The legislature finds, declares, and determines that:
Washington's cities and counties under the growth management act are required to encourage urban growth in urban growth areas at densities that accommodate twenty-year growth projections;
The growth management act's planning goals include encouraging the availability of affordable housing for all residents of the state and promoting a variety of housing types;
Quality condominium construction needs to be encouraged to achieve growth management act mandated urban densities and to ensure that residents of the state, particularly in urban growth areas, have a broad range of ownership choices.
It is the intent of the legislature that limited changes be made to the condominium act to ensure that a broad range of affordable homeownership opportunities continue to be available to the residents of the state, and to assist cities' and counties' efforts to achieve the density mandates of the growth management act.
[ 2004 c 201 § 1; ]
This chapter applies to all condominiums created within this state after July 1, 1990. RCW 64.34.040 (separate titles and taxation), RCW 64.34.050 (applicability of local ordinances, regulations, and building codes), RCW 64.34.060 (condemnation), RCW 64.34.208 (construction and validity of declaration and bylaws), RCW 64.34.268 (1) through (7) and (10) (termination of condominium), RCW 64.34.212 (description of units), RCW 64.34.304(1) (a) through (f) and (k) through (t) (powers of unit owners' association), RCW 64.34.308(1) (board of directors and officers), RCW 64.34.340 (voting—proxies), RCW 64.34.344 (tort and contract liability), RCW 64.34.354 (notification on sale of unit), RCW 64.34.360(3) (common expenses—assessments), RCW 64.34.364 (lien for assessments), RCW 64.34.372 (association records), RCW 64.34.425 (resales of units), RCW 64.34.455 (effect of violation on rights of action; attorney's fees), RCW 64.34.380 through 64.34.392 (reserve studies and accounts), and RCW 64.34.020 (definitions) to the extent necessary in construing any of those sections, apply to all condominiums created in this state before July 1, 1990; but those sections apply only with respect to events and circumstances occurring after July 1, 1990, and do not invalidate or supersede existing, inconsistent provisions of the declaration, bylaws, or survey maps or plans of those condominiums.
The provisions of chapter 64.32 RCW do not apply to condominiums created after July 1, 1990, and do not invalidate any amendment to the declaration, bylaws, and survey maps and plans of any condominium created before July 1, 1990, if the amendment would be permitted by this chapter. The amendment must be adopted in conformity with the procedures and requirements specified by those instruments and by chapter 64.32 RCW. If the amendment grants to any person any rights, powers, or privileges permitted by this chapter which are not otherwise provided for in the declaration or chapter 64.32 RCW, all correlative obligations, liabilities, and restrictions in this chapter also apply to that person.
This chapter does not apply to condominiums or units located outside this state.
RCW 64.34.400 (applicability—waiver), RCW 64.34.405 (liability for public offering statement requirements), RCW 64.34.410 (public offering statement—general provisions), RCW 64.34.415 (public offering statement—conversion condominiums), RCW 64.34.420 (purchaser's right to cancel), RCW 64.34.430 (escrow of deposits), RCW 64.34.440 (conversion condominiums—notice—tenants-relocation assistance), and RCW 64.34.455 (effect of violations on rights of action—attorney's fees) apply with respect to all sales of units pursuant to purchase agreements entered into after July 1, 1990, in condominiums created before July 1, 1990, in which as of July 1, 1990, the declarant or an affiliate of the declarant owns or had the right to create at least ten units constituting at least twenty percent of the units in the condominium.
[ 2011 c 189 § 6; 2008 c 115 § 7; 2008 c 114 § 1; 1993 c 429 § 12; 1992 c 220 § 1; 1989 c 43 § 1-102; ]
In the declaration and bylaws, unless specifically provided otherwise or the context requires otherwise, and in this chapter:
"Affiliate" means any person who controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with the referenced person. A person "controls" another person if the person: (a) Is a general partner, officer, director, or employer of the referenced person; (b) directly or indirectly or acting in concert with one or more other persons, or through one or more subsidiaries, owns, controls, holds with power to vote, or holds proxies representing, more than twenty percent of the voting interest in the referenced person; (c) controls in any manner the election of a majority of the directors of the referenced person; or (d) has contributed more than twenty percent of the capital of the referenced person. A person "is controlled by" another person if the other person: (i) Is a general partner, officer, director, or employer of the person; (ii) directly or indirectly or acting in concert with one or more other persons, or through one or more subsidiaries, owns, controls, holds with power to vote, or holds proxies representing, more than twenty percent of the voting interest in the person; (iii) controls in any manner the election of a majority of the directors of the person; or (iv) has contributed more than twenty percent of the capital of the person. Control does not exist if the powers described in this subsection are held solely as security for an obligation and are not exercised.
"Allocated interests" means the undivided interest in the common elements, the common expense liability, and votes in the association allocated to each unit.
"Assessment" means all sums chargeable by the association against a unit including, without limitation: (a) Regular and special assessments for common expenses, charges, and fines imposed by the association; (b) interest and late charges on any delinquent account; and (c) costs of collection, including reasonable attorneys' fees, incurred by the association in connection with the collection of a delinquent owner's account.
"Association" or "unit owners' association" means the unit owners' association organized under RCW 64.34.300.
"Baseline funding plan" means establishing a reserve funding goal of maintaining a reserve account balance above zero dollars throughout the thirty-year study period described under RCW 64.34.380.
"Board of directors" means the body, regardless of name, with primary authority to manage the affairs of the association.
"Common elements" means all portions of a condominium other than the units.
"Common expense liability" means the liability for common expenses allocated to each unit pursuant to RCW 64.34.224.
"Common expenses" means expenditures made by or financial liabilities of the association, together with any allocations to reserves.
"Condominium" means real property, portions of which are designated for separate ownership and the remainder of which is designated for common ownership solely by the owners of those portions. Real property is not a condominium unless the undivided interests in the common elements are vested in the unit owners, and unless a declaration and a survey map and plans have been recorded pursuant to this chapter.
"Contribution rate" means, in a reserve study as described in RCW 64.34.380, the amount contributed to the reserve account so that the association will have cash reserves to pay major maintenance, repair, or replacement costs without the need of a special assessment.
"Conversion condominium" means a condominium (a) that at any time before creation of the condominium was lawfully occupied wholly or partially by a tenant or subtenant for residential purposes pursuant to a rental agreement, oral or written, express or implied, for which the tenant or subtenant had not received the notice described in (b) of this subsection; or (b) that, at any time within twelve months before the conveyance of, or acceptance of an agreement to convey, any unit therein other than to a declarant or any affiliate of a declarant, was lawfully occupied wholly or partially by a residential tenant of a declarant or an affiliate of a declarant and such tenant was not notified in writing, prior to lawfully occupying a unit or executing a rental agreement, whichever event first occurs, that the unit was part of a condominium and subject to sale. "Conversion condominium" shall not include a condominium in which, before July 1, 1990, any unit therein had been conveyed or been made subject to an agreement to convey to any transferee other than a declarant or an affiliate of a declarant.
"Conveyance" means any transfer of the ownership of a unit, including a transfer by deed or by real estate contract and, with respect to a unit in a leasehold condominium, a transfer by lease or assignment thereof, but shall not include a transfer solely for security.
"Dealer" means a person who, together with such person's affiliates, owns or has a right to acquire either six or more units in a condominium or fifty percent or more of the units in a condominium containing more than two units.
"Declarant" means:
Any person who executes as declarant a declaration as defined in subsection (17) of this section; or
Any person who reserves any special declarant right in the declaration; or
Any person who exercises special declarant rights or to whom special declarant rights are transferred; or
Any person who is the owner of a fee interest in the real property which is subjected to the declaration at the time of the recording of an instrument pursuant to RCW 64.34.316 and who directly or through one or more affiliates is materially involved in the construction, marketing, or sale of units in the condominium created by the recording of the instrument.
"Declarant control" means the right of the declarant or persons designated by the declarant to appoint and remove officers and members of the board of directors, or to veto or approve a proposed action of the board or association, pursuant to RCW 64.34.308 (5) or (6).
"Declaration" means the document, however denominated, that creates a condominium by setting forth the information required by RCW 64.34.216 and any amendments to that document.
"Development rights" means any right or combination of rights reserved by a declarant in the declaration to: (a) Add real property or improvements to a condominium; (b) create units, common elements, or limited common elements within real property included or added to a condominium; (c) subdivide units or convert units into common elements; (d) withdraw real property from a condominium; or (e) reallocate limited common elements with respect to units that have not been conveyed by the declarant.
"Dispose" or "disposition" means a voluntary transfer or conveyance to a purchaser or lessee of any legal or equitable interest in a unit, but does not include the transfer or release of a security interest.
"Effective age" means the difference between the estimated useful life and remaining useful life.
"Electronic transmission" or "electronically transmitted" means any electronic communication not directly involving the physical transfer of a writing in a tangible medium, but that may be retained, retrieved, and reviewed by the sender and the recipient of the communication, and that may be directly reproduced in a tangible medium by a sender and recipient.
"Eligible mortgagee" means the holder of a mortgage on a unit that has filed with the secretary of the association a written request that it be given copies of notices of any action by the association that requires the consent of mortgagees.
"Foreclosure" means a forfeiture or judicial or nonjudicial foreclosure of a mortgage or a deed in lieu thereof.
"Full funding plan" means setting a reserve funding goal of achieving one hundred percent fully funded reserves by the end of the thirty-year study period described under RCW 64.34.380, in which the reserve account balance equals the sum of the deteriorated portion of all reserve components.
"Fully funded balance" means the current value of the deteriorated portion, not the total replacement value, of all the reserve components. The fully funded balance for each reserve component is calculated by multiplying the current replacement cost of that reserve component by its effective age, then dividing the result by that reserve component's useful life. The sum total of all reserve components' fully funded balances is the association's fully funded balance.
"Identifying number" means the designation of each unit in a condominium.
"Leasehold condominium" means a condominium in which all or a portion of the real property is subject to a lease, the expiration or termination of which will terminate the condominium or reduce its size.
"Limited common element" means a portion of the common elements allocated by the declaration or by operation of RCW 64.34.204 (2) or (4) for the exclusive use of one or more but fewer than all of the units.
"Master association" means an organization described in RCW 64.34.276, whether or not it is also an association described in RCW 64.34.300.
"Mortgage" means a mortgage, deed of trust or real estate contract.
"Person" means a natural person, corporation, partnership, limited partnership, trust, governmental subdivision or agency, or other legal entity.
"Purchaser" means any person, other than a declarant or a dealer, who by means of a disposition acquires a legal or equitable interest in a unit other than (a) a leasehold interest, including renewal options, of less than twenty years at the time of creation of the unit, or (b) as security for an obligation.
"Real property" means any fee, leasehold or other estate or interest in, over, or under land, including structures, fixtures, and other improvements thereon and easements, rights and interests appurtenant thereto which by custom, usage, or law pass with a conveyance of land although not described in the contract of sale or instrument of conveyance. "Real property" includes parcels, with or without upper or lower boundaries, and spaces that may be filled with air or water.
"Remaining useful life" means the estimated time, in years, before a reserve component will require major maintenance, repair, or replacement to perform its intended function.
"Replacement cost" means the current cost of replacing, repairing, or restoring a reserve component to its original functional condition.
"Reserve component" means a common element whose cost of maintenance, repair, or replacement is infrequent, significant, and impractical to include in an annual budget.
"Reserve study professional" means an independent person who is suitably qualified by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education to prepare a reserve study in accordance with RCW 64.34.380 and 64.34.382.
"Residential purposes" means use for dwelling or recreational purposes, or both.
"Significant assets" means that the current total cost of major maintenance, repair, and replacement of the reserve components is fifty percent or more of the gross budget of the association, excluding reserve account funds.
"Special declarant rights" means rights reserved for the benefit of a declarant to: (a) Complete improvements indicated on survey maps and plans filed with the declaration under RCW 64.34.232; (b) exercise any development right under RCW 64.34.236; (c) maintain sales offices, management offices, signs advertising the condominium, and models under RCW 64.34.256; (d) use easements through the common elements for the purpose of making improvements within the condominium or within real property which may be added to the condominium under RCW 64.34.260; (e) make the condominium part of a larger condominium or a development under RCW 64.34.280; (f) make the condominium subject to a master association under RCW 64.34.276; or (g) appoint or remove any officer of the association or any master association or any member of the board of directors, or to veto or approve a proposed action of the board or association, during any period of declarant control under RCW 64.34.308(5).
"Tangible medium" means a writing, copy of a writing, facsimile, or a physical reproduction, each on paper or on other tangible material.
"Timeshare" shall have the meaning specified in the timeshare act, RCW 64.36.010(11).
"Unit" means a physical portion of the condominium designated for separate ownership, the boundaries of which are described pursuant to RCW 64.34.216(1)(d). "Separate ownership" includes leasing a unit in a leasehold condominium under a lease that expires contemporaneously with any lease, the expiration or termination of which will remove the unit from the condominium.
"Unit owner" means a declarant or other person who owns a unit or leases a unit in a leasehold condominium under a lease that expires simultaneously with any lease, the expiration or termination of which will remove the unit from the condominium, but does not include a person who has an interest in a unit solely as security for an obligation. "Unit owner" means the vendee, not the vendor, of a unit under a real estate contract.
"Useful life" means the estimated time, between years, that major maintenance, repair, or replacement is estimated to occur.
[ 2021 c 227 § 4; 2011 c 189 § 1; 2008 c 115 § 8; 2004 c 201 § 9; 1992 c 220 § 2; 1990 c 166 § 1; 1989 c 43 § 1-103; ]
Except as expressly provided in this chapter, provisions of this chapter may not be varied by agreement, and rights conferred by this chapter may not be waived. A declarant may not act under a power of attorney or use any other device to evade the limitations or prohibitions of this chapter or the declaration.
[ 1989 c 43 § 1-104; ]
If there is any unit owner other than a declarant, each unit that has been created, together with its interest in the common elements, constitutes for all purposes a separate parcel of real property.
If there is any unit owner other than a declarant, each unit together with its interest in the common elements must be separately taxed and assessed.
If a development right has an ascertainable market value, the development right shall constitute a separate parcel of real property for property tax purposes and must be separately taxed and assessed to the declarant.
