Le texte intégral de ce guide est en anglais ; le résumé ci-dessus est dans votre langue. Les résumés des lois et l'anglais restent la source de référence.
Getting started · 6 min de lecture
Accepting the office
A person designated as trustee becomes trustee by accepting. Va. Code § 64.2-754 provides that a designated trustee accepts by substantially complying with a method of acceptance the terms of the trust provide or — where the terms provide none, or the method is not expressly made exclusive — by accepting delivery of the trust property, exercising powers or performing duties as trustee, or otherwise indicating acceptance of the trusteeship. A designated trustee who does not accept within a reasonable time after knowing of the designation is deemed to have rejected it, and without accepting may act to preserve the trust property and inspect it (Va. Code § 64.2-754).
A trustee named in a will qualifies and gives bond before the circuit court or its clerk where the will was probated before acting (Va. Code § 64.2-1401); a trustee under a deed or other writing qualifies only where the instrument requires it (Va. Code § 64.2-1403). Title to the trust property vests in a successor on acceptance, without any conveyance by the prior trustee (Va. Code § 64.2-760).
The duties that apply from the first day
Va. Code § 64.2-763 provides that, upon acceptance of a trusteeship, the trustee administers the trust in good faith, in accordance with its terms and purposes and the interests of the beneficiaries, and in accordance with the chapter. The duties that follow are the familiar ones in Virginia's words: loyalty, solely in the beneficiaries' interests (Va. Code § 64.2-764), impartiality among two or more beneficiaries (Va. Code § 64.2-765), prudent administration with reasonable care, skill and caution (Va. Code § 64.2-766), reasonable steps to take control of and protect the trust property (Va. Code § 64.2-771), adequate records and separate property (Va. Code § 64.2-772), reasonable steps to collect property a former trustee or another holds (Va. Code § 64.2-774), and a review of the trust assets within a reasonable time under the prudent investor rule (Va. Code § 64.2-784).
Two notices, and the July 1, 2006 line
Va. Code § 64.2-775(B)(2) provides that within 60 days after accepting a trusteeship, the trustee notifies the qualified beneficiaries of the acceptance and of the trustee's name, address and telephone number; Va. Code § 64.2-775(B)(3) that within 60 days after the date the trustee acquires knowledge of the creation of an irrevocable trust, or that a formerly revocable trust has become irrevocable, the trustee notifies them of the trust's existence, the identity of the settlor or settlors, the right to request a copy of the trust instrument and the right to a trustee's report. The qualified beneficiaries are the beneficiaries who, on the date of determination, are distributees or permissible distributees of trust income or principal, or would be if those interests ended or the trust terminated on that date (Va. Code § 64.2-701).
Subsection E limits both notices, and the annual report, to an irrevocable trust created, or a revocable trust that becomes irrevocable, on or after July 1, 2006 (Va. Code § 64.2-775(E)); while a trust is revocable, the trustee's duties are owed exclusively to the settlor (Va. Code § 64.2-752). The terms may vary the notices and a beneficiary may waive them (Va. Code §§ 64.2-703, 64.2-775(D)). Who is a qualified beneficiary on a particular day, which side of the 2006 line a trust stands on and whether the instrument varies a notice are questions of the instrument's words and the family's facts — the kind a licensed Virginia attorney of your choosing answers.
The estate beside the trust
A revocable trust rarely holds everything. Property left outside it passes by will or, without one, by intestacy (Va. Code §§ 64.2-200, 64.2-201), by beneficiary designation or by survivorship. Where a will is probated, the personal representative gives written notice of the probate within 30 days to the spouse, the heirs and the will's beneficiaries (Va. Code § 64.2-508) and returns an inventory within four months (Va. Code § 64.2-1300(A)); a notice to creditors may be published, with claims due by the later of at least six months after the first publication or 90 days after a copy reaches a known claimant (Va. Code § 64.2-508.1).
Va. Code § 64.2-747(A)(3) provides that after the settlor's death the property of a trust that was revocable at the death is subject to the settlor's creditors, the costs of administering the estate, the funeral and the statutory allowances to the spouse and children, to the extent the probate estate is inadequate, with no proceeding unless the personal representative has received a written demand and none later than two years after the death; whether and how far a particular trust answers is a question for a licensed Virginia attorney of your choosing. Virginia imposes no estate tax for a death on or after July 1, 2007 (Va. Code § 58.1-902).
Les textes de loi, mot pour mot
Creditor's claim against settlor
Va. Code § 64.2-747 ↗Explication claire et simple ; le texte intégral de la loi n'est pas encore attesté dans notre bibliothèque. Consultez la loi officielle via le lien ci-dessus.
Accepting or declining trusteeship
Va. Code § 64.2-754 ↗Explication claire et simple ; le texte intégral de la loi n'est pas encore attesté dans notre bibliothèque. Consultez la loi officielle via le lien ci-dessus.
Duty to administer trust and invest
Va. Code § 64.2-763 ↗Explication claire et simple ; le texte intégral de la loi n'est pas encore attesté dans notre bibliothèque. Consultez la loi officielle via le lien ci-dessus.
Duty to inform and report
Va. Code § 64.2-775 ↗Explication claire et simple ; le texte intégral de la loi n'est pas encore attesté dans notre bibliothèque. Consultez la loi officielle via le lien ci-dessus.
Questions fréquentes
How does a Virginia successor trustee accept the office?
By substantially complying with a method the terms provide or, where they provide none or the method is not expressly exclusive, by accepting delivery of the trust property, exercising powers or performing duties as trustee, or otherwise indicating acceptance (Va. Code § 64.2-754). A trustee named in a will qualifies before the circuit court or clerk first (Va. Code § 64.2-1401).
Is there a notice after a Virginia trustee accepts?
Yes: within 60 days after accepting, notice to the qualified beneficiaries of the acceptance and of the trustee's name, address and telephone number (Va. Code § 64.2-775(B)(2)), and within 60 days after learning the trust is irrevocable, notice of its existence and the beneficiaries' rights (Va. Code § 64.2-775(B)(3)) — for a trust irrevocable on or after July 1, 2006 (Va. Code § 64.2-775(E)).
Does a Virginia successor trustee need a court order to act?
A trustee of a living trust does not, unless the instrument requires qualification (Va. Code § 64.2-1403); the trustee may give a bank a certification of trust instead of the instrument (Va. Code § 64.2-804). A trustee under a will qualifies before the circuit court or clerk where the will was probated (Va. Code § 64.2-1401).
Lectures liées
Le Centre d'apprentissage est de l'information générale sur la loi de Virginie — pas un avis juridique, ni un substitut aux conseils d'un avocat de Virginie agréé sur vos faits précis. TrusteeClear est un logiciel, pas un cabinet.