Virginia Code 54.1-2354.4: Association complaint procedures; final adverse decisions
A. The Board shall establish by regulation a requirement that each association shall establish reasonable procedures for the resolution of written complaints from the members of the association and other citizens. Each association shall adhere to the written procedures established pursuant to this subsection when resolving association member and citizen complaints. The procedures shall include the following:
Terms Used In Virginia Code 54.1-2354.4
- Association: includes condominium, cooperative, or property owners' associations. See Virginia Code 54.1-2345
- Board: means the Common Interest Community Board. See Virginia Code 54.1-2345
- Common interest community: means real estate subject to a declaration containing lots, at least some of which are residential or occupied for recreational purposes, and common areas to which a person, by virtue of the person's ownership of a lot subject to that declaration, is a member of the association and is obligated to pay assessments of common expenses, provided that for the purposes of this chapter only, a common interest community does not include any time-share project registered pursuant to the Virginia Real Estate Time-Share Act (§ 55. See Virginia Code 54.1-2345
- Common interest community manager: means a person or business entity, including a partnership, association, corporation, or limited liability company, that, for compensation or valuable consideration, provides management services to a common interest community. See Virginia Code 54.1-2345
- Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
- Director: means the Director of the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. See Virginia Code 54.1-2354.1
- Governing board: means the governing board of an association, including the executive organ of a condominium unit owners' association, the executive board of a cooperative proprietary lessees' association, and the board of directors or other governing body of a property owners' association. See Virginia Code 54.1-2345
- in writing: include any representation of words, letters, symbols, numbers, or figures, whether (i) printed or inscribed on a tangible medium or (ii) stored in an electronic or other medium and retrievable in a perceivable form and whether an electronic signature authorized by Chapter 42. See Virginia Code 1-257
- State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
1. A record of each complaint shall be maintained for no less than one year after the association acts upon the complaint.
2. Such association shall provide complaint forms or written procedures to be given to persons who wish to register written complaints. The forms or procedures shall include the address and telephone number of the association or its common interest community manager to which complaints shall be directed and the mailing address, telephone number, and electronic mailing address of the Office. The forms and written procedures shall include a clear and understandable description of the complainant’s right to give notice of adverse decisions pursuant to this section.
B. A complainant may give notice to the Ombudsman of any final adverse decision in accordance with regulations promulgated by the Board. The notice shall be filed within 30 days of the final adverse decision, shall be in writing on forms prescribed by the Board, shall include copies of all records pertinent to the decision, and shall be accompanied by a $25 filing fee. The fee shall be collected by the Director and paid directly into the state treasury and credited to the Common Interest Community Management Information Fund pursuant to § 54.1-2354.2. The Board may, for good cause shown, waive or refund the filing fee upon a finding that payment of the filing fee will cause undue financial hardship for the member. The Ombudsman shall provide a copy of the written notice to the governing board, and if applicable the common interest community manager, of the association that made the final adverse decision.
C. The Director or his designee may request additional information concerning any notice of final adverse decision from the association that made the final adverse decision. The association shall provide such information to the Director within a reasonable time upon request. If the Director upon review determines that the final adverse decision may be in conflict with laws or regulations governing common interest communities or interpretations thereof by the Board, the Director shall provide the complainant and the governing board, and if applicable the common interest community manager, of the association with information concerning such laws or regulations governing common interest communities or interpretations thereof by the Board. The determination of whether the final adverse decision may be in conflict with laws or regulations governing common interest communities or interpretations thereof by the Board shall be final and not subject to further review. If within 365 days of issuing a determination that an adverse decision is in conflict with laws or Board regulations governing common interest communities or interpretations thereof by the Board the Director receives a subsequent notice of final adverse decision for the same violation, the Director shall refer the repeat violation to the Board, which shall take action in accordance with § 54.1-2351 or 54.1-2352, as deemed appropriate by the Board.
1993, c. 958, § 55-530; 1997, c. 222; 1998, c. 463; 2001, c. 816; 2008, cc. 851, 871; 2010, cc. 59, 208; 2012, cc. 481, 797; 2019, c. 712; 2023, cc. 20, 21.