If there is no unit owner other than a declarant, the real property comprising the condominium may be taxed and assessed in any manner provided by law.
[ 1992 c 220 § 3; 1989 c 43 § 1-105; ]
A zoning, subdivision, building code, or other real property law, ordinance, or regulation may not prohibit the condominium form of ownership or impose any requirement upon a condominium which it would not impose upon a physically identical development under a different form of ownership. Otherwise, no provision of this chapter invalidates or modifies any provision of any zoning, subdivision, building code, or other real property use law, ordinance, or regulation.
This section shall not prohibit a county legislative authority from requiring the review and approval of declarations and amendments thereto and termination agreements executed pursuant to RCW 64.34.268(2) by the county assessor solely for the purpose of allocating the assessed value and property taxes. The review by the assessor shall be done in a reasonable and timely manner.
[ 1989 c 43 § 1-106; ]
If a unit is acquired by condemnation, or if part of a unit is acquired by condemnation leaving the unit owner with a remnant of a unit which may not practically or lawfully be used for any purpose permitted by the declaration, the award must compensate the unit owner for the owner's unit and its appurtenant interest in the common elements, whether or not any common elements are acquired. Upon acquisition, unless the decree otherwise provides, that unit's allocated interests are automatically reallocated to the remaining units in proportion to the respective allocated interests of those units before the taking, and the association shall promptly prepare, execute, and record an amendment to the declaration reflecting the reallocations. Any remnant of a unit remaining after part of a unit is taken under this subsection is thereafter a common element.
Except as provided in subsection (1) of this section, if part of a unit is acquired by condemnation, the award must compensate the unit owner for the reduction in value of the unit and its appurtenant interest in the common elements, whether or not any common elements are acquired. Upon acquisition, unless the decree otherwise provides: (a) That unit's allocated interests are reduced in proportion to the reduction in the size of the unit, or on any other basis specified in the declaration; and (b) the portion of the allocated interests divested from the partially acquired unit are automatically reallocated to that unit and the remaining units in proportion to the respective allocated interests of those units before the taking, with the partially acquired unit participating in the reallocation on the basis of its reduced allocated interests.
If part of the common elements is acquired by condemnation the portion of the award attributable to the common elements taken shall be paid to the owners based on their respective interests in the common elements unless the declaration provides otherwise. Unless the declaration provides otherwise, any portion of the award attributable to the acquisition of a limited common element must be equally divided among the owners of the units to which that limited common element was allocated at the time of acquisition.
The court judgment shall be recorded in every county in which any portion of the condominium is located.
Should the association not act, based on a right reserved to the association in the declaration, on the owners' behalf in a condemnation process, the affected owners may individually or jointly act on their own behalf.
[ 1989 c 43 § 1-107; ]
The principles of law and equity, including the law of corporations and unincorporated associations, the law of real property, and the law relative to capacity to contract, principal and agent, condemnation, estoppel, fraud, misrepresentation, duress, coercion, mistake, receivership, substantial performance, or other validating or invalidating cause supplement the provisions of this chapter, except to the extent inconsistent with this chapter.
[ 1989 c 43 § 1-108; ]
Chapter 64.55 RCW includes requirements for: The inspection of the building enclosures of multiunit residential buildings, as defined in RCW 64.55.010, which includes condominiums and conversion condominiums; for provision of inspection and repair reports; and for the resolution of implied or express warranty disputes under chapter 64.34 RCW.
[ 2005 c 456 § 21; ]
This chapter does not apply to common interest communities as defined in RCW 64.90.010:
Created on or after July 1, 2018; or
That have amended their governing documents to provide that chapter 64.90 RCW will apply to the common interest community pursuant to RCW 64.90.095.
Pursuant to RCW 64.90.080, the following provisions of chapter 64.90 RCW apply, and any inconsistent provisions of this chapter do not apply, to a common interest community created before July 1, 2018:
RCW 64.90.095;
RCW 64.90.405(1) (b) and (c);
RCW 64.90.525; and
RCW 64.90.545.
[ 2019 c 238 § 218; 2018 c 277 § 504; ]
The court, upon finding as a matter of law that a contract or contract clause was unconscionable at the time the contract was made, may refuse to enforce the contract, enforce the remainder of the contract without the unconscionable clause, or limit the application of any unconscionable clause in order to avoid an unconscionable result.
Whenever it is claimed, or appears to the court, that a contract or any contract clause is or may be unconscionable, the parties, in order to aid the court in making the determination, shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to present evidence as to:
The commercial setting of the negotiations;
Whether a party has knowingly taken advantage of the inability of the other party reasonably to protect his or her interests by reason of physical or mental infirmity, illiteracy, or inability to understand the language of the agreement or similar factors;
The effect and purpose of the contract or clause; and
If a sale, any gross disparity at the time of contracting between the amount charged for the real property and the value of the real property measured by the price at which similar real property was readily obtainable in similar transactions, but a disparity between the contract price and the value of the real property measured by the price at which similar real property was readily obtainable in similar transactions does not, of itself, render the contract unconscionable.
[ 1989 c 43 § 1-111; ]
Every contract or duty governed by this chapter imposes an obligation of good faith in its performance or enforcement.
[ 1989 c 43 § 1-112; ]
The remedies provided by this chapter shall be liberally administered to the end that the aggrieved party is put in as good a position as if the other party had fully performed. However, consequential, special, or punitive damages may not be awarded except as specifically provided in this chapter or by other rule of law.
Except as otherwise provided in RCW 64.55.100 through 64.55.160 or chapter 64.35 RCW, any right or obligation declared by this chapter is enforceable by judicial proceeding. The arbitration proceedings provided for in RCW 64.55.100 through 64.55.160 shall be considered judicial proceedings for the purposes of this chapter.
[ 2005 c 456 § 20; 2004 c 201 § 2; 1989 c 43 § 1-113; ]
A condominium may be created pursuant to this chapter only by recording a declaration executed by the owner of the interest subject to this chapter in the same manner as a deed and by simultaneously recording a survey map and plans pursuant to RCW 64.34.232. The declaration and survey map and plans must be recorded in every county in which any portion of the condominium is located, and the condominium shall not have the same name as any other existing condominium, whether created under this chapter or under chapter 64.32 RCW, in any county in which the condominium is located.
A declaration or an amendment to a declaration adding units to a condominium may not be recorded unless (a) all structural components and mechanical systems of all buildings containing or comprising any units thereby created are substantially completed as evidenced by a recorded certificate of completion executed by the declarant which certificate may be included in the declaration or the amendment, the survey map and plans to be recorded pursuant to RCW 64.34.232, or a separately recorded written instrument, and (b) all horizontal and vertical boundaries of such units are substantially completed in accordance with the plans required to be recorded by RCW 64.34.232, as evidenced by a recorded certificate of completion executed by a licensed surveyor.
[ 1992 c 220 § 4; 1990 c 166 § 2; 1989 c 43 § 2-101; ]
Upon the filing of a written request with the county office in which the declaration is to be recorded, using such form of written request as may be required by the county office and paying such fee as the county office may establish not in excess of fifty dollars, a person may reserve the exclusive right to use a particular name for a condominium to be created in that county. The name being reserved shall not be identical to any other condominium or subdivision plat located in that county, and such name reservation shall automatically lapse unless within three hundred sixty-five days from the date on which the name reservation is filed the person reserving that name either records a declaration using the reserved name or files a new name reservation request.
[ 1992 c 220 § 5; ]
Except as provided by the declaration:
The walls, floors, or ceilings are the boundaries of a unit, and all lath, furring, wallboard, plasterboard, plaster, paneling, tiles, wallpaper, paint, finished flooring, and any other materials constituting any part of the finished surfaces thereof are a part of the unit, and all other portions of the walls, floors, or ceilings are a part of the common elements.
If any chute, flue, duct, wire, conduit, bearing wall, bearing column, or any other fixture lies partially within and partially outside the designated boundaries of a unit, any portion thereof serving only that unit is a limited common element allocated solely to that unit, and any portion thereof serving more than one unit or any portion of the common elements is a part of the common elements.
Subject to the provisions of subsection (2) of this section, all spaces, interior partitions, and other fixtures and improvements within the boundaries of a unit are a part of the unit.
Any shutters, awnings, window boxes, doorsteps, stoops, porches, balconies, patios, and all exterior doors and windows or other fixtures designed to serve a single unit, but which are located outside the unit's boundaries, are limited common elements allocated exclusively to that unit.
[ 1992 c 220 § 6; 1989 c 43 § 2-102; ]
All provisions of the declaration and bylaws are severable.
The rule against perpetuities may not be applied to defeat any provision of the declaration, bylaws, rules, or regulations adopted pursuant to RCW 64.34.304(1)(a).
In the event of a conflict between the provisions of the declaration and the bylaws, the declaration prevails except to the extent the declaration is inconsistent with this chapter.
The creation of a condominium shall not be impaired and title to a unit and common elements shall not be rendered unmarketable or otherwise affected by reason of an insignificant failure of the declaration or survey map and plans or any amendment thereto to comply with this chapter. Whether a significant failure impairs marketability shall not be determined by this chapter.
[ 1989 c 43 § 2-103; ]
A description of a unit which sets forth the name of the condominium, the recording number for the declaration, the county in which the condominium is located, and the identifying number of the unit is a sufficient legal description of that unit and all rights, obligations, and interests appurtenant to that unit which were created by the declaration or bylaws.
[ 1989 c 43 § 2-104; ]
The declaration for a condominium must contain:
The name of the condominium, which must include the word "condominium" or be followed by the words "a condominium," and the name of the association;
A legal description of the real property included in the condominium;
A statement of the number of units which the declarant has created and, if the declarant has reserved the right to create additional units, the number of such additional units;
The identifying number of each unit created by the declaration and a description of the boundaries of each unit if and to the extent they are different from the boundaries stated in RCW 64.34.204(1);
With respect to each existing unit:
The approximate square footage;
The number of bathrooms, whole or partial;
The number of rooms designated primarily as bedrooms;
The number of built-in fireplaces; and
The level or levels on which each unit is located.
The data described in (ii), (iii), and (iv) of this subsection (1)(e) may be omitted with respect to units restricted to nonresidential use;
The number of parking spaces and whether covered, uncovered, or enclosed;
The number of moorage slips, if any;
A description of any limited common elements, other than those specified in RCW 64.34.204 (2) and (4), as provided in RCW 64.34.232(2)(j);
A description of any real property which may be allocated subsequently by the declarant as limited common elements, other than limited common elements specified in RCW 64.34.204 (2) and (4), together with a statement that they may be so allocated;
A description of any development rights and other special declarant rights under *RCW 64.34.020(29) reserved by the declarant, together with a description of the real property to which the development rights apply, and a time limit within which each of those rights must be exercised;
If any development right may be exercised with respect to different parcels of real property at different times, a statement to that effect together with: (i) Either a statement fixing the boundaries of those portions and regulating the order in which those portions may be subjected to the exercise of each development right, or a statement that no assurances are made in those regards; and (ii) a statement as to whether, if any development right is exercised in any portion of the real property subject to that development right, that development right must be exercised in all or in any other portion of the remainder of that real property;
Any other conditions or limitations under which the rights described in (j) of this subsection may be exercised or will lapse;
An allocation to each unit of the allocated interests in the manner described in RCW 64.34.224;
Any restrictions in the declaration on use, occupancy, or alienation of the units;
A cross-reference by recording number to the survey map and plans for the units created by the declaration; and
All matters required or permitted by RCW 64.34.220 through 64.34.232, 64.34.256, 64.34.260, 64.34.276, and ** 64.34.308(4).
All amendments to the declaration shall contain a cross-reference by recording number to the declaration and to any prior amendments thereto. All amendments to the declaration adding units shall contain a cross-reference by recording number to the survey map and plans relating to the added units and set forth all information required by RCW 64.34.216(1) with respect to the added units.
The declaration may contain any other matters the declarant deems appropriate.
[ 1992 c 220 § 7; 1989 c 43 § 2-105; ]
Any lease, the expiration or termination of which may terminate the condominium or reduce its size, or a memorandum thereof, shall be recorded. Every lessor of those leases must sign the declaration, and the declaration shall state:
The recording number of the lease or a statement of where the complete lease may be inspected;
The date on which the lease is scheduled to expire;
A legal description of the real property subject to the lease;
Any right of the unit owners to redeem the reversion and the manner whereby those rights may be exercised, or a statement that they do not have those rights;
Any right of the unit owners to remove any improvements within a reasonable time after the expiration or termination of the lease, or a statement that they do not have those rights; and
Any rights of the unit owners to renew the lease and the conditions of any renewal, or a statement that they do not have those rights.
The declaration may provide for the collection by the association of the proportionate rents paid on the lease by the unit owners and may designate the association as the representative of the unit owners on all matters relating to the lease.
If the declaration does not provide for the collection of rents by the association, the lessor may not terminate the interest of a unit owner who makes timely payment of the owner's share of the rent and otherwise complies with all covenants other than the payment of rent which, if violated, would entitle the lessor to terminate the lease.
Acquisition of the leasehold interest of any unit owner by the owner of the reversion or remainder does not merge the leasehold and fee simple interests unless the leasehold interests of all unit owners subject to that reversion or remainder are acquired and the owner thereof records a document confirming the merger.
If the expiration or termination of a lease decreases the number of units in a condominium, the allocated interests shall be reallocated in accordance with RCW 64.34.060(1) as though those units had been taken by condemnation. Reallocations shall be confirmed by an amendment to the declaration and survey map and plans prepared, executed, and recorded by the association.
[ 1989 c 43 § 2-106; ]
The declaration shall allocate a fraction or percentage of undivided interests in the common elements and in the common expenses of the association, and a portion of the votes in the association, to each unit and state the formulas or methods used to establish those allocations. Those allocations may not discriminate in favor of units owned by the declarant or an affiliate of the declarant.
If units may be added to or withdrawn from the condominium, the declaration shall state the formulas or methods to be used to reallocate the allocated interests among all units included in the condominium after the addition or withdrawal.
The declaration may provide: (a) For cumulative voting only for the purpose of electing members of the board of directors; and (b) for class voting on specified issues affecting the class if necessary to protect valid interests of the class. A declarant may not utilize cumulative or class voting for the purpose of evading any limitation imposed on declarants by this chapter, nor may units constitute a class because they are owned by a declarant.
