Condo living etiquette: Be a good neighbor (VA)

As a condo board member and a member of the Community Associations Institute, I follow an online forum of condo board members and managers around the country. There’s a topic that seems to come up quite often in communities of all types, and that is dealing with nuisance neighbors.   Read the article……………………..

HOAs Get Together to Make Their Voices Heard (VA)

Some of the biggest communities in Loudoun have come together to make a bigger impact.  According to the Piedmont Environmental Council, more than 60 percent of Loudouners live in a Homeowners Association—dwarfing the population of all of Loudoun’s incorporated towns together, although some HOAs are in towns. While they contain the majority of the county’s […]

Independent Review Flags Practices of Lake Anne Reston Condominium Association

A forensic analysis by Ernst & Young (EY) has flagged concerns with past financial practices and decision making by the Lake Anne Reston Condominium Association.  LARCA President Senzel Schaefer said she initiated the review following a board vote after last year’s election brought a new slate of board members who committed to “change and fiscal […]

Updated report includes new state law on solar installations on homes (VA)

A new Virginia law is expanding the rights of some homeowners who want to install and use solar energy. This year, the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 504, which says HOAs can impose so-called “reasonable restrictions” on the installation of rooftop solar, and the legislation says restrictions are considered unreasonable if they increase the cost of […]

What homeowners associations should do when residents can’t pay during the pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has delivered a multitude of horrors around the world. Along with the personal toll the virus has taken on individuals and families, the pandemic’s impact has shaken nearly all sectors of American economic life, and community associations are no exception. Millions of homeowners were under stay-at-home orders within a community association, and […]

What homeowners associations should do when residents can’t pay during the pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has delivered a multitude of horrors around the world. Along with the personal toll the virus has taken on individuals and families, the pandemic’s impact has shaken nearly all sectors of American economic life, and community associations are no exception. Millions of homeowners were under stay-at-home orders within a community association, and […]

Home Owners Encourage Healthy Purple Martin Colony (VA)

Billy Stone served as the HOA’s first president and was apparently a great avian enthusiast. During his tenure on the HOA Board, Billy solicited a group of other homeowners to help set-up bird houses for a colony of Purple Martins. The volunteers would periodically check them for competitor nests in spring and then in the […]

New Virginia law prevents HOAs from blocking solar installations

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has signed HB 414/SB 504. The bill protects homeowners who want to install solar from burdensome homeowners association (HOA) restrictions.  “The legislation protects the rights of homeowners who want to go solar but live in HOA communities,” said Aaron Sutch, program director for Solar United Neighbors.“It strikes a fair balance between […]

Reston Association Letters Threatening Legal Action Rile Boat Owners (VA)

Local boat owners are protesting Reston Association’s enforcement of boat-related rules after the homeowner’s association sent out a batch of letters threatening legal action earlier this month.  While the letters are intended to enforce RA’s boat rules regarding sizes, some boat owners say they’re being unjustly threatened to comply with rules that RA has not […]

Sprinkler Stops Fire At Kingstowne Condo (VA)

A sprinkler system put out a fire at a condo building Friday, Feb. 14 in Kingstowne, according to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue.  The fire happened around 6:58 p.m. in the 6800 block of Brindle Heath Way. Firefighters arrived to find a sprinkler had already extinguished the fire. There were no injuries.    Read the article…………………………

For some, Massanutten town incorporation is not best option (VA)

Massanutten is not going to incorporate into a town this year, but it could happen next year. The recent push was a response to community concerns about money and other issues and incorporation was seen by some as a possible solution. However, not everyone who lives in the area supports incorporation.   Read the article………………………….

When does protection trump privacy in condo communities? (VA)

I remember the very first time I walked up to a home with a video doorbell camera a couple of years ago. While intercoms of some sort go way back in time, it was a rather strange feeling talking to someone I knew could see me, but I couldn’t see them. Welcome to 2020! I […]

New Year means new resolutions for associations, owners (VA)

With 2019 ending soon, many people are making resolutions to make a change or start something new.  Community associations and their residents should not be the exception. Here are just a few suggestions for resolutions to make 2020 a more positive and successful year for your community.    Read the article…………………………

Virginia Community Installs Its Own Traffic Signs After Teen’s Death

A Virginia community is trying to make its streets safer after a teenager was struck and killed in a hit-and-run last December.  The 16-year-old victim was crossing South Lakes Drive toward Castle Rock Square near the Bristol House Condos in Reston when he was hit by a car.   Readthe article……………………….

