Summary: Virginia Residential Property Disclosure Act;required disclosures; mold. Requires the owner of a residentialdwelling who has actual knowledge of the existence of mold inside such dwelling to provide a written disclosure of such to a prospective purchaser.

Summary: Property Owners' Association Act; CondominiumAct; rulemaking authority of property owners' associations and unitowners' associations; smoking. Permits (i) except to the extentthat the declaration provides otherwise, the board of directors ofa property owners' association to establish reasonable rules thatrestrict smoking in the development, including (a) rules that prohibitsmoking in the common areas and, (b) for developments that includeattached private dwelling units, rules that prohibit smoking withinsuch dwelling units, and (ii) except to the extent that the condominium instruments provide otherwise, the executive board of a condominiumunit owners' association to establish reasonable rules that restrictsmoking in the condominium, including rules that prohibit smokingin the common elements and within units. The bill clarifiesthe authority of executive boards of condominium unit owners' associationsto establish, adopt, and enforce rules and regulations with respectto the use of the common elements of the condominium and with respectto such other areas of responsibility assigned to the unit owners'association by the condominium instruments, except where expresslyreserved by the condominium instruments to the unit owners. The billalso permits unit owners, by a majority of votes cast at a meetingof the unit owners' association, to repeal or amend any rule or regulationadopted by the executive board. This bill is a recommendation ofthe Virginia Housing Commission.

Summary: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act;tenant remedies for exclusion from dwelling unit, interruption ofservices, or actions taken to make premises unsafe. Providesthat a general district court shall enter an order upon petitionby a tenant that his landlord has (i) removed or excluded the tenantfrom the dwelling unit unlawfully, (ii) interrupted or caused theinterruption of an essential service to the tenant, or (iii) taken action to make the premises unsafe for habitation. The bill allowsentry of a preliminary order ex parte to require the landlord toallow the tenant to recover possession of the dwelling unit, resumeany such interrupted essential service, or fix any willful actionstaken by the landlord or his agent to make the premises unsafe forhabitation if there is good cause to do so and the tenant made reasonableefforts to notify the landlord of the hearing. The bill requiresthat any ex parte order entered shall further indicate a date fora full hearing on the petition that is no later than 10 days fromthe initial hearing date. Finally, the bill provides that, at a fullhearing on such petition, the tenant shall recover actual damages,the greater of $5,000 or four months' rent, and reasonable attorneyfees.