Except for minor variations due to rounding, the sum of the undivided interests in the common elements and common expense liabilities allocated at any time to all the units must each equal one if stated as fractions or one hundred percent if stated as percentages. In the event of discrepancy between an allocated interest and the result derived from application of the pertinent formula, the allocated interest prevails.
Except where permitted by other sections of this chapter, the common elements are not subject to partition, and any purported conveyance, encumbrance, judicial sale, or other voluntary or involuntary transfer of an undivided interest in the common elements made without the unit to which that interest is allocated is void.
[ 1992 c 220 § 8; 1989 c 43 § 2-107; ]
Except for the limited common elements described in RCW 64.34.204 (2) and (4), the declaration shall specify to which unit or units each limited common element is allocated.
Except in the case of a reallocation being made by a declarant pursuant to a development right reserved in the declaration, a limited common element may only be reallocated between units with the approval of the board of directors and by an amendment to the declaration executed by the owners of the units to which the limited common element was and will be allocated. The board of directors shall approve the request of the owner or owners under this subsection within thirty days, or within such other period provided by the declaration, unless the proposed reallocation does not comply with this chapter or the declaration. The failure of the board of directors to act upon a request within such period shall be deemed approval thereof. The amendment shall be recorded in the names of the parties and of the condominium.
Unless otherwise provided in the declaration, the owners of units to which at least sixty-seven percent of the votes are allocated, including the owner of the unit to which the limited common element will be assigned or incorporated, must agree to reallocate a common element as a limited common element or to incorporate a common element or a limited common element into an existing unit. Such reallocation or incorporation shall be reflected in an amendment to the declaration, survey map, or plans.
[ 1992 c 220 § 9; 1989 c 43 § 2-108; ]
A survey map and plans executed by the declarant shall be recorded simultaneously with, and contain cross-references by recording number to, the declaration and any amendments. The survey map and plans must be clear and legible and contain a certification by the person making the survey or the plans that all information required by this section is supplied. All plans filed shall be in such style, size, form and quality as shall be prescribed by the recording authority of the county where filed, and a copy shall be delivered to the county assessor.
Each survey map shall show or state:
The name of the condominium and a legal description and a survey of the land in the condominium and of any land that may be added to the condominium;
The boundaries of all land not subject to development rights, or subject only to the development right to withdraw, and the location and dimensions of all existing buildings containing units on that land;
The boundaries of any land subject to development rights, labeled "SUBJECT TO DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS SET FORTH IN THE DECLARATION"; any land that may be added to the condominium shall also be labeled "MAY BE ADDED TO THE CONDOMINIUM"; any land that may be withdrawn from the condominium shall also be labeled "MAY BE WITHDRAWN FROM THE CONDOMINIUM";
The extent of any encroachments by or upon any portion of the condominium;
To the extent feasible, the location and dimensions of all recorded easements serving or burdening any portion of the condominium and any unrecorded easements of which a surveyor knows or reasonably should have known, based on standard industry practices, while conducting the survey;
Subject to the provisions of subsection (8) of this section, the location and dimensions of any vertical unit boundaries not shown or projected on plans recorded under subsection (4) of this section and that unit's identifying number;
The location with reference to an established datum of any horizontal unit boundaries not shown or projected on plans recorded under subsection (4) of this section and that unit's identifying number;
The location and dimensions of any real property in which the unit owners will own only an estate for years, labeled as "leasehold real property";
The distance between any noncontiguous parcels of real property comprising the condominium;
The general location of any existing principal common amenities listed in a public offering statement under RCW 64.34.410(1)(j) and any limited common elements, including limited common element porches, balconies, patios, parking spaces, and storage facilities, but not including the other limited common elements described in RCW 64.34.204 (2) and (4);
In the case of real property not subject to development rights, all other matters customarily shown on land surveys.
A survey map may also show the intended location and dimensions of any contemplated improvement to be constructed anywhere within the condominium. Any contemplated improvement shown must be labeled either "MUST BE BUILT" or "NEED NOT BE BUILT."
To the extent not shown or projected on the survey map, plans of the existing units must show or project:
Subject to the provisions of subsection (8) of this section, the location and dimensions of the vertical boundaries of each unit, and that unit's identifying number;
Any horizontal unit boundaries, with reference to an established datum, and that unit's identifying number; and
Any units in which the declarant has reserved the right to create additional units or common elements under RCW 64.34.236(3), identified appropriately.
Unless the declaration provides otherwise, the horizontal boundaries of part of a unit located outside of a building have the same elevation as the horizontal boundaries of the inside part and in such case need not be depicted on the survey map and plans.
Upon exercising any development right, the declarant shall record either a new survey map and plans necessary to conform to the requirements of subsections (1), (2), and (3) of this section or new certifications of a survey map and plans previously recorded if the documents otherwise conform to the requirements of those subsections.
Any survey map, plan, or certification required by this section shall be made by a licensed surveyor.
In showing or projecting the location and dimensions of the vertical boundaries of a unit under subsections (2)(f) and (4)(a) of this section, it is not necessary to show the thickness of the walls constituting the vertical boundaries or otherwise show the distance of those vertical boundaries either from the exterior surface of the building containing that unit or from adjacent vertical boundaries of other units if: (a) The walls are designated to be the vertical boundaries of that unit; (b) the unit is located within a building, the location and dimensions of the building having been shown on the survey map under subsection (2)(b) of this section; and (c) the graphic general location of the vertical boundaries are shown in relation to the exterior surfaces of that building and to the vertical boundaries of other units within that building.
[ 1997 c 400 § 2; 1992 c 220 § 10; 1989 c 43 § 2-109; ]
To exercise any development right reserved under RCW 64.34.216(1)(j), the declarant shall prepare, execute, and record an amendment to the declaration under RCW 64.34.264, and comply with RCW 64.34.232. The declarant is the unit owner of any units thereby created. The amendment to the declaration shall assign an identifying number to each new unit created, and, except in the case of subdivision or conversion of units described in subsection (2) of this section, reallocate the allocated interests among all units. The amendment must describe any common elements and any limited common elements thereby created and, in the case of limited common elements, designate the unit to which each is allocated to the extent required by RCW 64.34.228.
Development rights may be reserved within any real property added to the condominium if the amendment adding that real property includes all matters required by RCW 64.34.216 or 64.34.220, as the case may be, and the survey map and plans include all matters required by RCW 64.34.232. This provision does not extend the time limit on the exercise of development rights imposed by the declaration pursuant to RCW 64.34.216(1)(j).
Whenever a declarant exercises a development right to subdivide or convert a unit previously created into additional units, common elements, or both:
If the declarant converts the unit entirely to common elements, the amendment to the declaration must reallocate all the allocated interests of that unit among the other units as if that unit had been taken by condemnation under RCW 64.34.060.
If the declarant subdivides the unit into two or more units, whether or not any part of the unit is converted into common elements, the amendment to the declaration must reallocate all the allocated interests of the unit among the units created by the subdivision in any reasonable and equitable manner prescribed by the declarant.
If the declaration provides, pursuant to RCW 64.34.216(1)(j), that all or a portion of the real property is subject to the development right of withdrawal:
If all the real property is subject to withdrawal, and the declaration or survey map or amendment thereto does not describe separate portions of real property subject to that right, none of the real property may be withdrawn if a unit in that portion of the real property is owned by a person other than the declarant; and
If a portion or portions are subject to withdrawal as described in the declaration or in the survey map or in any amendment thereto, no portion may be withdrawn if a unit in that portion of the real property is owned by a person other than the declarant.
[ 1989 c 43 § 2-110; ]
Subject to the provisions of the declaration and other provisions of law, a unit owner:
May make any improvements or alterations to the owner's unit that do not affect the structural integrity or mechanical or electrical systems or lessen the support of any portion of the condominium;
May not change the appearance of the common elements or the exterior appearance of a unit without permission of the association;
After acquiring an adjoining unit or an adjoining part of an adjoining unit may, with approval of the board of directors, remove or alter any intervening partition or create apertures therein, even if the partition in whole or in part is a common element, if those acts do not adversely affect the structural integrity or mechanical or electrical systems or lessen the support of any portion of the condominium. Removal of partitions or creation of apertures under this subsection is not a relocation of boundaries. The board of directors shall approve a unit owner's request, which request shall include the plans and specifications for the proposed removal or alteration, under this subsection within thirty days, or within such other period provided by the declaration, unless the proposed alteration does not comply with this chapter or the declaration or impairs the structural integrity or mechanical or electrical systems in the condominium. The failure of the board of directors to act upon a request within such period shall be deemed approval thereof.
[ 1989 c 43 § 2-111; ]
Subject to the provisions of the declaration and other provisions of law, the boundaries between adjoining units may only be relocated by an amendment to the declaration upon application to the association by the owners of those units. If the owners of the adjoining units have specified a reallocation between their units of their allocated interests, the application must state the proposed reallocations. Unless the board of directors determines within thirty days, or such other period provided in the declaration, that the reallocations are unreasonable, the association shall prepare an amendment that identifies the units involved, states the reallocations, is executed by those unit owners, contains words of conveyance between them, and is recorded in the name of the grantor and the grantee.
The association shall obtain and record survey maps or plans complying with the requirements of RCW 64.34.232(4) necessary to show the altered boundaries between adjoining units and their dimensions and identifying numbers.
[ 1989 c 43 § 2-112; ]
If the declaration permits, a unit may be subdivided into two or more units. Subject to the provisions of the declaration and other provisions of law, upon application of a unit owner to subdivide a unit, the association shall prepare, execute, and record an amendment to the declaration, including survey maps and plans, subdividing that unit.
The amendment to the declaration must be executed by the owner of the unit to be subdivided, assign an identifying number to each unit created, and reallocate the allocated interests formerly allocated to the subdivided unit to the new units in any reasonable and equitable manner prescribed by the owner of the subdivided unit.
[ 1989 c 43 § 2-113; ]
The physical boundaries of a unit constructed in substantial accordance with the original survey map and set of plans thereof become its boundaries rather than the metes and bounds expressed in the survey map or plans, regardless of settling or lateral movement of the building or minor variance between boundaries shown on the survey map or plans and those of the building. This section does not relieve a declarant or any other person of liability for failure to adhere to the survey map and plans.
[ 1989 c 43 § 2-114; ]
A declarant may maintain sales offices, management offices, and models in units or on common elements in the condominium only if the declaration so provides and specifies the rights of a declarant with regard to the number, location, and relocation thereof. Any sales office, management office, or model not designated a unit by the declaration is a common element and, if a declarant ceases to be a unit owner, the declarant ceases to have any rights with regard thereto unless it is removed promptly from the condominium in accordance with a right to remove reserved in the declaration. Subject to any limitations in the declaration, a declarant may maintain signs on the common elements advertising the condominium. The provisions of this section are subject to the provisions of other state law and to local ordinances.
[ 1992 c 220 § 11; 1989 c 43 § 2-115; ]
Subject to the provisions of the declaration, a declarant has an easement through the common elements as may be reasonably necessary for the purpose of discharging a declarant's obligations or exercising special declarant rights, whether arising under this chapter or reserved in the declaration.
[ 1989 c 43 § 2-116; ]
Except in cases of amendments that may be executed by a declarant under RCW 64.34.232(6) or 64.34.236; the association under RCW 64.34.060, 64.34.220(5), 64.34.228(3), 64.34.244(1), 64.34.248, or 64.34.268(8); or certain unit owners under RCW 64.34.228(2), 64.34.244(1), 64.34.248(2), or 64.34.268(2), and except as limited by subsection (4) of this section, the declaration, including the survey maps and plans, may be amended only by vote or agreement of unit owners of units to which at least sixty-seven percent of the votes in the association are allocated, or any larger percentage the declaration specifies: PROVIDED, That the declaration may specify a smaller percentage only if all of the units are restricted exclusively to nonresidential use.
No action to challenge the validity of an amendment adopted by the association pursuant to this section may be brought more than one year after the amendment is recorded.
Every amendment to the declaration must be recorded in every county in which any portion of the condominium is located, and is effective only upon recording. An amendment shall be indexed in the name of the condominium and shall contain a cross-reference by recording number to the declaration and each previously recorded amendment thereto.
Except to the extent expressly permitted or required by other provisions of this chapter, no amendment may create or increase special declarant rights, increase the number of units, change the boundaries of any unit, the allocated interests of a unit, or the uses to which any unit is restricted, in the absence of the vote or agreement of the owner of each unit particularly affected and the owners of units to which at least ninety percent of the votes in the association are allocated other than the declarant or such larger percentage as the declaration provides.
Amendments to the declaration required by this chapter to be recorded by the association shall be prepared, executed, recorded, and certified on behalf of the association by any officer of the association designated for that purpose or, in the absence of designation, by the president of the association.
No amendment may restrict, eliminate, or otherwise modify any special declarant right provided in the declaration without the consent of the declarant and any mortgagee of record with a security interest in the special declarant right or in any real property subject thereto, excluding mortgagees of units owned by persons other than the declarant.
[ 1989 c 43 § 2-117; ]
Except in the case of a taking of all the units by condemnation under RCW 64.34.060, a condominium may be terminated only by agreement of unit owners of units to which at least eighty percent of the votes in the association are allocated, or any larger percentage the declaration specifies: PROVIDED, That the declaration may specify a smaller percentage only if all of the units in the condominium are restricted exclusively to nonresidential uses.
An agreement to terminate must be evidenced by the execution of a termination agreement or ratifications thereof, in the same manner as a deed, by the requisite number of unit owners. The termination agreement must specify a date after which the agreement will be void unless it is recorded before that date and shall contain a description of the manner in which the creditors of the association will be paid or provided for. A termination agreement and all ratifications thereof must be recorded in every county in which a portion of the condominium is situated and is effective only upon recording. A termination agreement may be amended by complying with all of the requirements of this section.
A termination agreement may provide that all the common elements and units of the condominium shall be sold following termination. If, pursuant to the agreement, any real property in the condominium is to be sold following termination, the termination agreement must set forth the minimum terms of the sale.
