Virginia Condo & HOA News
- Will Data Centers Ruin Your Neighborhood? September 28, 2024The residents of the sleepy, tree-lined subdivision of Great Oak didn’t realize what was in store for them when construction began for an Amazon Web Services (AWS) data center. This small community in Prince William County, Virginia, soon became the epicenter of an ongoing quarrel between a multinational tech giant and a local homeowners association. Dale Browne, the president of the Great Oak Homeowners Association, said the building’s “constant whir” was “obnoxious” and regularly exceeded 60 decibels (dB), according to ...
- Final phase of Lake Anne area visioning study nears completion (VA) September 18, 2024The haze around Lake Anne Village Center’s future may soon begin to clear. Fairfax County expects the final phase of its economic visioning study to conclude this fall with a final report and community meeting after a study conducted this summer looked at the Reston neighborhood’s residential market and potential to support new cultural facilities. Read the article…………………………….
- Ask McEnearney: Is that condo you’re eyeing (or selling) on a lending naughty list? September 18, 2024Question: Is that condo you’re eyeing (or selling) on a lending naughty list? Answer: Stricter lending guidelines for condominium sales mean some properties may not be eligible for certain financing. Read the Q&A………………………………..
- Reston Association unveils long-awaited new website (VA) September 13, 2024Reston Association has officially launched a website that has been in the works for years. The new platform was fully redesigned with a more user-friendly interface, the community association announced today (Thursday). New features include a customized “notify me” feature that allows members to sign up for customized email or text alerts. The site also has a “how do I…” navigation feature that redirects users to specific pages. Read the article…………………………….
- Cypress Creek homeowners feud with developer over amenities (VA) September 9, 2024The Cypress Creek Homeowners Association claims the subdivision’s developer hasn’t delivered on amenities or met deadlines promised as conditions of approval to build Cypress Creek’s sixth and final phase. The developer, however, claims the HOA is part of the reason for the delay. Read the article…………………………….
- Norfolk hits obstacles implementing storm risk protection (VA) August 26, 2024On a mid-July evening, condominium owners in Norfolk’s historic Freemason district met to organize against what they saw as a threat to their property values and the enjoyment of the waterfront: a planned floodwall, 11 feet or more high, running through their neighborhood. They’d been blindsided a month earlier when a resident invited Kyle Spencer, the city’s resilience officer, to present a $2.66 billion U.S. Army Corps of Engineers coastal storm risk management plan to protect the city from catastrophic ...
- Association can’t collect assessments despite unauthorized rezoning (VA) August 20, 2024A circuit court correctly dismissed claims made by a property association that a business failed to pay assessment fees after rezoning commercial property without its approval in breach of declarations, the Court of Appeals of Virginia has held. The current owner argued that it wasn’t subject to the commercial declaration or obligated to pay assessment fees because it bought the property shortly after it was rezoned. The circuit court granted demurrer. Read the article……………………………. (Click on page and then subscription ...
Virginia News Archives
Virginia Condo & HOA Articles
- An Update on Compliance with the Corporate Transparency Act (VA)Community Association clients should be familiar with the background and requirements for the law known as the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”). Congress recently enacted this law to address and curb money-laundering and terrorist financing. Unfortunately, it has ensnared a broad range of businesses within its requirements, including condominiums, cooperatives and homeowner’s associations. Upon realizing the extent of its requirements, various small businesses as well as Community Associations Institute (“CAI”) have taken steps to address it. Read the article…………………………….
- Ten Legal Pitfalls for Community Association Boards and Managers in VirginiaCommunity association boards and managers in Virginia play a vital role in maintaining the well-being of their communities. However, this role comes with numerous legal responsibilities and potential pitfalls. This article explores ten legal challenges that community association boards and managers may encounter in Virginia. Read the article…………………………….
- Contract: Business prevails in dispute with community association (VA)Where a property association alleged a business failed to seek its approval before rezoning the property, but the current owner did not own the property until two months after the Board of Supervisors approved the rezoning application, it was not required to seek approval from the Association. Read the article…………………………….
- A Legislative Fix for Virginia Community Associations After Palisades ParkThe Virginia General Assembly recently passed legislation that addresses concerns for the community association industry from the ruling in a recent Court of Appeals decision in Burkholder v. Palisades Park Owners Ass’n, 76 Va. App. 577 (2023). This legislative change ensures community associations can collect fees from residents for the association’s contractual or legal obligations in the exercise of their duties and responsibilities. Read the article…………………………….
- Important Bills passed in 2024 General Assembly (VA)It was a busy legislative session for community associations. New laws on a variety of significant topics were enacted. Among them are significant changes to the sections which deal with reserves for replacing components of the common area and new provisions in the resale certificate procedures and requirements. Read the article…………………………….
- Community Association Management Contracts Considerations: Indemnification (VA)Community associations are engaged in multi-faceted and dynamic operations, often handling a wide assortment of items from handling reserve funds to arranging for swimming pool operations. There are also considerable administrative burdens in the operation of a community association such as handling communications with owners, payment of insurance premiums, collection of assessments, and preparing Virginia State Corporation Commission (“SCC”) annual reports. Read the article…………………………….
- 2024 Virginia Legislative Changes Affecting Community AssociationsThe Virginia General Assembly had a busy 2024 session with several changes impacting Virginia community associations. We highlight below the new laws of greatest significance to property owners’ associations and condominium unit owner associations, which take effect July 1, 2024. 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