§ 8.01-103.Special commissioner or other person appointed to do so to receive purchase money, etc.; liability of clerk for failure to give notice of appointment.
Chapter 3. Actions · Article 11. General Provisions for Judicial Sales · Last amended 1978 · Last verified July 16, 2026
Full Text of § 8.01-103
Plain-English Summary
Section 8.01-103 sorts out who collects the money after a judicial sale or renting closes. Ordinarily, the special commissioner who conducted the sale also receives and collects the purchase money or rent. But the court can appoint someone else to do the collecting instead, and when it does, that person must give bond with surety in whatever penalty the court thinks fit.
Once the court makes that appointment, the clerk has to give the purchaser or lessee written notice of it, served the way other legal notices are served. Until the newly appointed collector gives the required bond, no payment may be made to that person. And if the purchaser pays the original commissioner before receiving notice of the new appointment, the original commissioner and that commissioner’s sureties bear responsibility for the money — the purchaser who paid before getting notice is not liable for it.
The section also holds the clerk to that notice duty directly. If a clerk fails to give the required notice, the clerk and the sureties on the clerk’s official bond become liable to anyone injured by the omission.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who normally collects the purchase money after a Virginia judicial sale?
The special commissioner who made the sale, unless the court appoints a different person to collect it.
What does a newly appointed collector have to do before receiving payment?
Give bond with surety in a penalty the court sets; no payment can be made to that person until the bond is given.
What if I pay the original commissioner before learning a new collector was appointed?
You are not liable for that payment. The commissioner who received it, and that commissioner’s sureties, bear responsibility for the money instead.
Does the clerk have to notify the purchaser when a new collector is appointed?
Yes, in writing, served the way other notices are legally served.
What happens if the clerk fails to give that notice?
The clerk and the sureties on the clerk’s official bond become liable to anyone injured by the failure.
Amendment History
Code 1950, § 8-662; 1977, c. 617; 1978, c. 718.