Senator Chap Petersen’s (D-Fairfax) bill to establish the Virginia Homeowners Bill of Rights (SB1008) will be heard in Senate General Laws Committee on Monday, January 26th.
Sen. Petersen’s Virginia Homeowners’ Bill of Rights will codify many protections for HOA and condo association members. These rights include:
• The right of access to all book and record kept on behalf of the association –
• The right to cast a vote on any matter requiring a vote by the association’s membership –
• The right to have notice of any meeting of the board of directors and to participate in such meeting –
• The right to have notice of any proceeding conducted against the unit or owner to enforce any regulations, and the right to bring counsel to such a meeting –
• And the right to have all funds managed by generally accepted fiduciary standards.
Last year, Sen. Petersen lead the fight against HB 791, a bill by Delegate Jim LeMunyon (R-Centreville), which would have gutted existing HOA and condo association protections for homeowners. The bill was eventually amended by Sen. Petersen to create new protections.
Statement of Senator Petersen: “In 1775, a Virginia Assembly member, George Mason, stood on the steps of the Fairfax County courthouse and proclaimed the ‘Fairfax County Resolves’ to the local militia leaving to join General Washington’s army. Those resolves later became the Virginia Declaration of Rights and, finally, the Bill of Rights in the United States Constitution.
“Today, HOAs and condo associations now constitute a new level of government, without any legal protections for due process or accountability. Today in Virginia we proclaim the Homeowners’ Bill of Rights which will codify protections for homeowners and families, and provide legal recourse against HOA abuses.”
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