Priority Issues

Read about NVAR's work on several legislative and regulatory policy goals, including current priority issues, on-going issues, standing Public Policy Positions and recent Realtor® Advocacy Wins. Make your voice heard by submitting feedback for the annual NVAR Legislative Program, submitted every spring. 

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2023–2024 NVAR Legislative Agenda

Download the 2023-2024 LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
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On-Going Issues

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NVAR Legislative Program

Legislative Program

Every spring, NVAR compiles legislative and regulatory policy goals for the coming year into a document called the NVAR Legislative Program.

The Legislative Program is developed over several months based on feedback given by NVAR members. The process begins in March, when NVAR committees and forums are asked to submit issues to the NVAR Public Policy Committee for consideration. Individual Realtors® may also submit issues to the committee. A task force researches these issues and recommends pertinent ones for inclusion in the Legislative Program.

Once a draft program has been developed, the Public Policy Committee reviews it and sends a final draft to NVAR’s Board of Directors for consideration. Following approval by the Board, NVAR forwards the program to the Virginia Association of Realtors® for inclusion in the statewide list of legislative priorities.

An important component of the issues we look at is your voice. If you have suggestions for items we should be looking into please email us at govaffairs@nvar.com OR fill out this quick form.

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Town Hall Notes Blog

Dead Bills Show Strength of Realtors®: Protecting the Industry from Harmful Legislation

Feb 6, 2023, 13:33 by Josh Veverka
Each year we block numerous policy proposals that would harm the industry. Most of these bills are not ill-intentioned or targeted at harming Realtors®, but they do present a threat to the industry through over-reaching regulations or unintended consequences.

In the advocacy world we love to tout the power of the Realtor® Party when it comes to passing legislation that will improve real estate transactions, protect property rights and help Realtors® and their business.

But it is the morbid reality of politics that more legislation ends up defeated than survives to become law.  These bills do not die by accident. Each year we block numerous policy proposals that would harm the industry.  Most of these bills are not ill-intentioned or targeted at harming Realtors®, but they do present a threat to the industry through over-reaching regulations or unintended consequences.

Before killing a bill, our Realtor® advocacy team works with bill patrons to amend language, pull the legislation from the docket to allow for further study, or exempt Realtors® from the law. In most cases we are able to come to agreement and have “peace in the valley” before allowing the bill to become law, but not every proposal can be fixed.

These bills represent legislation the Realtors® opposed and helped to defeat in Richmond:
rent control

Rent Control – Defeated in House Subcommittee on a 6-3 vote, and in Senate Committee on 9-5 vote. (Senate will ask issue to be studied in the interim)

Would have allowed any locality in the Commonwealth to adopt “rent stabilization” ordinances limiting rental increases to no more than the rate of increase in the Consumer Price Index for the region in which the locality sits. Violators of the law would face a civil penalty of $2,500 per separate violation.

Mandatory Disclosure of Publicly Available Information – Defeated in House Subcommittee on a 5-3 vote

Requires the owner of residential property who has actual knowledge that the property contains a resource protection area (RPA) established under the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act to disclose such fact to the purchaser of such property.

Alerting Social Services to Evictions – Defeated in House Subcommittee on a 8-0 vote

This bill would require landlords to notify the Department of Social Services when legally evicting tenants with children or dependent mentally or physically incapacitated elderly persons.

Presuming Landlords are Guilty Defeated in House Subcommittee on a 5-3 vote

Created a rebuttable presumption against a landlord under the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, if a leased premises was condemned due to the landlord's failure to remedy a condition.  The bill requires a court, when such rebuttable presumption is established, to award the tenant the amount of three months' rent, any prepaid rent, and any security deposit paid by the tenant.

Toxic Communities – Defeated in House Subcommittee on a 5-4 vote

Would have allowed cities and counties to identify and call out neighborhoods with major sources of pollution or hazardous waste (effectively stigmatizing entire neighborhoods) before identifying objectives and policies to reduce health risks in the neighborhoods and to prioritize improvements and programs that address the needs.

Short Term Rental Permits Do Not Convey – Defeated in House Subcommittee on a 6-3 vote

Allows a locality to automatically expire any short-term rental permit upon a change of ownership, possession or control of a property or business.