matters. Cabell County’s rental market is shaped by a genuinely complex mix of forces that don’t exist in the same combination anywhere else in West Virginia. A major research university. A large hospital system. A VA Medical Center. A poverty rate of 19%. An active Section 8 program with over 1,700 vouchers in circulation and a closed waitlist. A young renter population anchored by students. And an ongoing public health recovery that has created specialized housing needs — from sober living facilities to transitional housing — that intersect with the private rental market in ways landlords need to understand.
Marshall University and the Student Rental Market
Marshall University enrolls approximately 12,000 students, making it one of the larger institutions in the region. The university’s presence creates a substantial student rental demand concentrated near the campus in the Fifth Avenue corridor and the surrounding neighborhoods. Student rentals can be lucrative — demand is predictable, units turn over annually, and students typically accept smaller spaces at market rates. The trade-offs are real, however: student tenants carry higher wear-and-tear risk, shorter lease terms, and the income-verification challenges common to full-time students who depend on parental support or financial aid rather than stable employment.
Experienced Cabell County landlords who focus on the student market often require a co-signer (typically a parent) on every lease, maintain properties at a basic but functional standard rather than over-improving, and price rents to include utilities — simplifying collection and reducing utility disputes. Landlords who prefer lower-turnover, lower-maintenance tenancies generally target university staff and faculty rather than students, accepting somewhat lower rents in exchange for longer tenancies and better property care.
Healthcare and Federal Employment: The Stable Tenant Base
Mountain Health Network — anchored by Cabell Huntington Hospital — is the county’s largest private employer. The VA Medical Center at 1540 Spring Valley Road employs hundreds of federal workers with strong job security and consistent incomes. Together these healthcare institutions supply Cabell County landlords with what is arguably the most reliable tenant pool in the region — nurses, physicians, technicians, administrative staff, and federal employees who need housing, have stable incomes, and tend toward multi-year tenancies. Properties within reasonable distance of these facilities command a premium and lease quickly.
Cabell County Schools rounds out the institutional employment picture. With approximately 10,000 students enrolled in the county school system, the school district supports hundreds of teachers, support staff, and administrative employees who are consistent rental market participants. Combined with Marshall University, Mountain Health, and the VA, Cabell County has more institutional employment anchors per capita than most WV counties — which provides a meaningful buffer against the economic volatility that has destabilized other WV rental markets.
Section 8 and the Voucher Market
The Huntington WV Housing Authority administers over 1,700 housing choice vouchers and program certificates — a substantial number relative to the county’s total renter population of approximately 9,300 units. The Section 8 waitlist closed in July 2025, signaling that demand for vouchers substantially exceeds supply. For landlords, this means there is a deep pool of voucher-qualified tenants actively seeking housing — and that accepting vouchers can mean shorter vacancy periods and federally backed rent payments.
Landlords participating in the Housing Choice Voucher program should understand the additional procedural layer it creates. Section 8 evictions require notice to both the tenant and the housing authority. The lease must include the HUD-required lease addendum. The unit must pass HCV inspection. These requirements are not onerous for landlords who maintain their properties, but they do add steps that market-rate evictions do not require.
Filing Evictions at Cabell County Magistrate Court
With seven magistrates, Cabell County Magistrate Court is one of West Virginia’s most active civil courts. Eviction filings are handled in the basement of the Cabell County Courthouse at 750 Fifth Avenue in Huntington. Clerk Julie G. Callicoat manages civil filings at (304) 526-8642. Seven magistrates means hearing availability is more frequent than in smaller counties — a meaningful advantage in a market where timely possession recovery matters.
The WV eviction process applies uniformly: file Form MLTPTWR, pay $50–$70 plus service fees, sheriff serves the summons, tenant has five days to respond, hearing scheduled promptly. No pre-filing notice is required for nonpayment. For lease violations, issuing a written cure-or-quit notice before filing is standard practice and good documentation. After a judgment, the Cabell County Sheriff executes the Writ of Possession. Self-help evictions — changing locks, cutting utilities, removing belongings — are illegal under WV Code §55-3A-3 and can expose landlords to civil liability.
The Barboursville and Milton Sub-Markets
While Huntington dominates the county’s rental conversation, Barboursville (east of Huntington on US-60) and Milton (further east at the I-64 interchange) offer distinct micro-markets. Barboursville is a suburban community with a mix of apartment complexes, single-family homes, and commercial development along US-60. Its proximity to Huntington without the urban density makes it attractive to families and working adults who want the amenities of the Huntington metro without the city. Milton sits at I-64 Exit 28 and draws from both the Cabell County and Putnam County employment bases. Both communities file evictions at Cabell County Magistrate Court in Huntington.
For security deposit compliance, West Virginia requires return within 60 days of lease termination or 45 days of new occupancy, whichever is shorter, with a written itemized statement. In a rental market with this much tenant diversity — from university students to federal employees to voucher holders — thorough move-in and move-out documentation is essential protection at every tenancy. Contact Magistrate Clerk Julie G. Callicoat at (304) 526-8642 for current filing procedures. Legal Aid of West Virginia is available at 1-866-255-4370.
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