RD436 - Office of the Common Interest Community Ombudsman - Annual Report 2014-2015


Executive Summary:
In 2008, the General Assembly created the Office of the Common Interest Community Ombudsman (“Office”), and the Common Interest Community Board (“CICB”), at the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (“DPOR”). In accordance with statutory requirements, this document reports on the activities of the Office for the period from November 26, 2014, through November 25, 2015.

Although Ombudsman Regulations (“Regulations”) governing this Office’s operations and community association complaint processes became effective more than three years ago, complaints alleging associations’ failure to adopt procedures or respond to submissions continue to result and even increased slightly this year. In virtually all such instances, the Office is able to resolve these cases without needing to refer matters to the CICB for enforcement action.

This year, the Office received a roughly equivalent number of Notices of Final Adverse Decision (NFADs) overall—of which about one-third again were found not appropriate for the association complaint procedure due to their subject matter involving governing documents over which the Office has no jurisdiction. The other two-thirds, however, were eligible for submission and review by the Ombudsman. Determinations issued for eligible NFADs are published at http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/CIC-Ombudsman/Determinations/.

As part of the ongoing work of the Ombudsman Committee, this year the Ombudsman collaborated with the CICB Executive Director on a well-received outreach campaign focused on community association-related trade shows and expos. The Office continues to serve as an important source of information and guidance for owners in common interest communities, as well as for managers and others involved in the association world on a peripheral level.