Todd A. Sinkins

Partner
blank image Todd A. Sinkins

Todd A. Sinkins

Partner
Falls Church T: 703.280.3393 F: 703.259.6534
download bio
download vcard
Todd A. Sinkins

Todd A. Sinkins

PARTNER
tsinkins@whitefordlaw.com
FALLS CHURCH
T: 703.280.3393
F: 703.259.6534
Biography
BIOGRAPHY
Todd Sinkins represents property owners’ associations and condominium associations of all sizes, including large master associations in Virginia and luxury condominium buildings in the District of Columbia.

Nationally recognized as a leading practitioner in the area of community associations law, Mr. Sinkins has almost 30 years of experience counseling and advocating for common interest communities, including condominiums, cooperatives and homeowners associations (HOAs) which range from large-scale communities with thousands of residents, golf course and lifestyle communities, age-restricted communities with an emphasis on amenities and smaller neighborhood associations.

Mr. Sinkins’ experience as a community associations attorney is comprehensive. Clients turn to him for guidance on corporate governance, covenant enforcement, fair housing compliance, project finance, developer transitions, regulatory compliance, and collections and bankruptcy matters. He routinely advises on the interpretation and amendment of governing documents, including amending and restating declarations of restrictive covenants. He regularly drafts and negotiates contracts, rules and regulations, loan documents, and association policies and procedures.

A formidable advocate when disputes arise, Mr. Sinkins is an experienced negotiator on warranty and construction defect claims, claims regarding violations of applicable state common interest community statutes and governing documents, developer underfunding disputes, and defense of discrimination claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Fair Housing Act, and frequently leads and works with litigation teams in pursuing such claims. His experience extends to land use and governmental matters — including zoning amendments, opposition to neighboring development proposals, and annexations and mergers.   Todd also has experience handling a broad spectrum of regulatory claims, including cases challenging power transmission line cases before the Virginia State Corporation Commission, Fair Housing claims before local, state and federal agencies, and claims before various local agencies.

A frequent speaker in the community associations industry, Mr. Sinkins provides governance training to association directors and committee members.
 

Recognitions

  • 2019 Out-going Board Member award given by the Washington Metropolitan Chapter of the Community Association Institute for outstanding service
  • 2019, inducted into the Washington Metropolitan Chapter of the Community Association Institute’s Hall of Fame, with special recognition for his work with the DC Legislative and Legislative Action Committees
  • 2013 District of Columbia Public Advocate of the Year awarded by the Washington Metropolitan Chapter of the Community Association Institute
  • 2012 District of Columbia Public Advocate of the Year awarded by the Washington Metropolitan Chapter of the Community Association Institute
  • 2006 Rising Star Award from the Washington Metropolitan Chapter of the Community Association Institute
  • 2007 District of Columbia Public Advocate of the Year awarded by the Washington Metropolitan Chapter of the Community Association Institute
  • 2008 Educator of the Year awarded by the Washington Metropolitan Chapter of the Community Association Institute
  • 2012 Volunteer of the Years awarded by the Washington Metropolitan Chapter of the Community Association Institute
 