Campbell Co. voters pass referendum to dredge Timber Lake (VA)

“It means great things for our conservation efforts of dredging the lake and keeping it clean and preserving the lake and what we have here as homeowners,” said D.D. Gillette, president of the Timberlake Homeowner’s Association. “So we’re very excited about it.”   Read the article…………………………

Power Struggle: Residents and homeowners associations clash over solar panels (VA)

For Lillian Mezey, installing solar panels on the roof of her family’s home wasn’t just about saving money—“We just care a lot about environmental issues,” Mezey says.  That’s part of the reason Mezey was so frustrated when the homeowners association that governs her neighborhood rejected her request to install the panels. Mezey, a psychiatrist at […]

Watershed Improvement District clears final hurdle, paves way to dredge lake (VA)

After efforts spanning more than a generation, the end is in sight for residents of Timber Lake. A referendum victory at Tuesday’s election gives the Timberlake Watershed Improvement District the power to levy a tax and incur indebtedness or issue bonds — necessary to cover the costs of dredging Timber Lake, hoping to reverse decades […]

Three rescued, 35 displaced after Falls Church condo fire (VA)

Firefighters rescued three people and about 35 residents were displaced after an early morning fire Saturday at a condominium complex in Falls Church.  Residents say there was an explosion at Timberlane Village Gardens, which is off Lee Highway.    Read the article……………………….

Massanutten residents working to incorporate area into town (VA)

Some in the Valley are hoping to create a new town, right in Rockingham County.  Gene Hauze and other residents of Massanutten have been working since September to gather signatures and educate their neighbors about a plan to incorporate Massanutten into a town.    Read the article……………………….

Condo Conversations: The dreaded special assessment

Has your stomach ever dropped when you opened the envelope from your homeowners association and saw the words “special assessment?” If so, you’re not alone.  Special assessments can be scary creatures, and anyone who lives in a condo community dreads receiving one. Let’s take a little bit to explore what special assessments are, why they […]

Community Associations Supporting the Local Ecosystem (VA)

Homeowner and condominium associations make many of the decisions that will determine the future of the birds and butterflies of Northern Virginia. Not only do community associations set standards for landscaping on private property, they also own and control large amounts of community property, including much of what is left of the undeveloped land in […]

How a Loudoun Co. family’s year-round holiday lights sparked a lawsuit (VA)

After a homeowners association in Loudoun County, Virginia, initially fined and successfully sued a family for keeping its exterior holiday lights up throughout the year, Virginia’s Supreme Court has now overturned the HOA’s lawsuit victory.  In 2018, Loudoun County Circuit Judge Jeanette Irby had ruled in favor of the Belmont Glen Homeowners Association in its […]

Fairfax County considers taking responsibility of Kingstowne Lake (VA)

One of the few privately maintained stormwater management facilities left in Fairfax County may eventually come under county control.  The Kingstowne Residential Owners Corporation sent a petition to Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay on July 10 asking the county to take over maintenance and other responsibilities for Kingstowne Lake, a 14-acre stormwater management facility at […]

Supreme Court affirms ruling in HHHunt-Henrico Wyndham road dispute (VA)

The state’s highest court has weighed in on a years-long dispute between Henrico County and one of its biggest residential developers.  The Supreme Court of Virginia issued an opinion Thursday affirming a lower court’s ruling that the county was within its rights when it eliminated a stretch of road that HHHunt had intended to use […]

Leesburg Resident Tagged as White Supremacist Resigns from HOA Board (VA)

After the Southern Poverty Law Center published a report alleging Leesburg resident and State Department official Matthew Gebert lived a second life online as a white supremacist, his neighbors have pulled together and ordered 100 “Hate Has No Home Here” signs.   Read the article………………………

Poquoson homeowners upset about drainage ditch backup (VA)

It’s a growing concern for people living in the townhouses at Poquoson Place.  Sarah Hamrick said when it rains, especially when it rains hard, the ditches behind their homes flood because of debris buildup, and she said it’s getting worse.  “In the past year it’s been three or four times,” Hamrick said. “I want a […]

Certain home-based daycares get new protections (VA)

Home-based childcare providers can breathe a sigh of relief after Virginia passed a new law giving certain providers some protection.  The new law which took effect on July 1 is specifically protecting home-based childcare’s that reside in areas that are beholden to Home Owners Associations. In the past Home Owners Associations would try to ban […]

2019 Legislative Updates (VA)

During its 2019 legislative session, the General Assembly approved a number of bills that create changes to the Property Owners’ Association Act (“POAA”), the Condominium Act and the Code of Virginia. The legislation addressed in this newsletter will take effect on July 1, 2019, unless otherwise noted below. Also, please note that Chapter 55 of […]

American flag flying high again in Wyndham veteran’s yard (VA)

Richard Oulton’s U.S. flag – the one that stirred controversy and earned him national headlines when he pledged to fly it despite a judge’s order more than 15 years ago – has returned once again to a towering flagpole in his front yard in the Wyndham neighborhood in western Henrico County, .  Ordered by a […]

Police investigating after $60k vanishes from Colonial Heights HOA (VA)

The Conjurer’s Neck neighborhood is known as one of the nicest and wealthiest neighborhoods in Colonial Heights.  “It’s a great neighborhood, quiet, its why we moved down here,” said resident Ricky Williams.  “Very peaceful, quiet, people tend to keep to themselves,” resident Eric Cavey added.  That’s a common theme for those who live in the […]