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West Virginia HOA Foreclosure

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West Virginia · Foreclosure

West Virginia HOA Foreclosure

Key Findings

# Item Verified Position Primary Source
1 Governing act WVUCIOA, effective July 1, 1986; UCIOA-based; covers condominiums, cooperatives, planned communities W. Va. Code § 36B-1-101 et seq.; § 36B-1-204
2 Pre-UCIOA condos Unit Property Act (1963) still governs condos that elected it by recorded declaration W. Va. Code § 36A-1-1 et seq.; § 36A-4-1(a)
3 Lien Secures assessments and fines from when due; fees/late charges/interest enforceable as assessments unless declaration provides otherwise W. Va. Code § 36B-3-116(a)
4 Super-priority Six months of common-expense assessments based on the periodic budget; fines, late fees, interest, and costs excluded from the super-priority portion W. Va. Code § 36B-3-116(b); § 36B-3-115(a)
5 Foreclosure method Non-judicial trustee's sale dominant; judicial available but uncommon W. Va. Code §§ 38-1-1, 38-1-3
6 Notice/publication Class II legal advertisement (once a week for two successive weeks); certified mail to grantor and noticed subordinate lienholders ≥ 20 days before sale; WVCCPA 10-day right-to-cure notice W. Va. Code §§ 38-1-4, 59-3-2, 46A-2-106
7 Post-sale redemption None after a properly conducted trustee's sale; one-year window to challenge for defect W. Va. Code § 38-1-4a
8 Court structure Intermediate Court of Appeals opened July 1, 2022; civil appeals route circuit → ICA → Supreme Court of Appeals (last resort) S.B. 275 (2021); W. Va. Code § 51-11-4
9 Minimum debt threshold No statutory minimum delinquency; constraints are the 3-year limitation and 6-month super-priority window W. Va. Code § 36B-3-116(b),(d)
10 Federal overlays FDCPA + Obduskey; WVCCPA + Fleet v. Webber Springs; SCRA; bankruptcy stay 15 U.S.C. § 1692 et seq.; Obduskey, 139 S. Ct. 1029 (2019); W. Va. Code § 46A-1-101 et seq.; 50 U.S.C. § 3901 et seq.; 11 U.S.C. § 362
11 Regulator No dedicated HOA regulator; Real Estate Commission for brokers; CAM licensing not required rec.wv.gov; WV Real Estate Commission licensing rules
12 Recent bills No enacted bill in past 24 months touching § 36B, § 36A, or § 38-1; HB 3377 (2025) failed wvlegislature.gov Bill Status (2025 RS)
13 Recent rulings Justice Holdings I (2023); State ex rel. Justice Holdings v. Kirby (2026) courtswv.gov

Details

Section 1 — Overview

West Virginia gives its homeowners associations a powerful legal tool: a statutory assessment lien that rides six months ahead of a prior recorded first mortgage. And when it comes time to enforce that lien, the state runs the process almost entirely through a non-judicial trustee's sale — no courtroom required, and no post-sale redemption window waiting on the other side.

Common interest communities created on or after July 1, 1986, operate under the West Virginia Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act (WVUCIOA), W. Va. Code § 36B-1-101 et seq.1 Condominiums that elected coverage under the older West Virginia Unit Property Act, W. Va. Code § 36A-1-1 et seq.,2 continue under that 1963 statute. Under W. Va. Code § 36B-3-116(b),3 the association lien takes priority over a first security interest to the extent of six months of common-expense assessments based on the periodic budget. Enforcement runs through the trustee's sale process under W. Va. Code § 38-1-1 et seq.,4 requiring published notice and certified-mail service before a public auction.

Federal law runs alongside state procedure throughout. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act — as the U.S. Supreme Court construed it in Obduskey v. McCarthy & Holthus LLP, 139 S. Ct. 1029 (2019)5 — the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act,6 and the bankruptcy automatic stay7 each shape what an association can and cannot do during a collection or foreclosure action. This page sets out the statutory framework, the procedural sequence, and the recent legislative and judicial activity that practitioners need to manage delinquency and foreclosure in West Virginia communities.

