Virginia Condo & HOA News
- Virginia ranks high nationally in HOA real estate landscape April 16, 2024Virginia’s residential landscape boasts the 12th spot nationally with the highest number of homes belonging to Homeowner Associations (HOAs). Based on data from the Foundation for Community Association Research from December 2021, more than 2 million Virginia residents live in over 9,000 HOA communities across the Commonwealth. Read the article…………………………….
- Blacksburg 4th grader starts petition to get rules changed in HOA (VA) April 13, 2024A little girl in Blacksburg is taking on her neighborhood HOA in a battle over backyard chickens. “There’s a farm behind my house so like why not?” said Avery Prussin. “Why am I not allowed to have chickens? Like there are horses, cows, like a bunch of things.” Read the article…………………………….
- “I cried for days”: Roanoke County woman is suing her homeowners association for the second time (VA) April 10, 2024A Roanoke woman is suing her homeowner’s association again, this time she says they are impacting her ability to sell her home. Jeannie Brown is living with Multiple Sclerosis, which has impacted her mobility making it hard for her to move around her backyard.That’s when she requested a patio, but her homeowner’s association were not in favor. Read the article…………………………….
- Westlake Residents Sue Over HOA Rights (VA) April 5, 2024Four residents of Crozet’s Westlake Hills have filed a civil suit against Stanley Martin Homes and two companies affiliated with Riverbend Development in a dispute over who controls a small parcel of land at the southern boundary of the neighborhood. The property is key to a proposed project called Oak Bluff that Riverbend plans to develop with up to 134 residential units on 22 acres spanning Lickinghole Creek just north of Cory Farm. Read the article…………………………….
- Robert Diamond named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Hall of Fame April 2, 2024Reed Smith is pleased to announce that Robert M. Diamond, a senior counsel in its Real Estate Group, has been named to the 2024 class of the Virginia Lawyers Hall of Fame, presented by Virginia Lawyers Weekly. Diamond was honored for his contributions to national and state legislation, real estate transactions and real estate litigation matters, including the creation of new laws regulating condominiums and planned communities across the U.S. and within Virginia. Read the article…………………………….
- Records: Hanover dam 4 years past inspection when a component of it failed (VA) March 30, 2024Inspection records show that the Mattawan Dam in Hanover County was several years past inspection, and without an operating permit, when a component of it failed earlier this month, leading to the closure of two roads. An official for the regulatory body that oversees all of Virginia’s privately owned dams said it is likely that the problem would have been found before the incident had it been inspected earlier. Now, the neighborhood is on the hook for repairs that could ...
- New Kent board fails to guarantee funding for dam repairs in neighborhood (VA) March 19, 2024A Quinton community’s appeal for funding to repair an aging and at-risk dam that contains Kent Lake has failed to move New Kent County’s Board of Supervisors. Woodhaven Shores residents packed the March 11 Board of Supervisors meeting to appeal for financial help to bolster a bid for grant funding. The community fronts onto Kent Lake, and residents said they have been told by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation that the dam beneath Lakeshore Drive is at risk ...
Virginia News Archives
Virginia Condo & HOA Articles
- Virginia Community Associations and the Corporate Transparency Act: New Federal Reporting Requirements Effective January 1, 2024Effective January 1, 2024, most Virginia community associations will be required to comply with the federal Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) and its regulations, unless a community association fits within one of the narrow exemptions to the Act. Read the article…………………………….
- HOAs are blocking solar panels and native lawns. Here’s how to fight back.More Americans than ever are running afoul of their HOAs for updating their homes in ways that benefit the environment, adding solar panels, native lawns, EV chargers, clotheslines or gardens. Once a rarity, 84 percent of newly built, single-family homes sold in 2022 were part of HOAs, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Read the article…………………………….
- Homeowner’s discrimination suit against HOA dismissed (VA)Where a man alleged he was treated differently by his homeowner’s association because of his national origin, but he failed to allege enough factual detail that could plausibly show that his property was similarly situated as the properties owned by his neighbors who were treated differently, his suit was dismissed. Read the article…………………………….
- HOA members obstructed access to riverfront pier — $400,500 verdict (VA)Plaintiffs included a homeowner’s association in Gloucester County and several of its lot-owning members. Defendants are also members of the homeowner’s association with a waterfront lot within the subdivision. Defendants’ waterfront lot is encumbered by half of a 15-foot ingress and egress easement to a community pier, which pier is affixed within the easement above mean low water to neighboring property owned by two of the plaintiffs. Read the article…………………………….
- Court must provide ‘concise but clear explanation’ for reduced fee award (VA)A trial court’s failure to explain its reduction of attorneys’ fees awarded to the plaintiffs — who substantially prevailed in litigation against a homeowners’ association — resulted in the Virginia Court of Appeals remanding the case for reconsideration. Read the article…………………………….
- How to do battle with your homeowners associationHomeowners’ Associations, also known as HOAs, are often necessary and helpful — especially in multi-unit dwellings or communities with a lot of common areas — but if you poll your neighbors about whether they enjoy living in one, you’ll likely receive mixed reviews. Read the article……………………………….
- ‘Grossly out of proportion’: HOA can’t tear down noncompliant homes (VA)The Western District of Virginia held that it would be “grossly out of proportion” to allow a homeowner’s association, or HOA, to destroy three homes that were built without approval of its architectural review board that didn’t exist at the time. Read the article…………………………………
Virginia Article Archives
Virginia Laws
Common Interest Communities Statutes
Property Owners’ Association Act
Common Interest Community Management Information Fund Statutes
The Office of the Common Interest Community Ombudsman – was established by the 2008 General Assembly and was created to: Assist members in understanding and exercising their rights in resolving issues with their common interest community associations
Common Interest Community Board – The Board was established to regulate Common Interest Community Managers, via a licensure program for management firms, and principal and supervisory employees of the licensed firms.
Common Interest Community Board
The Common Interest Community Board regulates common interest community managers, as well as certain employees of licensed management firms. The Board’s authority also includes condominium and time-share project registrations, and extends to transactions occurring within Virginia, even if the property involved is located outside the Commonwealth. Property owner, condominium, and cooperative associations are required to file annual reports with the Board.
All forms and documents are at this link.
Office of the Common Interest Community Ombudsman
Homeowners’ Associations
The Office of the Common Interest Community Ombudsman offers assistance and information to homeowners’ association members regarding the rights and processes available to them through their associations. The Ombudsman is responsible for receiving “notices of adverse decision” from association members who allege an association governing body violated common interest community laws or regulations. The Office also receives reports of violations concerning timeshares. The Common Interest Community Board is separate and distinct from the Office of the Ombudsman. The Board is the regulatory body responsible for licensing association managers, certifying certain employees of licensed management firms, receiving annual reports filed by associations, and registering condominium and time-share projects registrations.
All forms and documents are at the link.
Virginia Condo & HOA Resources
Fairfax County has a large number of publications available
Henrico County has a number of articles and links available
The law firm of Rees Broome, P.C. has a numbr of articles available
The law firm of MercerTrigiani has a number of articles available
Community Associations Network has chapters located:
Central Virginia Chapter
Richmond and vicinity
Southeastern Virginia Chapter
Hampton Roads and vicinity
Southwest Virginia Chapter
Roanoke, Blacksburg, and vicinity
Washington Metropolitan Chapter
Washington, DC and vicinity
Virginia Condominium & Homeowner Association Blogs
Virginia HOA & Business Weekly
Virginia Community Association Law
Virginia Condominium & Homeowner Association Law