A few months ago, I wrote a post that highlighted five bills making their way through the General Assembly that I thought residents of Montgomery County – including all of us living in Blacksburg and Christiansburg – should know about.  Some were passed, and some weren’t, but there are now five new laws that homeowners in Virginia need to be aware of.  From the Virginia Homeowners Alliance:

• More fairness for homeowners who appeal their property tax assessments – Upon your request, your real estate assessor must provide you with information about how your assessment was determined. If the assessor doesn’t provide you with this information five days before a court or board of equalization hearing, the information can’t be introduced at the hearing by the assessor. This law also increases the training and experience standards assessors must meet in order to be certified to conduct assessments in Virginia.
• More protection for your home improvements – Under this law, your local government can’t force you to remove improvements made to your property as long as you followed the rules in effect at the time the improvements were constructed, even if it has adopted stricter rules in the meantime. Greenfield Removals also provide asbestos waste removal in case you need it. You also now have the right to replace an existing wastewater disposal for an existing building even if a new system wouldn’t otherwise be permitted in that location.  However, if your system fails and access to the municipal sewer is available, you’ll be required to connect to it.
• Temporary family health care structures permitted on properties – If you have a family member who needs assistance with daily living activities (like bathing, eating, or dressing) due to a mental or physical impairment, the local government can’t prohibit you from installing a complying temporary family health care structure on your property to help you care for them. There are rules about the size and specifications of the structure, who can live in it, how to get approval from your locality to install it, and more.
• Homeowners associations must adhere to complaint procedures – If you bring a complaint against a homeowners association, by law the association must:
  • Provide you with a document that includes:
    • the address and telephone number of the association or its manager,
    • the address, telephone number, and e-mail address of the Office of the Common Interest Community Ombudsman, and
    • a description of your right to appeal the association’s decision to the Common Interest Community Board if you feel the decision violates Virginia laws or regulations.
  • Maintain a written record of the complaint for at least one year after the association acts upon it.
• Homeowners associations must allow residents to display the American flag subject to certain rules – This law specifically gives Virginians who live in homeowners associations the right to fly the American flag in accordance with federal law. It also permits homeowners associations to adopt rules on the size, placement, and duration of the display of the flag on properties within the community. If the association wants to enforce the rule against a homeowner, it must prove that the flag placement harms its interests.

These are all in effect July 1 2010.  But so what, right?  Bills are passed and rejected every day, why are these five important?  The reason why these five are important is because they deal with real estate taxes, and with property laws.  The more we keep tax increases – which are necessary, just not in rampant amounts – in check and keep property laws at the forefront of our legislators’ minds, the more favorable we all can make the real estate market in VA.

If you haven’t signed up for the Virginia Homeowners Alliance, please don’t wait any longer – you can do it by going to this link.  The Alliance is organized by the VA Association of Realtors, and is a great way to stay current on what’s happening – with legislation, with issues and ordinances – that affect your investment as a Virginia homeowner.  There’s no better way to mobilize Virginia homeowners and let their voice be heard at both the local and state level than through the Alliance, and it’s FREE.  As someone who has worked very closely on this project over the last two years I can tell you with certainty that it’s a great resource for all of us … sign up today.