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Footnotes

  1. W. Va. Legislature, W. Va. Code § 36B-1-101 et seq., West Virginia Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act — Short title ↩
  2. W. Va. Legislature, W. Va. Code § 36A-1-1 et seq., Unit Property Act — Short title ↩
  3. W. Va. Legislature, W. Va. Code § 36B-3-116, Lien for assessments ↩
  4. W. Va. Legislature, W. Va. Code § 38-1-1 et seq., Trust deeds — Sale on default ↩
  5. 15 U.S.C. § 1692 et seq., Fair Debt Collection Practices Act; Obduskey v. McCarthy & Holthus LLP, 139 S. Ct. 1029 (2019) ↩
  6. 50 U.S.C. § 3901 et seq., Servicemembers Civil Relief Act ↩
  7. 11 U.S.C. § 362, Automatic stay ↩
  8. W. Va. Legislature, W. Va. Code § 36B-1-204, Applicability to preexisting common interest communities ↩
  9. W. Va. Legislature, W. Va. Code § 36A-4-1, Submission of property to this article ↩
  10. W. Va. Legislature, W. Va. Code § 36B-3-116(a), Lien for assessments — attachment ↩
  11. W. Va. Legislature, W. Va. Code § 36B-3-102(a)(10)–(12), Powers of unit owners' association ↩
  12. W. Va. Legislature, W. Va. Code § 36B-3-115(a), Budgets ↩
  13. W. Va. Legislature, W. Va. Code § 36B-3-116(d), Lien for assessments — statute of limitations ↩
  14. W. Va. Legislature, W. Va. Code § 36B-3-116(f), Lien for assessments — attorney's fees ↩
  15. W. Va. Legislature, W. Va. Code § 38-1-3, Sale by trustee — conditions precedent ↩
  16. W. Va. Legislature, W. Va. Code § 38-1-4, Notice of sale; W. Va. Code § 59-3-2, Class II legal advertisement ↩
  17. W. Va. Legislature, W. Va. Code § 46A-2-106, Right to cure default ↩
  18. W. Va. Legislature, W. Va. Code § 38-1-6, Trustee's deed ↩
  19. W. Va. Legislature, W. Va. Code § 38-1-4a, Challenge to sale — one-year limitation ↩
  20. W. Va. Legislature, S.B. 275, 2021 Regular Session (creating Intermediate Court of Appeals); W. Va. Code § 51-11-4, Intermediate Court of Appeals — jurisdiction ↩
  21. W. Va. Legislature, W. Va. Code § 46A-1-101 et seq., West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act; Fleet v. Webber Springs Owners Ass'n, Inc., Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia (2015) ↩
  22. W. Va. Legislature, W. Va. Code § 36B-3-116(h), Lien for assessments — recording notice ↩
  23. W. Va. Legislature, W. Va. Code § 56-2-1, Service of process ↩
  24. W. Va. Legislature, W. Va. Code § 38-1-7, Application of proceeds ↩
  25. W. Va. Legislature, W. Va. Code § 38-1-7(b), Application of proceeds — deficiency ↩
  26. W. Va. Legislature, H.B. 3377, 2025 Regular Session, Infrastructure Only Common Ownership Associations (failed) ↩
  27. State ex rel. Justice Holdings, LLC v. Hon. Todd A. Kirby, No. 25-401, Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia (May 22, 2026) ↩
  28. Justice Holdings, LLC v. Glade Springs Village Prop. Owners Ass'n, Inc., 250 W. Va. 563, 906 S.E.2d 216 (W. Va. 2023) ↩
  29. SFR Invs. Pool 1, LLC v. U.S. Bank, N.A., 334 P.3d 408 (Nev. 2014) ↩
  30. Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, 50 U.S.C. § 3953 (protection against foreclosure of mortgages, trust deeds, and similar security); Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, Pub. L. No. 115-174, § 313 (2018) (making the one-year post-service protected period permanent) ↩

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