The association, on behalf of the unit owners, may contract for the sale of real property in the condominium, but the contract is not binding on the unit owners until approved pursuant to subsections (1) and (2) of this section. If any real property in the condominium is to be sold following termination, title to that real property, upon termination, vests in the association as trustee for the holders of all interests in the units. Thereafter, the association has all powers necessary and appropriate to effect the sale. Until the sale has been concluded and the proceeds thereof distributed, the association continues in existence with all powers it had before termination. Proceeds of the sale must be distributed to unit owners and lienholders as their interests may appear, in proportion to the respective interests of unit owners as provided in subsection (7) of this section. Unless otherwise specified in the termination agreement, as long as the association holds title to the real property, each unit owner and the owner's successors in interest have an exclusive right to occupancy of the portion of the real property that formerly constituted the owner's unit. During the period of that occupancy, each unit owner and the owner's successors in interest remain liable for all assessments and other obligations imposed on unit owners by this chapter or the declaration.
If the real property constituting the condominium is not to be sold following termination, title to all the real property in the condominium vests in the unit owners upon termination as tenants in common in proportion to their respective interests as provided in subsection (7) of this section, and liens on the units shift accordingly. While the tenancy in common exists, each unit owner and the owner's successors in interest have an exclusive right to occupancy of the portion of the real property that formerly constituted the owner's unit.
Following termination of the condominium, the proceeds of any sale of real property, together with the assets of the association, are held by the association as trustee for unit owners and holders of liens on the units and creditors of the association as their interests may appear. No such proceeds or assets may be disbursed to the owners until all of the creditors of the association have been paid or provided for. Following termination, creditors of the association holding liens on the units, which were recorded or perfected under RCW 4.64.020 before termination, may enforce those liens in the same manner as any lienholder.
The respective interests of unit owners referred to in subsections (4), (5), and (6) of this section are as follows:
Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, the respective interests of unit owners are the fair market values of their units, limited common elements, and common element interests immediately before the termination, as determined by one or more independent appraisers selected by the association. The decision of the independent appraisers shall be distributed to the unit owners and becomes final unless disapproved, within thirty days after distribution, by unit owners of units to which twenty-five percent of the votes in the association are allocated. The proportion of any unit owner's interest to that of all unit owners is determined by dividing the fair market value of that unit owner's unit and common element interest by the total fair market values of all the units and common elements.
If any unit or any limited common element is destroyed to the extent that an appraisal of the fair market value thereof before destruction cannot be made, the interests of all unit owners are their respective common element interests immediately before the termination.
Except as provided in subsection (9) of this section, foreclosure or enforcement of a lien or encumbrance against the entire condominium does not of itself terminate the condominium, and foreclosure or enforcement of a lien or encumbrance against a portion of the condominium, other than withdrawable real property, does not withdraw that portion from the condominium. Foreclosure or enforcement of a lien or encumbrance against withdrawable real property does not of itself withdraw that real property from the condominium, but the person taking title thereto has the right to require from the association, upon request, an amendment excluding the real property from the condominium.
If a lien or encumbrance against a portion of the real property that is withdrawable from the condominium has priority over the declaration, and the lien or encumbrance has not been partially released as to a unit, the purchaser at the foreclosure or such purchaser's successors may, upon foreclosure, record an instrument exercising the right to withdraw the real property subject to that lien or encumbrance from the condominium. The board of directors shall reallocate interests as if the foreclosed portion were condemned.
The right of partition under chapter 7.52 RCW shall be suspended if an agreement to sell the property is provided for in the termination agreement pursuant to subsection (3) of this section. The suspension of the right to partition shall continue unless and until no binding obligation to sell exists three months after the recording of the termination agreement, the binding sale agreement is terminated, or one year after the termination agreement is recorded, whichever first occurs.
[ 1992 c 220 § 12; 1989 c 43 § 2-118; ]
The declaration may require that all or a specified number or percentage of the holders of mortgages encumbering the units approve specified actions of the unit owners or the association as a condition to the effectiveness of those actions, but no requirement for approval may operate to (1) deny or delegate control over the general administrative affairs of the association by the unit owners or the board of directors, or (2) prevent the association or the board of directors from commencing, intervening in, or settling any litigation or proceeding, or receiving and distributing any insurance proceeds except pursuant to RCW 64.34.352. With respect to any action requiring the consent of a specified number or percentage of mortgagees, the consent of only eligible mortgagees holding a first lien mortgage need be obtained and the percentage shall be based upon the votes attributable to units with respect to which eligible mortgagees have an interest.
[ 1989 c 43 § 2-119; ]
If the declaration provides that any of the powers described in RCW 64.34.304 are to be exercised by or may be delegated to a profit or nonprofit corporation which exercises those or other powers on behalf of a development consisting of one or more condominiums or for the benefit of the unit owners of one or more condominiums, all provisions of this chapter applicable to unit owners' associations apply to any such corporation, except as modified by this section.
Unless a master association is acting in the capacity of an association described in RCW 64.34.300, it may exercise the powers set forth in RCW 64.34.304(1)(b) only to the extent expressly permitted in the declarations of condominiums which are part of the master association or expressly described in the delegations of power from those condominiums to the master association.
If the declaration of any condominium provides that the board of directors may delegate certain powers to a master association, the members of the board of directors have no liability for the acts or omissions of the master association with respect to those powers following delegation.
The rights and responsibilities of unit owners with respect to the unit owners' association set forth in RCW 64.34.308, 64.34.332, 64.34.336, 64.34.340, and 64.34.348 apply in the conduct of the affairs of a master association only to those persons who elect the board of a master association, whether or not those persons are otherwise unit owners within the meaning of this chapter.
Notwithstanding the provisions of *RCW 64.34.308(6) with respect to the election of the board of directors of an association by all unit owners after the period of declarant control ends and even if a master association is also an association described in RCW 64.34.300, the certificate of incorporation or other instrument creating the master association and the declaration of each condominium, the powers of which are assigned by the declaration or delegated to the master association, must provide that the board of directors of the master association shall be elected after the period of declarant control in any of the following ways:
All unit owners of all condominiums subject to the master association may elect all members of that board of directors.
All members of the boards of directors of all condominiums subject to the master association may elect all members of that board of directors.
All unit owners of each condominium subject to the master association may elect specified members of that board of directors.
All members of the board of directors of each condominium subject to the master association may elect specified members of that board of directors.
[ 1989 c 43 § 2-120; ]
If the declaration provides that any of the powers described in RCW 64.34.304 are to be exercised by or may be delegated to a profit or nonprofit corporation that exercises those or other powers on behalf of unit owners owning less than all of the units in a condominium, and where those unit owners share the exclusive use of one or more limited common elements within the condominium or share some property or other interest in the condominium in common that is not shared by the remainder of the unit owners in the condominium, all provisions of this chapter applicable to unit owners' associations apply to any such corporation, except as modified by this section. The delegation of powers to a subassociation shall not be used to discriminate in favor of units owned by the declarant or an affiliate of the declarant.
A subassociation may exercise the powers set forth in RCW 64.34.304(1) only to the extent expressly permitted by the declaration of the condominium of which the units in the subassociation are a part of or expressly described in the delegations of power from that condominium to the subassociation.
If the declaration of any condominium contains a delegation of certain powers to a subassociation, or provides that the board of directors of the condominium may make such a delegation, the members of the board of directors have no liability for the acts or omissions of the subassociation with respect to those powers so exercised by the subassociation following delegation.
The rights and responsibilities of unit owners with respect to the unit owners' association set forth in RCW 64.34.300 through 64.34.376 apply to the conduct of the affairs of a subassociation.
Notwithstanding the provisions of *RCW 64.34.308(6) with respect to the election of the board of directors of an association by all unit owners after the period of declarant control ends, the board of directors of the subassociation shall be elected after the period of declarant control by the unit owners of all of the units in the condominium subject to the subassociation.
The declaration of the condominium creating the subassociation may provide that the authority of the board of directors of the subassociation is exclusive with regard to the powers and responsibilities delegated to it. In the alternative, the declaration may provide as to some or all such powers that the authority of the board of directors of a subassociation is concurrent with and subject to the authority of the board of directors of the unit owners' association, in which case the declaration shall also contain standards and procedures for the review of the decisions of the board of directors of the subassociation and procedures for resolving any dispute between the board of the unit owners' association and the board of the subassociation.
[ 1992 c 220 § 13; ]
Any two or more condominiums, by agreement of the unit owners as provided in subsection (2) of this section, may be merged or consolidated into a single condominium. In the event of a merger or consolidation, unless the agreement otherwise provides, the resultant condominium is, for all purposes, the legal successor of all of the preexisting condominiums and the operations and activities of all associations of the preexisting condominiums shall be merged or consolidated into a single association which shall hold all powers, rights, obligations, assets, and liabilities of all preexisting associations.
An agreement of two or more condominiums to merge or consolidate pursuant to subsection (1) of this section must be evidenced by an agreement prepared, executed, recorded, and certified by the president of the association of each of the preexisting condominiums following approval by owners of units to which are allocated the percentage of votes in each condominium required to terminate that condominium. Any such agreement must be recorded in every county in which a portion of the condominium is located and is not effective until recorded.
Every merger or consolidation agreement must provide for the reallocation of the allocated interests in the new association among the units of the resultant condominium either (a) by stating the reallocations or the formulas upon which they are based or (b) by stating the portion of overall allocated interests of the new condominium which are allocated to all of the units comprising each of the preexisting condominiums, and providing that the percentages allocated to each unit formerly comprising a part of the preexisting condominium in such portion must be equal to the percentages of allocated interests allocated to that unit by the declaration of the preexisting condominium.
All merged or consolidated condominiums under this section shall comply with this chapter.
[ 1989 c 43 § 2-121; ]
A unit owners' association shall be organized no later than the date the first unit in the condominium is conveyed. The membership of the association at all times shall consist exclusively of all the unit owners. Following termination of the condominium, the membership of the association shall consist of all of the unit owners at the time of termination entitled to distributions of proceeds under RCW 64.34.268 or their heirs, successors, or assigns. The association shall be organized as a profit or nonprofit corporation. In case of any conflict between Title 23B RCW, the business corporation act, chapter 24.03 RCW, the nonprofit corporation act, or chapter 24.06 RCW, the nonprofit miscellaneous and mutual corporations act, and this chapter, this chapter shall control.
[ 1992 c 220 § 14; 1989 c 43 § 3-101; ]
Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, and subject to the provisions of the declaration, the association may:
Adopt and amend bylaws, rules, and regulations;
Adopt and amend budgets for revenues, expenditures, and reserves, and impose and collect assessments for common expenses from unit owners;
Hire and discharge or contract with managing agents and other employees, agents, and independent contractors;
Institute, defend, or intervene in litigation or administrative proceedings in its own name on behalf of itself or two or more unit owners on matters affecting the condominium;
Make contracts and incur liabilities;
Regulate the use, maintenance, repair, replacement, and modification of common elements;
Cause additional improvements to be made as a part of the common elements;
Acquire, hold, encumber, and convey in its own name any right, title, or interest to real or personal property, but common elements may be conveyed or subjected to a security interest only pursuant to RCW 64.34.348;
Grant easements, leases, licenses, and concessions through or over the common elements and petition for or consent to the vacation of streets and alleys;
Impose and collect any payments, fees, or charges for the use, rental, or operation of the common elements, other than limited common elements described in RCW 64.34.204 (2) and (4), and for services provided to unit owners;
Impose and collect charges for late payment of assessments pursuant to RCW 64.34.364(13) and, after notice and an opportunity to be heard by the board of directors or by such representative designated by the board of directors and in accordance with such procedures as provided in the declaration or bylaws or rules and regulations adopted by the board of directors, levy reasonable fines in accordance with a previously established schedule thereof adopted by the board of directors and furnished to the owners for violations of the declaration, bylaws, and rules and regulations of the association;
Impose and collect reasonable charges for the preparation and recording of amendments to the declaration, resale certificates required by RCW 64.34.425, and statements of unpaid assessments;
Provide for the indemnification of its officers and board of directors and maintain directors' and officers' liability insurance;
Assign its right to future income, including the right to receive common expense assessments, but only to the extent the declaration provides;
Join in a petition for the establishment of a parking and business improvement area, participate in the ratepayers' board or other advisory body set up by the legislative authority for operation of a parking and business improvement area, and pay special assessments levied by the legislative authority on a parking and business improvement area encompassing the condominium property for activities and projects which benefit the condominium directly or indirectly;
Establish and administer a reserve account as described in RCW 64.34.380;
Prepare a reserve study as described in RCW 64.34.380;
Exercise any other powers conferred by the declaration or bylaws;
Exercise all other powers that may be exercised in this state by the same type of corporation as the association; and
Exercise any other powers necessary and proper for the governance and operation of the association.
The declaration may not impose limitations on the power of the association to deal with the declarant which are more restrictive than the limitations imposed on the power of the association to deal with other persons.
[ 2008 c 115 § 9; 1993 c 429 § 11; 1990 c 166 § 3; 1989 c 43 § 3-102; ]
Except as provided in the declaration, the bylaws, subsection (2) of this section, or other provisions of this chapter, the board of directors shall act in all instances on behalf of the association. In the performance of their duties, the officers and members of the board of directors are required to exercise: (a) If appointed by the declarant, the care required of fiduciaries of the unit owners; or (b) if elected by the unit owners, ordinary and reasonable care.
The board of directors shall not act on behalf of the association to amend the declaration in any manner that requires the vote or approval of the unit owners pursuant to RCW 64.34.264, to terminate the condominium pursuant to RCW 64.34.268, or to elect members of the board of directors or determine the qualifications, powers, and duties, or terms of office of members of the board of directors pursuant to subsection (7) of this section; but the board of directors may fill vacancies in its membership for the unexpired portion of any term.
Except as provided in RCW 64.90.080, 64.90.405(1) (b) and (c), and 64.90.525, within thirty days after adoption of any proposed budget for the condominium, the board of directors shall provide a summary of the budget to all the unit owners and shall set a date for a meeting of the unit owners to consider ratification of the budget not less than fourteen nor more than sixty days after mailing of the summary. Unless at that meeting the owners of units to which a majority of the votes in the association are allocated or any larger percentage specified in the declaration reject the budget, the budget is ratified, whether or not a quorum is present. In the event the proposed budget is rejected or the required notice is not given, the periodic budget last ratified by the unit owners shall be continued until such time as the unit owners ratify a subsequent budget proposed by the board of directors.
