Lori Schweller

Connect: http://www.leclairryan.com/lori-h-schweller/lori.schweller@leclairryan.comhttps://www.lexblog.com/author/lschweller/feed/
Firm/Organization: Gordon & Rees
Blogs: Virginia Community Association Law

Latest Articles

  Though not legally required, most condominium instruments provide that the association must carry hazard and liability insurance in order to protect the membership from disaster and the financial strain of litigation. The instruments may also specify the amount of the deductibles that the association’s various types of coverage will have; if not, the deductibles may be set by the board of directors. The most common condominium insurance question I hear is what, exactly, should…
Insurance is one of those necessities of life that we avoid thinking about until a problem occurs. At that point, we realize that the details of our policies do matter and that we probably should have spent more time reviewing them before it was too late. Fortunately, many insurance providers are knowledgeable about the types of coverage that condominium associations may purchase and can advise your association as to the pros and cons of those…
As of July 1, 2015, the Virginia Condominium Act provides that no condominium association may impose an assessment or charge against a unit owner unless such charge or assessment (a) is expressly authorized by the Condominium Act (see particularly Va. Code Sec. 55-79.83) and/or by the condominium instruments for the community, (b) represents a fee for service provided, or (c) is a fee for a resale certificate, as provided for in the Condominium Act. Va.…
Since our last postings on the subject of disclosure packets, the General Assembly has adopted several minor Code changes to clarify existing provisions: Delivery by Overnight Carrier  The Code section providing for cancellation of the purchase agreement within a certain time period after receipt of the resale certificate / disclosure packet previously failed to mention when the purchaser could cancel if the resale certificate / disclosure packet were delivered by overnight delivery service. For both…
You serve on your condominium or property owners’ association’s board of directors and have been receiving complaints about unauthorized cars and space shortages in the community’s parking lot. The Board would like to designate specific parking spaces for use by designated units so that each unit has a certain number of parking spaces available to it at all times. May it do so? The answer depends on (a) how parking spaces are classified in your…
Bills recently passed in the Virginia General Assembly extend the list of items for inclusion in property owners’ association disclosure packets and condominium association resale certificates, and also broaden non-association disclosure requirements.　 Effective July 1, 2013, disclosure packets may or must (depending on the item) include the following new items:  Restrictions on Solar Panels (HB 2305): Disclosure statements for lots within property owners’ associations and resale certificates for condominiums must include a statement setting forth…
  When consulting with an attorney on behalf of a legal entity, such as a homeowners association or condominium unit owners association, or a developer that is a limited liability company or corporation, it is easy to lose track of who is being represented by the attorney. The attorney’s engagement letter should clearly state who the client is and, even better, will also state related parties whom the attorney will not be representing. Representation of…
Recently, we had a reader ask whether a member of a homeowners association is legally permitted to review and inspect voting records relating to elections for the board of directors of the member’s HOA. The short answer is that it depends on the nature of the records requested as well as other factors. Virginia Code Section 55-510 spells out when an owner can review certain records for a property owners’ association. If an owner (i)…
  In a post several months ago, we noted the General Assembly’s adoption of amendments to the Property Owners’ Association Act and the Condominium Act　that address associations’ ability to regulate the display of the United States flag.　 As we reported then, the amended Virginia Code sections (Va. Code § 55-513.1 [POAs] and § 55-79.75:2 [Condos]) follow the language of the federal Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005, signed into law…
The General Assembly recently adopted amendments to the Property Owners’ Association Act and the Condominium Act that address associations’ ability to regulate the display of the United States flag.  The amended Virginia Code sections follow the language of the U.S. Code (The Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005), which is the federal law regarding the U.S. flag in Title 4, Chapter 1.  POA and condominium boards and managers, and declarants and their…