SEARCH SITE
VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL
- Code of Virginia
- Virginia Administrative Code
- Constitution of Virginia
- Charters
- Authorities
- Compacts
- Uncodified Acts
- RIS Users (account required)
SEARCHABLE DATABASES
- Bills & Resolutions
session legislation - Bill Summaries
session summaries - Reports to the General Assembly
House and Senate documents - Legislative Liaisons
State agency contacts
ACROSS SESSIONS
- Subject Index: Since 1995
- Bills & Resolutions: Since 1994
- Summaries: Since 1994
Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.
2020 SESSION
SB 553 Partition of property; in partition actions the court shall order an appraisal of property.
Introduced by: Frank M. Ruff, Jr. | all patrons ... notes | add to my profiles | history
SUMMARY AS PASSED SENATE:
Partition of property. Incorporates major provisions of the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act. The bill provides that in partition actions the court shall order an appraisal to determine fair market value of the property, unless the parties have agreed to the value of the property or to another valuation method. The bill also provides factors to be considered by the court when making an allotment of the property when there is a dispute among the parties. The bill further provides that if the court orders a sale of property in a partition action, the sale shall be conducted on the open market, unless the court finds that a sale by sealed bids or at auction would be more economically advantageous to the parties as a group. The bill outlines the procedure for such open-market sale. This bill is identical to HB 1605.
SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:
Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act. Creates the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act to preserve the right of a cotenant to sell his interest in inherited real estate while ensuring that the other cotenants will have the necessary due process, including notice, appraisal, and right of first refusal, to prevent a forced sale. If the other cotenants do not exercise their right to purchase property from the seller, the court must order a partition in kind if feasible, and if not, a commercially reasonable sale for fair market value. The provisions of the bill apply to partition actions filed on or after July 1, 2020.