As part of the summary of the budget provided to all unit owners, the board of directors shall disclose to the unit owners:
The current amount of regular assessments budgeted for contribution to the reserve account, the recommended contribution rate from the reserve study, and the funding plan upon which the recommended contribution rate is based;
If additional regular or special assessments are scheduled to be imposed, the date the assessments are due, the amount of the assessments per each unit per month or year, and the purpose of the assessments;
Based upon the most recent reserve study and other information, whether currently projected reserve account balances will be sufficient at the end of each year to meet the association's obligation for major maintenance, repair, or replacement of reserve components during the next thirty years;
If reserve account balances are not projected to be sufficient, what additional assessments may be necessary to ensure that sufficient reserve account funds will be available each year during the next thirty years, the approximate dates assessments may be due, and the amount of the assessments per unit per month or year;
The estimated amount recommended in the reserve account at the end of the current fiscal year based on the most recent reserve study, the projected reserve account cash balance at the end of the current fiscal year, and the percent funded at the date of the latest reserve study;
The estimated amount recommended in the reserve account based upon the most recent reserve study at the end of each of the next five budget years, the projected reserve account cash balance in each of those years, and the projected percent funded for each of those years; and
If the funding plan approved by the association is implemented, the projected reserve account cash balance in each of the next five budget years and the percent funded for each of those years.
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Subject to subsection (6) of this section, the declaration may provide for a period of declarant control of the association, during which period a declarant, or persons designated by the declarant, may: (i) Appoint and remove the officers and members of the board of directors; or (ii) veto or approve a proposed action of the board or association. A declarant's failure to veto or approve such proposed action in writing within thirty days after receipt of written notice of the proposed action shall be deemed approval by the declarant.
Regardless of the period provided in the declaration, a period of declarant control terminates no later than the earlier of: (i) Sixty days after conveyance of seventy-five percent of the units which may be created to unit owners other than a declarant; (ii) two years after the last conveyance or transfer of record of a unit except as security for a debt; (iii) two years after any development right to add new units was last exercised; or (iv) the date on which the declarant records an amendment to the declaration pursuant to which the declarant voluntarily surrenders the right to further appoint and remove officers and members of the board of directors. A declarant may voluntarily surrender the right to appoint and remove officers and members of the board of directors before termination of that period pursuant to (i), (ii), and (iii) of this subsection (5)(b), but in that event the declarant may require, for the duration of the period of declarant control, that specified actions of the association or board of directors, as described in a recorded instrument executed by the declarant, be approved by the declarant before they become effective.
Not later than sixty days after conveyance of twenty-five percent of the units which may be created to unit owners other than a declarant, at least one member and not less than twenty-five percent of the members of the board of directors must be elected by unit owners other than the declarant. Not later than sixty days after conveyance of fifty percent of the units which may be created to unit owners other than a declarant, not less than thirty-three and one-third percent of the members of the board of directors must be elected by unit owners other than the declarant.
Within thirty days after the termination of any period of declarant control, the unit owners shall elect a board of directors of at least three members, at least a majority of whom must be unit owners. The number of directors need not exceed the number of units then in the condominium. The board of directors shall elect the officers. Such members of the board of directors and officers shall take office upon election.
Notwithstanding any provision of the declaration or bylaws to the contrary, the unit owners, by a two-thirds vote of the voting power in the association present and entitled to vote at any meeting of the unit owners at which a quorum is present, may remove any member of the board of directors with or without cause, other than a member appointed by the declarant. The declarant may not remove any member of the board of directors elected by the unit owners. Prior to the termination of the period of declarant control, the unit owners, other than the declarant, may remove by a two-thirds vote, any director elected by the unit owners.
[ 2019 c 238 § 219; 2011 c 189 § 2; 1992 c 220 § 15; 1989 c 43 § 3-103; ]
Within sixty days after the termination of the period of declarant control provided in *RCW 64.34.308(4) or, in the absence of such period, within sixty days after the first conveyance of a unit in the condominium, the declarant shall deliver to the association all property of the unit owners and of the association held or controlled by the declarant including, but not limited to:
The original or a photocopy of the recorded declaration and each amendment to the declaration;
The certificate of incorporation and a copy or duplicate original of the articles of incorporation of the association as filed with the secretary of state;
The bylaws of the association;
The minute books, including all minutes, and other books and records of the association;
Any rules and regulations that have been adopted;
Resignations of officers and members of the board who are required to resign because the declarant is required to relinquish control of the association;
The financial records, including canceled checks, bank statements, and financial statements of the association, and source documents from the time of incorporation of the association through the date of transfer of control to the unit owners;
Association funds or the control of the funds of the association;
All tangible personal property of the association, represented by the declarant to be the property of the association or ostensibly the property of the association, and an inventory of the property;
Except for alterations to a unit done by a unit owner other than the declarant, a copy of the declarant's plans and specifications utilized in the construction or remodeling of the condominium, with a certificate of the declarant or a licensed architect or engineer that the plans and specifications represent, to the best of their knowledge and belief, the actual plans and specifications utilized by the declarant in the construction or remodeling of the condominium;
Insurance policies or copies thereof for the condominium and association;
Copies of any certificates of occupancy that may have been issued for the condominium;
Any other permits issued by governmental bodies applicable to the condominium in force or issued within one year before the date of transfer of control to the unit owners;
All written warranties that are still in effect for the common elements, or any other areas or facilities which the association has the responsibility to maintain and repair, from the contractor, subcontractors, suppliers, and manufacturers and all owners' manuals or instructions furnished to the declarant with respect to installed equipment or building systems;
A roster of unit owners and eligible mortgagees and their addresses and telephone numbers, if known, as shown on the declarant's records and the date of closing of the first sale of each unit sold by the declarant;
Any leases of the common elements or areas and other leases to which the association is a party;
Any employment contracts or service contracts in which the association is one of the contracting parties or service contracts in which the association or the unit owners have an obligation or a responsibility, directly or indirectly, to pay some or all of the fee or charge of the person performing the service;
A copy of any qualified warranty issued to the association as provided for in RCW 64.35.505; and
All other contracts to which the association is a party.
Upon the transfer of control to the unit owners, the records of the association shall be audited as of the date of transfer by an independent certified public accountant in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards unless the unit owners, other than the declarant, by two-thirds vote elect to waive the audit. The cost of the audit shall be a common expense unless otherwise provided in the declaration. The accountant performing the audit shall examine supporting documents and records, including the cash disbursements and related paid invoices, to determine if expenditures were for association purposes and the billings, cash receipts, and related records to determine if the declarant was charged for and paid the proper amount of assessments.
[ 2004 c 201 § 10; 1989 c 43 § 3-104; ]
No special declarant right, as described in *RCW 64.34.020(29), created or reserved under this chapter may be transferred except by an instrument evidencing the transfer executed by the declarant or the declarant's successor and the transferee is recorded in every county in which any portion of the condominium is located. Each unit owner shall receive a copy of the recorded instrument, but the failure to furnish the copy shall not invalidate the transfer.
Upon transfer of any special declarant right, the liability of a transferor declarant is as follows:
A transferor is not relieved of any obligation or liability arising before the transfer and remains liable for warranty obligations imposed upon the transferor by this chapter. Lack of privity does not deprive any unit owner of standing to maintain an action to enforce any obligation of the transferor.
If a successor to any special declarant right is an affiliate of a declarant as described in RCW 64.34.020(1), the transferor is jointly and severally liable with the successor for any obligations or liabilities of the successor relating to the condominium.
If a transferor retains any special declarant right, but transfers other special declarant rights to a successor who is not an affiliate of the declarant, the transferor is liable for any obligations or liabilities imposed on a declarant by this chapter or by the declaration relating to the retained special declarant rights arising after the transfer.
A transferor has no liability for any act or omission or any breach of a contractual or warranty obligation arising from the exercise of a special declarant right by a successor declarant who is not an affiliate of the transferor.
In case of foreclosure of a mortgage, tax sale, judicial sale, or sale under bankruptcy code or receivership proceedings of any unit owned by a declarant or real property in a condominium subject to development rights, a person acquiring title to all the real property being foreclosed or sold succeeds to all special declarant rights related to that real property held by that declarant and to any rights reserved in the declaration pursuant to RCW 64.34.256 and held by that declarant to maintain models, sales offices, and signs, unless such person requests that all or any of such rights not be transferred. The instrument conveying title shall describe any special declarant rights not being transferred.
Upon foreclosure of a mortgage, tax sale, judicial sale, or sale under bankruptcy code or receivership proceedings of all units and other real property in a condominium owned by a declarant:
The declarant ceases to have any special declarant rights; and
The period of declarant control as described in **RCW 64.34.308(4) terminates unless the judgment or instrument conveying title provides for transfer of all special declarant rights held by that declarant to a successor declarant.
The liabilities and obligations of a person who succeeds to special declarant rights are as follows:
A successor to any special declarant right who is an affiliate of a declarant is subject to all obligations and liabilities imposed on the transferor by this chapter or by the declaration;
A successor to any special declarant right, other than a successor described in (c) or (d) of this subsection, who is not an affiliate of a declarant is subject to all obligations and liabilities imposed by this chapter or the declaration:
On a declarant which relate to such successor's exercise or nonexercise of special declarant rights; or
On the declarant's transferor, other than:
Misrepresentations by any previous declarant;
Warranty obligations on improvements made by any previous declarant or made before the condominium was created;
Breach of any fiduciary obligation by any previous declarant or the declarant's appointees to the board of directors; or
Any liability or obligation imposed on the transferor as a result of the transferor's acts or omissions after the transfer;
A successor to only a right reserved in the declaration to maintain models, sales offices, and signs as described in RCW 64.34.256, if the successor is not an affiliate of a declarant, may not exercise any other special declarant right and is not subject to any liability or obligation as a declarant, except the obligation to provide a public offering statement and any liability arising as a result thereof;
A successor to all special declarant rights held by the successor's transferor who is not an affiliate of that declarant and who succeeded to those rights pursuant to a foreclosure, a deed in lieu of foreclosure, or a judgment or instrument conveying title to units under subsection (3) of this section may declare his or her intention in a recorded instrument to hold those rights solely for transfer to another person. Thereafter, until transferring all special declarant rights to any person acquiring title to any unit owned by the successor or until recording an instrument permitting exercise of all those rights, that successor may not exercise any of those rights other than any right held by the successor's transferor to control the board of directors in accordance with the provisions of **RCW 64.34.308(4) for the duration of any period of declarant control, and any attempted exercise of those rights is void. So long as a successor declarant may not exercise special declarant rights under this subsection, the successor is not subject to any liability or obligation as a declarant other than liability for the successor's acts and omissions under **RCW 64.34.308(4);
Nothing in this section subjects any successor to a special declarant right to any claims against or other obligations of a transferor declarant, other than claims and obligations arising under this chapter or the declaration.
[ 1989 c 43 § 3-105; ]
If entered into before the board of directors elected by the unit owners pursuant to *RCW 64.34.308(6) takes office, (1) any management contract, employment contract, or lease of recreational or parking areas or facilities, (2) any other contract or lease between the association and a declarant or an affiliate of a declarant, or (3) any contract or lease that is not bona fide or was unconscionable to the unit owners at the time entered into under the circumstances then prevailing may be terminated without penalty by the association at any time after the board of directors elected by the unit owners pursuant to *RCW 64.34.308(6) takes office upon not less than ninety days' notice to the other party or within such lesser notice period provided for without penalty in the contract or lease. This section does not apply to any lease, the termination of which would terminate the condominium or reduce its size, unless the real property subject to that lease was included in the condominium for the purpose of avoiding the right of the association to terminate a lease under this section.
[ 1989 c 43 § 3-106; ]
Unless provided for in the declaration, the bylaws of the association shall provide for:
The number, qualifications, powers and duties, terms of office, and manner of electing and removing the board of directors and officers and filling vacancies;
Election by the board of directors of such officers of the association as the bylaws specify;
Which, if any, of its powers the board of directors or officers may delegate to other persons or to a managing agent;
Which of its officers may prepare, execute, certify, and record amendments to the declaration on behalf of the association;
The method of amending the bylaws; and
A statement of the standard of care for officers and members of the board of directors imposed by RCW 64.34.308(1).
Subject to the provisions of the declaration, the bylaws may provide for any other matters the association deems necessary and appropriate.
In determining the qualifications of any officer or director of the association, notwithstanding the provision of *RCW 64.34.020(32) the term "unit owner" in such context shall, unless the declaration or bylaws otherwise provide, be deemed to include any director, officer, partner in, or trustee of any person, who is, either alone or in conjunction with another person or persons, a unit owner. Any officer or director of the association who would not be eligible to serve as such if he or she were not a director, officer, partner in, or trustee of such a person shall be disqualified from continuing in office if he or she ceases to have any such affiliation with that person, or if that person would have been disqualified from continuing in such office as a natural person.
[ 2004 c 201 § 3; 1992 c 220 § 16; 1989 c 43 § 3-107; ]
Except to the extent provided by the declaration, subsection (2) of this section, or RCW 64.34.352(7), the association is responsible for maintenance, repair, and replacement of the common elements, including the limited common elements, and each unit owner is responsible for maintenance, repair, and replacement of the owner's unit. Each unit owner shall afford to the association and the other unit owners, and to their agents or employees, access through the owner's unit and limited common elements reasonably necessary for those purposes. If damage is inflicted on the common elements, or on any unit through which access is taken, the unit owner responsible for the damage, or the association if it is responsible, shall be liable for the repair thereof.
In addition to the liability that a declarant as a unit owner has under this chapter, the declarant alone is liable for all expenses in connection with real property subject to development rights except that the declaration may provide that the expenses associated with the operation, maintenance, repair, and replacement of a common element that the owners have a right to use shall be paid by the association as a common expense. No other unit owner and no other portion of the condominium is subject to a claim for payment of those expenses. Unless the declaration provides otherwise, any income or proceeds from real property subject to development rights inures to the declarant.
