SUPPLEMENTAL JURISFICTION

KEYS TO THE CITY

RICHMOND -- Monday’s 4-3 decision by the Virginia Supreme Court has finally answered one of the Commonwealth’s oldest and most persistent questions: can my landlord distribute keys to my apartment, at random, to strangers in my community? The surprising answer given in the Chief Justice’s two-hundred page opinion is an unequivocal yes. The Court’s decision comes on the heels of the General Assembly’s recent passage of the largely misunderstood Community First Act. While the CFA does not expressly allow for the unregulated distribution of keys to personal residences, three members of the Court’s four-justice majority consider such distribution to be paramount to fostering a more open Virginia. In his concurring opinion, another justice suggested that Virginians have been drifting farther and father apart with the advent of online social networks and text messaging.

Neville Abrams, long-time resident of Richmond’s fan district commented, “Long past are the days when one neighbor could stroll into another’s house for a glass of iced tea or a cup of sugar. Today’s neighbors barely know each other. I’d gladly give up a little personal security for the chance to meet new people and put the ‘neighbor’ back in ‘neighborhood.’” Of course the Court’s decision has garnered some opposition, but the majority remains steadfast. One State Senator who has insisted on his anonymity stated: “I honestly don’t remember the Act, nor have I heard about the case [Allen v. Parker Properties, LLC], but being a Bethesda resident, I’m not terribly concerned.”

So what does the decision mean for the average Virginian? Commonwealth Herald Legal Analyst, Robert Dawes, explains that given the decision’s myriad rules and liberal construal of the CFA, landlords can now distribute as many as fifty of a tenant’s keys to complete strangers. Under certain conditions, landlords can even distribute keys to an entire city or locality. These broad distribution allowances are governed by an opt-out program alluded to in the CFA, wherein residents must actively reject a proffer of a key. A consistent worry among Richmonders polled is that they will soon be inundated with keys, and understandably so. This blogger has already received a dozen or so keys, each accompanied by an address and detailed map.

Whether you’re a landlord or a tenant, Virginia’s open-door policy is closing the gap between neighbors, and love it or not, and this new law, like your neighbor, is here to stay.

Disclaimer: All persons and events referenced in this post are fictitious; any resemblance to actual persons or events are unintentional and coincidental.