We will have plenty of resources that cover all the new laws impacting your business in detail, but we wanted to highlight some of the important updates as we continue to honor Fair Housing Month. Several bills related to fair housing passed the Virginia General Assembly in 2020.

These new laws add four more protected classes to the Virginia Fair Housing Act: sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and source of income. There are some carveouts for source of income protections for owners with less than five rental properties or if the source providing the funds is not approved within 15 days of the request.

Several bills repealed previous laws that were discriminatory or implemented segregation. While these laws were not being enforced, they were still on the books.

Additionally, starting on July 1, 2020, deeds that contain restrictions that violate fair housing cannot be recorded. The new law provides a way to remove any discriminatory deed restrictions at any time prior to or with the recordation when a property is sold.

Thanks to these new laws, Virginia will be even more inclusive.