[ 1989 c 43 § 3-108; ]
A meeting of the association must be held at least once each year. Special meetings of the association may be called by the president, a majority of the board of directors, or by unit owners having twenty percent or any lower percentage specified in the declaration or bylaws of the votes in the association. Not less than fourteen nor more than fifty days in advance of any meeting, the secretary or other officer specified in the bylaws shall cause notice to be provided in accordance with this chapter. The notice of any meeting shall state the time and place of the meeting and the items on the agenda to be voted on by the members, including the general nature of any proposed amendment to the declaration or bylaws, changes in the previously approved budget that result in a change in assessment obligations, and any proposal to remove a director or officer.
Except as otherwise restricted by the declaration, bylaws, or articles of incorporation, meetings of unit owners may be conducted by telephonic, video, or other conferencing process, if: (a) The meeting notice states the conferencing process to be used and provides information explaining how unit owners may participate in the conference directly or by meeting at a central location or conference connection; and (b) the process provides all unit owners the opportunity to hear or perceive the discussion and to comment.
Unless the bylaws specify a larger percentage, a quorum is present throughout any meeting of the association if the owners of units to which twenty-five percent of the votes of the association are allocated are present in person or by proxy at the beginning of the meeting.
Unless the bylaws specify a larger percentage, a quorum is deemed present throughout any meeting of the board of directors if persons entitled to cast fifty percent of the votes on the board of directors are present at the beginning of the meeting.
[ 1989 c 43 § 3-110; ]
Unit owners may vote at a meeting in person, by absentee ballot pursuant to subsection (3)(d) of this section, or by a proxy pursuant to subsection (5) of this section.
When a vote is conducted without a meeting, unit owners may vote by ballot pursuant to subsection (6) of this section.
At a meeting of unit owners the following requirements apply:
Unit owners or their proxies who are present in person may vote by voice vote, show of hands, standing, written ballot, or any other method for determining the votes of unit owners, as designated by the person presiding at the meeting.
If only one of several unit owners of a unit is present, that unit owner is entitled to cast all the votes allocated to that unit. If more than one of the unit owners are present, the votes allocated to that unit may be cast only in accordance with the agreement of a majority in interest of the unit owners, unless the declaration expressly provides otherwise. There is a majority agreement if any one of the unit owners casts the votes allocated to the unit without protest being made promptly to the person presiding over the meeting by any of the other unit owners of the unit.
Unless a greater number or fraction of the votes in the association is required under this chapter or the declaration or organizational documents, a majority of the votes cast determines the outcome of any action of the association.
Whenever proposals or board members are to be voted upon at a meeting, a unit owner may vote by duly executed absentee ballot if:
The name of each candidate and the text of each proposal to be voted upon are set forth in a writing accompanying or contained in the notice of meeting; and
A ballot is provided by the association for such purpose.
When a unit owner votes by absentee ballot, the association must be able to verify that the ballot is cast by the unit owner having the right to do so.
Except as provided otherwise in the declaration or organizational documents, the following requirements apply with respect to proxy voting:
Votes allocated to a unit may be cast pursuant to a directed or undirected proxy duly executed by a unit owner in the same manner as provided in RCW 24.06.110.
If a unit is owned by more than one person, each unit owner of the unit may vote or register protest to the casting of votes by the other unit owners of the unit through a duly executed proxy.
A unit owner may revoke a proxy given pursuant to this section only by actual notice of revocation to the secretary or the person presiding over a meeting of the association or by delivery of a subsequent proxy. The death or disability of a unit owner does not revoke a proxy given by the unit owner unless the person presiding over the meeting has actual notice of the death or disability.
A proxy is void if it is not dated or purports to be revocable without notice.
Unless stated otherwise in the proxy, a proxy terminates eleven months after its date of issuance.
Unless prohibited or limited by the declaration or organizational documents, an association may conduct a vote without a meeting. In that event, the following requirements apply:
The association must notify the unit owners that the vote will be taken by ballot.
The notice must state:
The time and date by which a ballot must be delivered to the association to be counted, which may not be fewer than fourteen days after the date of the notice, and which deadline may be extended in accordance with (g) of this subsection;
The percent of votes necessary to meet the quorum requirements;
The percent of votes necessary to approve each matter other than election of board members; and
The time, date, and manner by which unit owners wishing to deliver information to all unit owners regarding the subject of the vote may do so.
The association must deliver a ballot to every unit owner with the notice.
The ballot must set forth each proposed action and provide an opportunity to vote for or against the action.
A ballot cast pursuant to this section may be revoked only by actual notice to the association of revocation. The death or disability of a unit owner does not revoke a ballot unless the association has actual notice of the death or disability prior to the date set forth in (b)(i) of this subsection.
Approval by ballot pursuant to this subsection is valid only if the number of votes cast by ballot equals or exceeds the quorum required to be present at a meeting authorizing the action.
If the association does not receive a sufficient number of votes to constitute a quorum or to approve the proposal by the date and time established for return of ballots, the board of directors may extend the deadline for a reasonable period not to exceed eleven months upon further notice to all members in accordance with (b) of this subsection. In that event, all votes previously cast on the proposal must be counted unless subsequently revoked as provided in this section.
A ballot or revocation is not effective until received by the association.
The association must give notice to unit owners of any action taken pursuant to this subsection within a reasonable time after the action is taken.
When an action is taken pursuant to this subsection, a record of the action, including the ballots or a report of the persons appointed to tabulate such ballots, must be kept with the minutes of meetings of the association.
If the governing documents require that votes on specified matters affecting the common interest community be cast by lessees rather than unit owners of leased units:
This section applies to lessees as if they were unit owners;
Unit owners that have leased their units to other persons may not cast votes on those specified matters; and
Lessees are entitled to notice of meetings, access to records, and other rights respecting those matters as if they were unit owners.
Unit owners must also be given notice, in the manner provided in section 8 of this act, of all meetings at which lessees may be entitled to vote.
In any vote of the unit owners, votes allocated to a unit owned by the association must be cast in the same proportion as the votes cast on the matter by unit owners other than the association.
Neither the association nor any unit owner except the declarant is liable for that declarant's torts in connection with any part of the condominium which that declarant has the responsibility to maintain. Otherwise, an action alleging a wrong done by the association must be brought against the association and not against any unit owner or any officer or director of the association. Unless the wrong was done by a unit owner other than the declarant, if the wrong by the association occurred during any period of declarant control and the association gives the declarant reasonable notice of and an opportunity to defend against the action, the declarant who then controlled the association is liable to the association or to any unit owner: (1) For all tort losses not covered by insurance suffered by the association or that unit owner; and (2) for all costs which the association would not have incurred but for a breach of contract or other wrongful act or omission by the association. If the declarant does not defend the action and is determined to be liable to the association under this section, the declarant is also liable for all litigation expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees, incurred by the association in such defense. Any statute of limitations affecting the association's right of action under this section is tolled until the period of declarant control terminates. A unit owner is not precluded from bringing an action contemplated by this section because he or she is a unit owner or a member or officer of the association. Liens resulting from judgments against the association are governed by RCW 64.34.368.
[ 1989 c 43 § 3-112; ]
Portions of the common elements which are not necessary for the habitability of a unit may be conveyed or subjected to a security interest by the association if the owners of units to which at least eighty percent of the votes in the association are allocated, including eighty percent of the votes allocated to units not owned by a declarant or an affiliate of a declarant, or any larger percentage the declaration specifies, agree to that action; but all the owners of units to which any limited common element is allocated must agree in order to convey that limited common element or subject it to a security interest. The declaration may specify a smaller percentage, but not less than sixty-seven percent of the votes not held by a declarant or an affiliate of a declarant, only if all of the units are restricted exclusively to nonresidential uses. Proceeds of the sale or financing are an asset of the association. The declaration may provide for a special allocation or distribution of the proceeds of the sale or refinancing of a limited common element.
An agreement to convey common elements or subject them to a security interest must be evidenced by the execution of an agreement, or ratifications thereof, in the same manner as a deed, by the requisite number of unit owners. The agreement must specify a date after which the agreement will be void unless recorded before that date. The agreement and all ratifications thereof must be recorded in every county in which a portion of the condominium is situated and is effective only upon recording.
The association, on behalf of the unit owners, may contract to convey common elements or subject them to a security interest, but the contract is not enforceable against the association until approved pursuant to subsections (1) and (2) of this section. Thereafter, the association has all powers necessary and appropriate to effect the conveyance or encumbrance, including the power to execute deeds or other instruments.
Any purported conveyance, encumbrance, or other voluntary transfer of common elements, unless made pursuant to this section, is void.
A conveyance or encumbrance of common elements pursuant to this section shall not deprive any unit of its rights of access and support.
A conveyance or encumbrance of common elements pursuant to this section shall not affect the priority or validity of preexisting encumbrances.
[ 1989 c 43 § 3-113; ]
Commencing not later than the time of the first conveyance of a unit to a person other than a declarant, the association shall maintain, to the extent reasonably available:
Property insurance on the condominium, which may, but need not, include equipment, improvements, and betterments in a unit installed by the declarant or the unit owners, insuring against all risks of direct physical loss commonly insured against. The total amount of insurance after application of any deductibles shall be not less than eighty percent, or such greater amount specified in the declaration, of the actual cash value of the insured property at the time the insurance is purchased and at each renewal date, exclusive of land, excavations, foundations, and other items normally excluded from property policies; and
Liability insurance, including medical payments insurance, in an amount determined by the board of directors but not less than the amount specified in the declaration, covering all occurrences commonly insured against for death, bodily injury, and property damage arising out of or in connection with the use, ownership, or maintenance of the common elements.
If the insurance described in subsection (1) of this section is not reasonably available, or is modified, canceled, or not renewed, the association promptly shall cause notice of that fact to be provided to each unit owner in accordance with this chapter, to all unit owners, to each eligible mortgagee, and to each mortgagee to whom a certificate or memorandum of insurance has been issued at their respective last known addresses. The declaration may require the association to carry any other insurance, and the association in any event may carry any other insurance it deems appropriate to protect the association or the unit owners.
Insurance policies carried pursuant to subsection (1) of this section shall provide that:
Each unit owner is an insured person under the policy with respect to liability arising out of the owner's interest in the common elements or membership in the association;
The insurer waives its right to subrogation under the policy against any unit owner, member of the owner's household, and lessee of the owner;
No act or omission by any unit owner, unless acting within the scope of the owner's authority on behalf of the association, will void the policy or be a condition to recovery under the policy; and
If, at the time of a loss under the policy, there is other insurance in the name of a unit owner covering the same risk covered by the policy, the association's policy provides primary insurance.
Any loss covered by the property insurance under subsection (1)(a) of this section must be adjusted with the association, but the insurance proceeds for that loss are payable to any insurance trustee designated for that purpose, or otherwise to the association, and not to any holder of a mortgage. The insurance trustee or the association shall hold any insurance proceeds in trust for unit owners and lienholders as their interests may appear. Subject to the provisions of subsection (7) of this section, the proceeds must be disbursed first for the repair or restoration of the damaged property, and unit owners and lienholders are not entitled to receive payment of any portion of the proceeds unless there is a surplus of proceeds after the property has been completely repaired or restored or the condominium is terminated.
An insurance policy issued to the association does not prevent a unit owner from obtaining insurance for the owner's own benefit.
An insurer that has issued an insurance policy under this section shall issue certificates or memoranda of insurance to the association and, upon written request, to any unit owner or holder of a mortgage. The insurer issuing the policy may not modify the amount or the extent of the coverage of the policy or cancel or refuse to renew the policy unless the insurer has complied with all applicable provisions of chapter 48.18 RCW pertaining to the cancellation or nonrenewal of contracts of insurance. The insurer shall not modify the amount or the extent of the coverage of the policy, or cancel or refuse to renew the policy without complying with this section.
Any portion of the condominium for which insurance is required under this section which is damaged or destroyed shall be repaired or replaced promptly by the association unless: (a) The condominium is terminated; (b) repair or replacement would be illegal under any state or local health or safety statute or ordinance; or (c) eighty percent of the unit owners, including every owner of a unit or assigned limited common element which will not be rebuilt, vote not to rebuild. The cost of repair or replacement in excess of insurance proceeds and reserves is a common expense. If all of the damaged or destroyed portions of the condominium are not repaired or replaced: (i) The insurance proceeds attributable to the damaged common elements shall be used to restore the damaged area to a condition compatible with the remainder of the condominium; (ii) the insurance proceeds attributable to units and limited common elements which are not rebuilt shall be distributed to the owners of those units and the owners of the units to which those limited common elements were allocated, or to lienholders, as their interests may appear; and (iii) the remainder of the proceeds shall be distributed to all the unit owners or lienholders, as their interests may appear, in proportion to the common element interests of all the units. If the unit owners vote not to rebuild any unit, that unit's allocated interests are automatically reallocated upon the vote as if the unit had been condemned under RCW 64.34.060(1), and the association promptly shall prepare, execute, and record an amendment to the declaration reflecting the reallocations. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, RCW 64.34.268 governs the distribution of insurance proceeds if the condominium is terminated.
The provisions of this section may be varied or waived as provided in the declaration if all units of a condominium are restricted to nonresidential use.
Promptly upon the conveyance of a unit, the new unit owner shall notify the association of the date of the conveyance and the unit owner's name and address. The association shall notify each insurance company that has issued an insurance policy to the association for the benefit of the owners under RCW 64.34.352 of the name and address of the new owner and request that the new owner be made a named insured under such policy.
[ 1990 c 166 § 8; ]
Unless otherwise provided in the declaration, any surplus funds of the association remaining after payment of or provision for common expenses and any prepayment of reserves shall, in the discretion of the board of directors, either be paid to the unit owners in proportion to their common expense liabilities or credited to them to reduce their future common expense assessments.
[ 1989 c 43 § 3-115; ]
Until the association makes a common expense assessment, the declarant shall pay all common expenses. After any assessment has been made by the association, assessments must be made against all units, based on a budget adopted by the association.
Except for assessments under subsections (3), (4), and (5) of this section, all common expenses must be assessed against all the units in accordance with the allocations set forth in the declaration pursuant to RCW 64.34.224(1). Any past due common expense assessment or installment thereof bears interest at the rate established by the association pursuant to RCW 64.34.364.
To the extent required by the declaration:
Any common expense associated with the operation, maintenance, repair, or replacement of a limited common element shall be paid by the owner of or assessed against the units to which that limited common element is assigned, equally, or in any other proportion that the declaration provides;
Any common expense or portion thereof benefiting fewer than all of the units must be assessed exclusively against the units benefited;
The costs of insurance must be assessed in proportion to risk; and
The costs of utilities must be assessed in proportion to usage.
