Terms Used In Virginia Code > Title 54.1 > Subtitle II > Chapter 21 > Article 3 - Duties of Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons

• Adult: means a person 18 years of age or more. See Virginia Code 1-203
• Agency: means every relationship in which a real estate licensee acts for or represents a person as an agent by such person's express authority in a commercial or residential real estate transaction, unless a different legal relationship is intended and is agreed to as part of the brokerage agreement. See Virginia Code 54.1-2130
• Agent: means a real estate licensee who is acting as (i) a standard agent in a residential real estate transaction, (ii) a limited service agent in a residential real estate transaction, or (iii) an agent in a commercial real estate transaction. See Virginia Code 54.1-2130
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Brokerage agreement: means the written agreement creating a brokerage relationship between a client and a licensee. See Virginia Code 54.1-2130
• Brokerage relationship: means the contractual relationship between a client and a real estate licensee who has been engaged by such client for the purpose of procuring a seller, buyer, option, tenant, or landlord ready, able, and willing to sell, buy, option, exchange or rent real estate on behalf of a client. See Virginia Code 54.1-2130
• Children with disabilities: means those persons (i) who are age two to 21, inclusive, having reached the age of two by the date specified in § 22. See Virginia Code 22.1-213
• Client: means a person who has entered into a brokerage relationship with a licensee. See Virginia Code 54.1-2130
• Commercial real estate: means any real estate other than (i) real estate containing one to four residential units or (ii) real estate classified for assessment purposes under § 58. See Virginia Code 54.1-2130
• Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
• Common source information company: means any person, firm, or corporation that is a source, compiler, or supplier of information regarding real estate for sale or lease and other data and includes, but is not limited to, multiple listing services. See Virginia Code 54.1-2130
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Customer: means a person who has not entered into a brokerage relationship with a licensee but for whom a licensee performs ministerial acts in a real estate transaction. See Virginia Code 54.1-2130
• Department: means the Department of Education. See Virginia Code 22.1-1
• designated representative: means a licensee who has been assigned by a principal or supervising broker to represent a client when a different client is also represented by such principal or broker in the same transaction. See Virginia Code 54.1-2130
• dual representative: means a licensee who has a brokerage relationship with both seller and buyer, or both landlord and tenant, in the same real estate transaction. See Virginia Code 54.1-2130
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• 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
• Includes: means includes, but not limited to. See Virginia Code 1-218
• Independent contractor: means a real estate licensee who (i) enters into a brokerage relationship based upon a brokerage agreement that specifically states that the real estate licensee is acting as an independent contractor and not as an agent; (ii) shall have the obligations agreed to by the parties in the brokerage agreement; and (iii) shall comply with the provisions of subdivisions A 3 through 7 and subsections B and E of § 54. See Virginia Code 54.1-2130
• Innovation: means a new or creative alternative to existing instructional or administrative practices or school structures that evidence-based practice suggests will be effective in improving student learning and educational performance. See Virginia Code 22.1-212.28
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Licensee: means real estate brokers and salespersons as defined in Article 1 (§ 54. See Virginia Code 54.1-2130
• Limited service agent: means a licensee who acts for or represents a client in a residential real estate transaction pursuant to a brokerage agreement that provides that the limited service agent will not provide one or more of the duties set forth in subdivision A 2 of §§ 54. See Virginia Code 54.1-2130
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Ministerial acts: means those routine acts which a licensee can perform for a person which do not involve discretion or the exercise of the licensee's own judgment. See Virginia Code 54.1-2130
• Multidivision online provider: means (i) a private or nonprofit organization that enters into a contract with a local school board to provide online courses or programs through that school board to students who reside in Virginia both within and outside the geographical boundaries of that school division; (ii) a private or nonprofit organization that enters into contracts with multiple local school boards to provide online courses or programs to students in grades K through 12 through those school boards; or (iii) a local school board that provides online courses or programs to students who reside in Virginia but outside the geographical boundaries of that school division. See Virginia Code 22.1-212.23
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Online course: means a course or grade-level subject instruction that (i) is delivered by a multidivision online provider primarily electronically using the Internet or other computer-based methods and (ii) is taught by a teacher primarily from a remote location, with student access to the teacher given synchronously, asynchronously, or both. See Virginia Code 22.1-212.23
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• parents: means any parent, guardian, legal custodian, or other person having control or charge of a child. See Virginia Code 22.1-1
• Person: includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230
• Process: includes subpoenas, the summons and complaint in a civil action, and process in statutory actions. See Virginia Code 1-237
• Property management agreement: means the written agreement between a property manager and the owner of real estate for the management of the real estate. See Virginia Code 54.1-2130
• real estate: includes lands, tenements and hereditaments, and all rights and appurtenances thereto and interests therein, other than a chattel interest. See Virginia Code 1-219
• Real estate broker: means any individual or business entity, including a partnership, association, corporation, or limited liability company, who, for compensation or valuable consideration, (i) sells or offers for sale, buys or offers to buy, or negotiates the purchase or sale or exchange of real estate, including units or interest in condominiums, cooperative interest as defined in § 55. See Virginia Code 54.1-2100
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Recess: A temporary interruption of the legislative business.
• Related services: means transportation and such developmental, corrective, and other supportive services as are required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education, including speech pathology and audiology, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, recreation, early identification and assessment of disabilities in children, counseling services, and medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes. See Virginia Code 22.1-213
• Residential real estate: means real property containing from one to four residential dwelling units and the sale of lots containing one to four residential dwelling units. See Virginia Code 54.1-2130
• School board: means the school board that governs a school division. See Virginia Code 22.1-1
• SDI: means a school division in which the local school board has developed and for which the Board has approved pursuant to regulations as set forth in this article a plan of innovation to improve student learning; educational performance; and college, career, and citizenship readiness skills in each school in the local school division. See Virginia Code 22.1-212.28
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• Special education: means specially designed instruction at no cost to the parent to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability, including classroom instruction, home instruction, instruction provided in hospitals and institutions, instruction in physical education, and instruction in career and technical education. See Virginia Code 22.1-213
• Specific learning disability: means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations. See Virginia Code 22.1-213
• Standard agent: means a licensee who acts for or represents a client in an agency relationship in a residential real estate transaction. See Virginia Code 54.1-2130
• 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
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Superintendent: means the Superintendent of Public Instruction. See Virginia Code 22.1-1
• Supervising broker: means a real estate broker who has been designated by a principal broker to supervise the provision of real estate brokerage services by associate brokers and salespersons assigned to a branch office or a real estate team. See Virginia Code 54.1-2100
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Virtual school program: means a series of online courses with instructional content that (i) is delivered by a multidivision online provider primarily electronically using the Internet or other computer-based methods; (ii) is taught by a teacher primarily from a remote location, with student access to the teacher given synchronously, asynchronously, or both; (iii) is delivered as a part-time or full-time program; and (iv) has an online component with online lessons and tools for student and data management. See Virginia Code 22.1-212.23