A. Except to the extent prohibited, restricted, or limited by the condominium instruments, any unit owner may make any improvements or alterations within his unit that do not impair the structural integrity of any structure or otherwise lessen the support of any portion of the condominium. However, no unit owner shall do anything that would change the exterior appearance of his unit or of any other portion of the condominium except to such extent and subject to such conditions as the condominium instruments may specify.

Ask a real estate law question, get an answer ASAP!
Thousands of highly rated, verified real estate lawyers.
Specialties include: All Real Estate Law, Landlord and Tenant Law, Foreclosure, Homeowners' Association, Trespassing, Property Law, General Legal and more.
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

Terms Used In Virginia Code 55.1-1931

  • Condominium: means real property, and any incidents to or interests in such real property, lawfully subject to this chapter by the recordation of condominium instruments pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. See Virginia Code 55.1-1900
  • Condominium instruments: means , collectively, the declaration, bylaws, and plats and plans recorded pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. See Virginia Code 55.1-1900
  • Unit: means a portion of the condominium designed and intended for individual ownership and use. See Virginia Code 55.1-1900

B. If a unit owner acquires an adjoining unit, or an adjoining part of an adjoining unit, then such unit owner shall have the right to remove all or any part of any intervening partition or to create doorways or other apertures in such unit, notwithstanding the fact that such partition may in whole or in part be a common element, so long as no portion of any bearing wall or bearing column is weakened or removed and no portion of any common element other than that partition is damaged, destroyed, or endangered. Such creation of doorways or other apertures shall not be deemed an alteration of boundaries within the meaning of § 55.1-1932.

1974, c. 416, § 55-79.68; 2019, c. 712.