Assessments to pay a judgment against the association pursuant to RCW 64.34.368(1) may be made only against the units in the condominium at the time the judgment was entered in proportion to their allocated common expense liabilities at the time the judgment was entered.
To the extent that any common expense is caused by the misconduct of any unit owner, the association may assess that expense against the owner's unit.
If common expense liabilities are reallocated, common expense assessments and any installment thereof not yet due shall be recalculated in accordance with the reallocated common expense liabilities.
[ 1990 c 166 § 5; 1989 c 43 § 3-116; ]
The association has a lien on a unit for any unpaid assessments levied against a unit from the time the assessment is due.
A lien under this section shall be prior to all other liens and encumbrances on a unit except: (a) Liens and encumbrances recorded before the recording of the declaration; (b) a mortgage on the unit recorded before the date on which the assessment sought to be enforced became delinquent; and (c) liens for real property taxes and other governmental assessments or charges against the unit. A lien under this section is not subject to the provisions of chapter 6.13 RCW.
Except as provided in subsections (4) and (5) of this section, the lien shall also be prior to the mortgages described in subsection (2)(b) of this section to the extent of assessments for common expenses, excluding any amounts for capital improvements, based on the periodic budget adopted by the association pursuant to RCW 64.34.360(1) which would have become due during the six months immediately preceding the date of a sheriff's sale in an action for judicial foreclosure by either the association or a mortgagee, the date of a trustee's sale in a nonjudicial foreclosure by a mortgagee, or the date of recording of the declaration of forfeiture in a proceeding by the vendor under a real estate contract.
The priority of the association's lien against units encumbered by a mortgage held by an eligible mortgagee or by a mortgagee which has given the association a written request for a notice of delinquent assessments shall be reduced by up to three months if and to the extent that the lien priority under subsection (3) of this section includes delinquencies which relate to a period after such holder becomes an eligible mortgagee or has given such notice and before the association gives the holder a written notice of the delinquency. This subsection does not affect the priority of mechanics' or material suppliers' liens, or the priority of liens for other assessments made by the association.
If the association forecloses its lien under this section nonjudicially pursuant to chapter 61.24 RCW, as provided by subsection (9) of this section, the association shall not be entitled to the lien priority provided for under subsection (3) of this section.
Unless the declaration otherwise provides, if two or more associations have liens for assessments created at any time on the same real estate, those liens have equal priority.
Recording of the declaration constitutes record notice and perfection of the lien for assessments. While no further recording of any claim of lien for assessment under this section shall be required to perfect the association's lien, the association may record a notice of claim of lien for assessments under this section in the real property records of any county in which the condominium is located. Such recording shall not constitute the written notice of delinquency to a mortgagee referred to in subsection (2) of this section.
A lien for unpaid assessments and the personal liability for payment of assessments is extinguished unless proceedings to enforce the lien or collect the debt are instituted within three years after the amount of the assessments sought to be recovered becomes due.
The lien arising under this section may be enforced judicially by the association or its authorized representative in the manner set forth in chapter 61.12 RCW. The lien arising under this section may be enforced nonjudicially in the manner set forth in chapter 61.24 RCW for nonjudicial foreclosure of deeds of trust if the declaration (a) contains a grant of the condominium in trust to a trustee qualified under RCW 61.24.010 to secure the obligations of the unit owners to the association for the payment of assessments, (b) contains a power of sale, (c) provides in its terms that the units are not used principally for agricultural or farming purposes, and (d) provides that the power of sale is operative in the case of a default in the obligation to pay assessments. The association or its authorized representative shall have the power, unless prohibited by the declaration, to purchase the unit at the foreclosure sale and to acquire, hold, lease, mortgage, or convey the same. Upon an express waiver in the complaint of any right to a deficiency judgment in a judicial foreclosure action, the period of redemption shall be eight months. Nothing in this section shall prohibit an association from taking a deed in lieu of foreclosure.
From the time of commencement of an action by the association to foreclose a lien for nonpayment of delinquent assessments against a unit that is not occupied by the owner thereof, the association shall be entitled to the appointment of a receiver to collect from the lessee thereof the rent for the unit as and when due. If the rental is not paid, the receiver may obtain possession of the unit, refurbish it for rental up to a reasonable standard for rental units in this type of condominium, rent the unit or permit its rental to others, and apply the rents first to the cost of the receivership and attorneys' fees thereof, then to the cost of refurbishing the unit, then to applicable charges, then to costs, fees, and charges of the foreclosure action, and then to the payment of the delinquent assessments. Only a receiver may take possession and collect rents under this subsection, and a receiver shall not be appointed less than ninety days after the delinquency. The exercise by the association of the foregoing rights shall not affect the priority of preexisting liens on the unit.
Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, the holder of a mortgage or other purchaser of a unit who obtains the right of possession of the unit through foreclosure shall not be liable for assessments or installments thereof that became due prior to such right of possession. Such unpaid assessments shall be deemed to be common expenses collectible from all the unit owners, including such mortgagee or other purchaser of the unit. Foreclosure of a mortgage does not relieve the prior owner of personal liability for assessments accruing against the unit prior to the date of such sale as provided in this subsection.
In addition to constituting a lien on the unit, each assessment shall be the joint and several obligation of the owner or owners of the unit to which the same are assessed as of the time the assessment is due. In a voluntary conveyance, the grantee of a unit shall be jointly and severally liable with the grantor for all unpaid assessments against the grantor up to the time of the grantor's conveyance, without prejudice to the grantee's right to recover from the grantor the amounts paid by the grantee therefor. Suit to recover a personal judgment for any delinquent assessment shall be maintainable in any court of competent jurisdiction without foreclosing or waiving the lien securing such sums.
The association may from time to time establish reasonable late charges and a rate of interest to be charged on all subsequent delinquent assessments or installments thereof. In the absence of another established nonusurious rate, delinquent assessments shall bear interest from the date of delinquency at the maximum rate permitted under RCW 19.52.020 on the date on which the assessments became delinquent.
The association shall be entitled to recover any costs and reasonable attorneys' fees incurred in connection with the collection of delinquent assessments, whether or not such collection activities result in suit being commenced or prosecuted to judgment. In addition, the association shall be entitled to recover costs and reasonable attorneys' fees if it prevails on appeal and in the enforcement of a judgment.
The association upon written request shall furnish to a unit owner or a mortgagee a statement signed by an officer or authorized agent of the association setting forth the amount of unpaid assessments against that unit. The statement shall be furnished within fifteen days after receipt of the request and is binding on the association, the board of directors, and every unit owner, unless and to the extent known by the recipient to be false.
To the extent not inconsistent with this section, the declaration may provide for such additional remedies for collection of assessments as may be permitted by law.
An association may not commence an action to foreclose a lien on a unit under this section unless:
The unit owner, at the time the action is commenced, owes at least a sum equal to the greater of:
Three months or more of assessments, not including fines, late charges, interest, attorneys' fees, or costs incurred by the association in connection with the collection of a delinquent owner's account; or
$200 of assessments, not including fines, late charges, interest, attorneys' fees, or costs incurred by the association in connection with the collection of a delinquent owner's account;
At or after the date that assessments have become past due for at least 90 days, the association has mailed, by first-class mail, to the owner, at the unit address and to any other address which the owner has provided to the association, a notice of delinquency, which shall state as follows:
THIS IS A NOTICE OF DELINQUENCY FOR PAST DUE ASSESSMENTS
FROM THE UNIT OWNERS' ASSOCIATION TO WHICH YOUR HOME BELONGS.
THIS NOTICE IS ONE STEP IN A PROCESS THAT COULD RESULT IN YOUR LOSING YOUR HOME.
CONTACT A HOUSING COUNSELOR OR AN ATTORNEY LICENSED IN WASHINGTON NOW to assess your situation and refer you to mediation if you might benefit. DO NOT DELAY.
BE CAREFUL of people who claim they can help you. There are many individuals and businesses that prey upon borrowers in distress.
REFER TO THE CONTACTS BELOW for sources of assistance.
SEEKING ASSISTANCE
Housing counselors and legal assistance may be available at little or no cost to you. If you would like assistance in determining your rights and opportunities to keep your house, you may contact the following:
The statewide foreclosure hotline for assistance and referral to housing counselors recommended by the Housing Finance Commission
Telephone: . . . . . . . Website: . . . . . .
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
Telephone: . . . . . . . Website: . . . . . .
The statewide civil legal aid hotline for assistance and referrals to other housing counselors and attorneys
Telephone: . . . . . . . Website: . . . . . .
The association shall obtain the toll-free numbers and website information from the department of commerce for inclusion in the notice;
c. At least 180 days have elapsed from the date the minimum amount required in (a) of this subsection has accrued; and
d. The board approves commencement of a foreclosure action specifically against that unit.
[ 2021 c 222 § 5; 2013 c 23 § 175; 1990 c 166 § 6; 1989 c 43 § 3-117; ]
Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, a judgment for money against the association perfected under RCW 4.64.020 is a lien in favor of the judgment lienholder against all of the units in the condominium and their interest in the common elements at the time the judgment was entered. No other property of a unit owner is subject to the claims of creditors of the association.
If the association has granted a security interest in the common elements to a creditor of the association pursuant to RCW 64.34.348, the holder of that security interest shall exercise its right first against such common elements before its judgment lien on any unit may be enforced.
Whether perfected before or after the creation of the condominium, if a lien other than a mortgage, including a judgment lien or lien attributable to work performed or materials supplied before creation of the condominium, becomes effective against two or more units, the unit owner of an affected unit may pay to the lienholder the amount of the lien attributable to the owner's unit, and the lienholder, upon receipt of payment, promptly shall deliver a release of the lien covering that unit. The amount of the payment must be proportionate to the ratio which that unit owner's allocated common expense liability bears to the allocated common expense liabilities of all unit owners whose units are subject to the lien. After payment, the association may not assess or have a lien against that unit owner's unit for any portion of the common expenses incurred in connection with that lien.
A judgment against the association shall be filed in the name of the condominium and the association and, when so filed, is notice of the lien against the units.
[ 1989 c 43 § 3-118; ]
The association shall keep financial records sufficiently detailed to enable the association to comply with RCW 64.34.425. All financial and other records of the association, including but not limited to checks, bank records, and invoices, are the property of the association, but shall be made reasonably available for examination and copying by the manager of the association, any unit owner, or the owner's authorized agents. At least annually, the association shall prepare, or cause to be prepared, a financial statement of the association in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The financial statements of condominiums consisting of fifty or more units shall be audited at least annually by a certified public accountant. In the case of a condominium consisting of fewer than fifty units, an annual audit is also required but may be waived annually by unit owners other than the declarant of units to which sixty percent of the votes are allocated, excluding the votes allocated to units owned by the declarant.
The funds of an association shall be kept in accounts in the name of the association and shall not be commingled with the funds of any other association, nor with the funds of any manager of the association or any other person responsible for the custody of such funds. Any reserve funds of an association shall be kept in a segregated account and any transaction affecting such funds, including the issuance of checks, shall require the signature of at least two persons who are officers or directors of the association.
[ 1992 c 220 § 19; 1990 c 166 § 7; 1989 c 43 § 3-119; ]
With respect to a third person dealing with the association in the association's capacity as a trustee, the existence of trust powers and their proper exercise by the association may be assumed without inquiry. A third person is not bound to inquire whether the association has power to act as trustee or is properly exercising trust powers. A third person, without actual knowledge that the association is exceeding or improperly exercising its powers, is fully protected in dealing with the association as if it possessed and properly exercised the powers it purports to exercise. A third person is not bound to assure the proper application of trust assets paid or delivered to the association in its capacity as trustee.
[ 1989 c 43 § 3-120; ]
An association is encouraged to establish a reserve account with a financial institution to fund major maintenance, repair, and replacement of common elements, including limited common elements that will require major maintenance, repair, or replacement within thirty years. If the association establishes a reserve account, the account must be in the name of the association. The board of directors is responsible for administering the reserve account.
Except as provided in RCW 64.90.080 and 64.90.545, unless doing so would impose an unreasonable hardship, an association with significant assets shall prepare and update a reserve study, in accordance with the association's governing documents and RCW 64.34.224(1). The initial reserve study must be based upon a visual site inspection conducted by a reserve study professional.
Except as provided in RCW 64.90.080 and 64.90.545, unless doing so would impose an unreasonable hardship, the association shall update the reserve study annually. At least every three years, an updated reserve study must be prepared and based upon a visual site inspection conducted by a reserve study professional.
Except as provided in RCW 64.90.080 and 64.90.545, this section and RCW 64.34.382 through 64.34.392 apply to condominiums governed by chapter 64.32 RCW or this chapter and intended in whole or in part for residential purposes. These sections do not apply to condominiums consisting solely of units that are restricted in the declaration to nonresidential use. An association's governing documents may contain stricter requirements.
[ 2019 c 238 § 220; 2011 c 189 § 3; 2008 c 115 § 1; ]
A reserve study as described in RCW 64.34.380 is supplemental to the association's operating and maintenance budget. In preparing a reserve study, the association shall estimate the anticipated major maintenance, repair, and replacement costs, whose infrequent and significant nature make them impractical to be included in an annual budget.
A reserve study must include:
A reserve component list, including roofing, painting, paving, decks, siding, plumbing, windows, and any other reserve component that would cost more than one percent of the annual budget for major maintenance, repair, or replacement. If one of these reserve components is not included in the reserve study, the study should provide commentary explaining the basis for its exclusion. The study must also include quantities and estimates for the useful life of each reserve component, remaining useful life of each reserve component, and current repair and replacement cost for each component;
The date of the study and a statement that the study meets the requirements of this section;
The following level of reserve study performed:
Level I: Full reserve study funding analysis and plan;
Level II: Update with visual site inspection; or
Level III: Update with no visual site inspection;
The association's reserve account balance;
The percentage of the fully funded balance that the reserve account is funded;
Special assessments already implemented or planned;
Interest and inflation assumptions;
Current reserve account contribution rate;
A recommended reserve account contribution rate, a contribution rate for a full funding plan to achieve one hundred percent fully funded reserves by the end of the thirty-year study period, a baseline funding plan to maintain the reserve balance above zero throughout the thirty-year study period without special assessments, and a contribution rate recommended by a reserve study professional;
A projected reserve account balance for thirty years and a funding plan to pay for projected costs from those reserves without reliance on future unplanned special assessments; and
A statement on whether the reserve study was prepared with the assistance of a reserve study professional.
