Stay in Your Lane: Roles and Responsibilities of the Board Directors (Chesapeake Chapter CAI, April 2021)
Virtual Board Leadership Development Workshop, Two-Part Webinar (WMCCAI December 2020)
Managing through COVID-19: Virtually Everything You Need to Know About Virtual Meetings (WMCCAI Town Hall Webinar Series May 2020)
Rookie Managers - Management 101 (WMCCAI Manager Seminar)
Tech Dilemmas: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (Chesapeake Chapter CAI Managers Breakfast, April 2019)
Fair Housing Laws and Community Associations (2017, 2018, and 2019)
Community Association Institute – Board Leadership Development Workshop (2015-2019)
Avoiding Unlawful Workplace Discrimination & Harassment (2018)
When Short-term Rentals Happen In Your Community (2018 WMCCAI Conference & Expo, Washington, D.C.)
Who’s Liability Is It Anyway? (2017 WMCCAI Conference & Expo, Washington, D.C.)
Virginia Legislative Update (2016 and 2017)
Covenants Enforcement in Virginia (2016)
Falling Water: Who Stops It, Who Repairs It and Who Pays For It (WMCCAI Managers Luncheon April 2016)
Maryland Legislative Update 2016
2016 Virginia Legislative Update
Community Association Collections - A Fresh Start For Your Community (Prince Georges County, Maryland 2013)
ARTICLES
June 13, 2023
The Virginia General Assembly approved a number of bills during its 2023 legislative session. Some of the bills impact, directly or indirectly, common interest communities. The Governor of Virginia signed the following bills into law and the new laws will take effect on July 1, 2023. We have outlined the legislative action taken by the Virginia General Assembly that we believe most directly affect both homeowners and condominium associations.
The following bills amend the Property Owners’ Association Act (Va. Code Ann. 55.1-1801, et seq., as amended (1950)), the Virginia Condominium Act (Va. Code Ann. 55.1-1900, et seq., as amended (1950)), and other statutes that may affect common interest communities. Please feel free to contact us if you have questions regarding any of the following legislative changes.
June 23, 2022
The Virginia General Assembly only approved a few bills during its 2022 legislative session that impact, directly or indirectly, common interest communities. The Governor of Virginia signed the following bills into law in March and the new laws will take effect on July 1, 2022. We have outlined the legislative action taken by the Virginia General Assembly that most directly affect both homeowners and condominium associations. We also summarize the piece of federal legislation recently introduced following the Surfside condominium collapse that, if passed by Congress, will have a direct impact on condominium associations nationwide.
February 4, 2022
With the rise of short-term rentals through services such as Airbnb, legislation providing regulations and restrictions on how short-term rentals are regulated and managed has become essential. With concerns over public access to buildings, guest misconduct, and insurance, it is vital for cooperative, condominium, and home owner associations (collectively, “Associations”) to stay updated on legislation pertaining to short-term rentals.
January 14, 2022
On January 6, 2022, D.C. issued additional guidance regarding Mayor Muriel Bower's Order 2021-148 (the "Order"), providing clarity for community associations. Specifically, the D.C. Department of Health clarified that the Order does not apply to gyms, fitness studios, any facilities used for group fitness classes, and recreation centers in private residential buildings such as condominium associations and housing cooperatives that are not open to the public. For example, if your gym, fitness studio, facility used for group fitness classes, and/or recreation center sells memberships to the public or otherwise accepts members of the public, the Order and its requirements do apply. The additional guidance issued by D.C. also confirms that private meeting spaces in residential buildings do not require verification of vaccination status, further differentiating most D.C. community associations from the businesses subject to the Order.
April 12, 2021
The Virginia General Assembly approved a number of bills during its 2021 legislative session. Several of the bills impact, directly or indirectly, common interest communities. The Governor of Virginia signed the following bills into law in March and the new laws will take effect on July 1, 2021. We have outlined the legislative action taken by the Virginia General Assembly that we believe most directly affect both homeowners and condominium associations.
May 28, 2020
The Virginia General Assembly approved a number of bills during its 2020 legislative session. Several of the bills, directly or indirectly, impact common interest communities. The Governor of Virginia signed the following bills into law in March, which will take effect on July 1, 2020. We have outlined the legislative action taken by the Virginia General Assembly that we believe most directly affects both homeowners and condominium associations.
June 26, 2019
The Virginia General Assembly approved a number of bills during its 2019 legislative session. Several of the bills impact, directly or indirectly, common interest communities. The Governor of Virginia signed the following bills into law in March and the new laws will take effect on July 1, 2019, except as otherwise noted herein. We have outlined the legislative action taken by the Virginia General Assembly that we believe most directly affect both homeowners and condominium associations.
May 31, 2018
The Virginia General Assembly approved a number of bills during its 2018 legislative session. Several of the bills impact, directly or indirectly, common interest communities. The Governor of Virginia signed the following bills into law in March and the new laws will take effect on July 1, 2018, except as otherwise noted herein. We have outlined the substantive legislative action taken by the Virginia General Assembly that impacts both homeowners and condominium associations.
March 14, 2016
The Prince George’s County Council recently adopted new legislation that establishes a Commission on Common Ownership Communities (the “PGCCOC”). The Commission will be composed of nine (9) members appointed by the County Executive. Five (5) of the members will be selected from unit or lot owners who reside in a common ownership community, and four (4) of the members will be selected from professionals associated with common ownership communities, such as property managers, realtors and attorneys.
January 19, 2016
Montgomery County law now requires common ownership community board members to receive training in basic community association management. The Montgomery County Commission on Common Ownership Communities (CCOC) has launched a new online training program that allows board members to comply with the County’s requirements.
May 13, 2015
The Virginia General Assembly approved a number of bills in the 2015 legislative session which impact, directly or indirectly, common interest communities, and the Governor of Virginia signed the following bills into law.
July 3, 2014
As a result of the 2014 General Assembly Session, a number of bills were approved by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor, many of which directly or indirectly impact common interest communities in Virginia.
The new laws amend the Virginia Property Owners’ Association Act, the Virginia Condominium Act, and other statutes that may affect common interest communities. These new laws will take effect on July 1, 2014. Below is a brief summary of the legislation that directly or indirectly influences common interest community associations.
June 10, 2013
The 2013 General Assembly session was recently completed, and it resulted in a number of new laws that directly or indirectly impact common interest communities in Virginia.
The new laws amend the Virginia Property Owners’ Association Act, the Virginia Condominium Act, and other statutes that may affect common interest communities. These new laws take effect on July 1, 2013 except as otherwise noted herein. Below is a brief summary of the changes that you should be aware of.
February 6, 2013
Review your declaration and bylaws carefully. The penalties that a board can impose for violations need to be based in those documents, not just your rules and regulations.
July 3, 2012
The 2012 General Assembly resulted in a number of changes that directly or indirectly impact common interest communities in Virginia. The new laws amend the Virginia Property Owners’ Association Act, the Virginia Condominium Act, and the Common Interest Communities. These new laws take effect on July 1, 2012. Below is a brief summary of the legislation that directly or indirectly impacts common interest community associations.
July 11, 2011
The 2011 General Assembly session was an active one in Virginia. A number of new provisions will directly or indirectly impact common interest communities in Virginia. The new laws amend the Virginia Property Owners' Association Act, the Virginia Condominium Act, the Common Interest Community Management statutes, and the Virginia Nonstock Corporation Act. The sections of the law that are affected by the changes are listed; unless otherwise noted, the references are to the Virginia Code. These new laws took effect on July 1, 2011, unless otherwise noted in the summaries below.