Memberships & Activities

  • Fellow: College of Community Association Lawyers (2020)  
  • Member: Fairfax Bar Association
  • Member: Federal Bar Association
  • Board Member: Community Associations Institute - Washington Metropolitan Chapter (2013 – 2019)
    • Government and Public Affairs Committee
    • Amicus Committee
    • District of Columbia Legislative Active Committee (2006 - present); Chairman (2008 - 2014)
    • Virginia Legislative Committee (1999-2019)
  • Member: CAI's National Amicus Committee
  • Member: CAI's National Policy and Government Affairs Committee
  • Represents community associations in discussions with local jurisdictions and developers to ensure the developer fulfills its developmental responsibilities owed to the Association
  • Represents community associations on covenant enforcement cases
  • Regularly represents new condominium associations in construction warranty defect litigation
  • Represents community associations in claims relating to the underfunding of the association by the developer
  • Represents multiple associations in annexations and mergers with neighboring property
  • Prepares and reviews contracts with service providers for community associations
  • Advises Boards of Directors for community associations ranging from small townhome communities, mixed-use high-rise condominiums to large-scale master associations on issues relating to the operation and governance of the association and enforcement of the association’s governing documents
  • Draft Rules and Regulations for community associations
  • Defends community associations against claims of discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Fair Housing Act
  • Provides training to directors and committee members for condominium associations, homeowners associations and large-scale master associations.
  • Prepares amendments to condominium instruments and homeowners association documents.
  • Represents condominiums, cooperatives and homeowners associations in obtaining financing for renovations and new-construction
  • Represent community associations in obtaining amendments to zoning restrictions
  • Represent community associations against developers proposing to develop property adjacent to such community association
  • Represents condominium associations in opposing liquor license applications
  • Represents community associations against telecommunication companies relating to breach of contract claims and in negotiating access and bulk service agreements
  • Represents Residential Associations in negotiations with developers regarding acquisition of land or space owned or controlled by the Residential Association
INSIGHTS

Co-Speaker: "Working with a Divided Board of Directors," for EJF Real Estate, (January 23, 2026)

Speaker: "Living on the Edge: Helping Associations Avoid Liability Perils and Pitfalls," 2026 Community Association Law Seminar, San Diego, CA (January 2026)

Speaker: "Insurance Claims, Water Damage and Remediation," FirstService Residential (October 2, 2025)

Speaker: "Managing Casualty Loss and Insurance Claims," CAI Washington Metro Chapter Conference and Expo (March 8, 2025)

Speaker: "Don’t Bogart My Doobie! The Impact of Marijuana Declassification," CAI Law Seminar (January 31, 2025)

Speaker: "End Times: Terminating a Common Interest Community," CAI Law Seminar (February 15, 2024)

Presenter: "Corporate Transparency Act: New Challenges For Community Associations," Webinar for the Community Association Institute (January 31, 2024)

Speaker: "The Penumbra of Privacy: What Is A Reasonable Expectation of Privacy In A Common Interest Development?," CAI Law Seminar (January 13, 2024)

Presenter: "Fair Housing Law," Webinar for FirstService Residential (April 2022)

Presenter: "Virginia Community Association Law," Webinar for FirstService Residential (April 2022)

Speaker: "District of Columbia Legislative Update," CAI Washington Metro Chapter Conference and Expo (March 2022)

Speaker: "Fair Housing Law," Community Association Management Professionals (November 2021)

Presenter: "Virginia Legislative Update," Webinar for FirstService Residential (June 2021)

Presenter: "COVID-19 Townhall," Webinar for CAI Washington Metro Chapter (June 2021)

Presenter: "District of Columbia Legislative Update," Webinar for CAI Washington Metro Chapter (November 2020)

Presenter: "COVID-19: Opening Amenities during Pandemic; Community Associations: Returning to Normal," Webinar for Sahouri Insurance (July 2020)

Presenter: "Operating community associations during COVID-19, Business Continuity in a COVID-19 Environment," Webinar for Kustom, Inc. (June 2020)

Presenter: "Managing Virginia community associations through Covid-19," Webinar for Gates Hudson Community Management (April 2020)

Presenter: "Managing community associations in the District of Columbia through Covid-19," Webinar for EJF Realty (April 2020)

Speaker: "District of Columbia Legislative Update," CAI Washington Metro Chapter Conference and Expo (February 2020)

Speaker: "TRENDS: Religion in Community Associations: Fair Housing or Free Speech?," CAI Law Seminar (January 2019)

"For homeowners associations and condo boards, the show must go online," Washington Post (2021)

ARTICLES

August 20, 2025

Client Alert: Changes to the Virginia Ombudsman Complaint Regulations

The Common Interest Community Board amended the Complaint Regulations effective August 1, 2025. These regulatory changes pertain to those circumstances where a person files a complaint against an association as the first step in initiating the process that typically culminates in a referral of the Complaint to the Virginia Common Interest Community Ombudsman.