A reserve study shall include the following disclosure:
"This reserve study should be reviewed carefully. It may not include all common and limited common element components that will require major maintenance, repair, or replacement in future years, and may not include regular contributions to a reserve account for the cost of such maintenance, repair, or replacement. The failure to include a component in a reserve study, or to provide contributions to a reserve account for a component, may, under some circumstances, require you to pay on demand as a special assessment your share of common expenses for the cost of major maintenance, repair, or replacement of a reserve component."
[ 2011 c 189 § 4; 2008 c 115 § 2; ]
An association may withdraw funds from its reserve account to pay for unforeseen or unbudgeted costs that are unrelated to maintenance, repair, or replacement of the reserve components. The board of directors shall record any such withdrawal in the minute books of the association, cause notice of any such withdrawal to be hand delivered or sent prepaid by first-class United States mail to the mailing address of each unit or to any other mailing address designated in writing by the unit owner, and adopt a repayment schedule not to exceed twenty-four months unless it determines that repayment within twenty-four months would impose an unreasonable burden on the unit owners. Payment for major maintenance, repair, or replacement of the reserve components out of cycle with the reserve study projections or not included in the reserve study may be made from the reserve account without meeting the notification or repayment requirements under this section.
[ 2011 c 189 § 5; 2008 c 115 § 3; ]
Where more than three years have passed since the date of the last reserve study prepared by a reserve study professional, the owners of the units to which at least twenty percent of the votes are allocated may demand, in writing, to the association that the cost of a reserve study be included in the next budget and that the study be obtained by the end of that budget year. The written demand must refer to this section. The board of directors shall, upon receipt of the written demand, provide unit owners making the demand reasonable assurance that the board of directors will include a reserve study in the next budget and, if the budget is not rejected by the owners, will arrange for the completion of a reserve study.
In the event a written demand is made and a reserve study is not timely prepared, a court may order specific performance and award reasonable attorneys' fees to the prevailing party in any legal action brought to enforce this section. An association may assert unreasonable hardship as an affirmative defense in any action brought against it under this section. Without limiting this affirmative defense, an unreasonable hardship exists where the cost of preparing a reserve study would exceed ten percent of the association's annual budget.
A unit owner's duty to pay for common expenses shall not be excused because of the association's failure to comply with this section or RCW 64.34.382 through 64.34.390. A budget ratified by the unit owners under RCW 64.34.308(3) may not be invalidated because of the association's failure to comply with this section or RCW 64.34.382 through 64.34.390.
[ 2008 c 115 § 4; ]
Subject to RCW 64.34.386, the decisions relating to the preparation and updating of a reserve study must be made by the board of directors of the association in the exercise of the reasonable discretion of the board. Such decisions must include whether a reserve study will be prepared or updated, and whether the assistance of a reserve study professional will be utilized.
[ 2008 c 115 § 5; ]
Monetary damages or any other liability may not be awarded against or imposed upon the association, the officers or board of directors of the association, or those persons who may have provided advice or assistance to the association or its officers or directors, for failure to: Establish a reserve account; have a current reserve study prepared or updated in accordance with RCW 64.34.380 through 64.34.388; or make the reserve disclosures in accordance with RCW 64.34.382 and 64.34.410(1)(oo) and 64.34.425(1)(s).
[ 2008 c 115 § 6; ]
Except as provided in RCW 64.90.080 and 64.90.545, a condominium association with ten or fewer unit owners is not required to follow the requirements under RCW 64.34.380 through 64.34.390 if two-thirds of the owners agree to exempt the association from the requirements.
The unit owners must agree to maintain an exemption under subsection (1) of this section by a two-thirds vote every three years.
Notwithstanding subsections (1) and (2) of this section, a disclosure that the condominium association does not have a reserve study must be included in a unit's public offering statement as required under RCW 64.34.410 or resale certificate as required under RCW 64.34.425.
[ 2019 c 238 § 221; 2009 c 307 § 1; ]
The declaration of a condominium and any bylaws, rules, and regulations adopted by the association may not prohibit the installation of drought resistant landscaping or wildfire ignition resistant landscaping. However, the declaration or bylaws, rules, and regulations may include reasonable rules regarding the placement and aesthetic appearance of drought resistant landscaping or wildfire ignition resistant landscaping, as long as the rules do not render the use of drought resistant landscaping or wildfire ignition resistant landscaping unreasonably costly or otherwise effectively infeasible.
If a property is located within the geographic designation of an order of a drought condition issued by the department of ecology under RCW 43.83B.405, an association may not impose a fine or assessment against an owner, or resident on the owner's property, for reducing or eliminating the watering of vegetation or lawns for the duration of the drought condition order.
Nothing in this section may be construed to prohibit or restrict the establishment and maintenance of a fire buffer within the building ignition zone.
The definitions in this subsection apply throughout this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
"Building ignition zone" means a building and surrounding area up to two hundred feet from the foundation.
"Drought resistant landscaping" means the use of any noninvasive vegetation adapted to arid or dry conditions, stone, or landscaping rock.
"Firewise" means the firewise communities program developed by the national fire protection association, which encourages local solutions for wildfire safety by involving homeowners, community leaders, planners, developers, firefighters, and others in the effort to protect people and property from wildfire risks.
"Wildfire ignition resistant landscaping" includes:
Any landscaping tools or techniques, or noninvasive vegetation, that do not readily ignite from a flame or other ignition source; or
The use of firewise methods to reduce ignition risk in a building ignition zone.
[ 2020 c 9 § 3; ]
Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision in the governing documents, notice to the association, board of directors, or any owner or occupant of a unit under this chapter shall be in writing and shall be provided to the recipient by personal delivery, public or private mail or delivery service, or by electronic transmission as provided in this section: PROVIDED, That if this chapter requires different or additional notice requirements for particular circumstances, those requirements shall apply.
Notice in a tangible medium shall be provided as follows:
Notice to the association or board of directors shall be addressed to the association's registered agent at its registered office, to the association at its principal office shown in its most recent annual report, or to an address provided by the association to the unit owners.
Notice to a unit owner or occupant shall be addressed to the unit address unless the unit owner has requested, in a writing delivered to the association, that notices be sent to an alternate address.
Notice in an electronic transmission shall be provided as follows:
Notice to the association, the board of directors, or unit owners by electronic transmission is effective only upon those who have consented, in writing, to receive electronically transmitted notices under this chapter and have designated the address, location, or system to which such notices may be electronically transmitted, provided that such notice otherwise complies with any other requirements of this chapter and applicable law.
Notice under this subsection includes any materials that accompany the notice.
Owners who have consented to receipt of electronically transmitted notices may revoke this consent by delivering a revocation to the association in writing.
The consent of any owner is revoked if the association is unable to electronically transmit two consecutive notices and this inability becomes known to the secretary of the association or any other person responsible for giving the notice. The inadvertent failure by the association to treat this inability as a revocation does not invalidate any meeting or other action.
Notice to unit owners who have consented to receipt of electronically transmitted notices may be provided by posting the notice on an electronic network and delivering to the unit owner separate notice of the posting, together with comprehensible instructions regarding how to obtain access to the posting on the electronic network.
Notice is effective as follows:
Notice provided in a tangible medium is effective as of the date of hand delivery, deposit with the carrier, or when sent by fax.
Notice provided in an electronic transmission is effective as of the date it:
Is electronically transmitted to an address, location, or system designated by the recipient for that purpose; or
Has been posted on an electronic network and separate notice of the posting has been sent to the recipient containing instructions regarding how to obtain access to the posting on the electronic network.
The ineffectiveness of a good faith effort to deliver notice by an authorized means does not invalidate action taken at or without a meeting.
This chapter modifies, limits, and supersedes the federal electronic signatures in global and national commerce act, 15 U.S.C. Sec. 7001 et seq., but does not modify, limit, or supersede 15 U.S.C. Sec. 7001(c) or authorize electronic delivery of any of the notices described in 15 U.S.C. Sec. 7003(b).
[ 2021 c 227 § 8; ]
This article applies to all units subject to this chapter, except as provided in subsection (2) of this section and unless and to the extent otherwise agreed to in writing by the seller and purchasers of those units that are restricted to nonresidential use in the declaration.
This article shall not apply in the case of:
A conveyance by gift, devise, or descent;
A conveyance pursuant to court order;
A disposition by a government or governmental agency;
A conveyance by foreclosure;
A disposition of all of the units in a condominium in a single transaction;
A disposition to other than a purchaser as defined in *RCW 64.34.020(26); or
A disposition that may be canceled at any time and for any reason by the purchaser without penalty.
[ 1992 c 220 § 20; 1990 c 166 § 9; 1989 c 43 § 4-101; ]
Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section or when no public offering statement is required, a declarant shall prepare a public offering statement conforming to the requirements of RCW 64.34.410 and 64.34.415.
A declarant may transfer responsibility for preparation of all or a part of the public offering statement to a successor declarant pursuant to RCW 64.34.316 or to a dealer who intends to offer units in the condominium for the person's own account.
Any declarant or dealer who offers a unit for the person's own account to a purchaser shall deliver a public offering statement in the manner prescribed in RCW 64.34.420(1). Any agent, attorney, or other person assisting the declarant or dealer in preparing the public offering statement may rely upon information provided by the declarant or dealer without independent investigation. The agent, attorney, or other person shall not be liable for any material misrepresentation in or omissions of material facts from the public offering statement unless the person had actual knowledge of the misrepresentation or omission at the time the public offering statement was prepared. The declarant or dealer shall be liable for any misrepresentation contained in the public offering statement or for any omission of material fact therefrom if the declarant or dealer had actual knowledge of the misrepresentation or omission or, in the exercise of reasonable care, should have known of the misrepresentation or omission.
If a unit is part of a condominium and is part of another real property regime in connection with the sale of which the delivery of a public offering statement is required under the laws of this state, a single public offering statement, conforming to the requirements of RCW 64.34.410 and 64.34.415 as those requirements relate to all real property regimes in which the unit is located and conforming to any other requirements imposed under the laws of this state, may be prepared and delivered in lieu of providing two or more public offering statements.
[ 1989 c 43 § 4-102; ]
A public offering statement shall contain the following information:
The name and address of the condominium;
The name and address of the declarant;
The name and address of the management company, if any;
The relationship of the management company to the declarant, if any;
A list of up to the five most recent condominium projects completed by the declarant or an affiliate of the declarant within the past five years, including the names of the condominiums, their addresses, and the number of existing units in each. For the purpose of this section, a condominium is "completed" when any one unit therein has been rented or sold;
The nature of the interest being offered for sale;
A brief description of the permitted uses and use restrictions pertaining to the units and the common elements;
A brief description of the restrictions, if any, on the renting or leasing of units by the declarant or other unit owners, together with the rights, if any, of the declarant to rent or lease at least a majority of units;
The number of existing units in the condominium and the maximum number of units that may be added to the condominium;
A list of the principal common amenities in the condominium which materially affect the value of the condominium and those that will or may be added to the condominium;
A list of the limited common elements assigned to the units being offered for sale;
The identification of any real property not in the condominium, the owner of which has access to any of the common elements, and a description of the terms of such access;
The identification of any real property not in the condominium to which unit owners have access and a description of the terms of such access;
The status of construction of the units and common elements, including estimated dates of completion if not completed;
The estimated current common expense liability for the units being offered;
An estimate of any payment with respect to the common expense liability for the units being offered which will be due at closing;
The estimated current amount and purpose of any fees not included in the common expenses and charged by the declarant or the association for the use of any of the common elements;
Any assessments which have been agreed to or are known to the declarant and which, if not paid, may constitute a lien against any units or common elements in favor of any governmental agency;
The identification of any parts of the condominium, other than the units, which any individual owner will have the responsibility for maintaining;
If the condominium involves a conversion condominium, the information required by RCW 64.34.415;
Whether timesharing is restricted or prohibited, and if restricted, a general description of such restrictions;
A list of all development rights reserved to the declarant and all special declarant rights reserved to the declarant, together with the dates such rights must terminate, and a copy of or reference by recording number to any recorded transfer of a special declarant right;
A description of any material differences in terms of furnishings, fixtures, finishes, and equipment between any model unit available to the purchaser at the time the agreement for sale is executed and the unit being offered;
Any liens on real property to be conveyed to the association required to be disclosed pursuant to RCW 64.34.435(2)(b);
A list of any physical hazards known to the declarant which particularly affect the condominium or the immediate vicinity in which the condominium is located and which are not readily ascertainable by the purchaser;
A brief description of any construction warranties to be provided to the purchaser;
aa. Any building code violation citations received by the declarant in connection with the condominium which have not been corrected;
bb. A statement of any unsatisfied judgments or pending suits against the association, a statement of the status of any pending suits material to the condominium of which the declarant has actual knowledge, and a statement of any litigation brought by an owners' association, unit owner, or governmental entity in which the declarant or any affiliate of the declarant has been a defendant, arising out of the construction, sale, or administration of any condominium within the previous five years, together with the results thereof, if known;
dd. The extent to which the insurance provided by the association covers furnishings, fixtures, and equipment located in the unit;
ee. A notice which describes a purchaser's right to cancel the purchase agreement or extend the closing under RCW 64.34.420, including applicable time frames and procedures;
ff. Any reports or statements required by RCW 64.34.415 or 64.34.440(6)(a). RCW 64.34.415 shall apply to the public offering statement of a condominium in connection with which a final certificate of occupancy was issued more than sixty calendar months prior to the preparation of the public offering statement whether or not the condominium is a conversion condominium as defined in *RCW 64.34.020(11);
gg. A list of the documents which the prospective purchaser is entitled to receive from the declarant before the rescission period commences;
hh. A notice which states: A purchaser may not rely on any representation or express warranty unless it is contained in the public offering statement or made in writing signed by the declarant or by any person identified in the public offering statement as the declarant's agent;
ii. A notice which states: This public offering statement is only a summary of some of the significant aspects of purchasing a unit in this condominium and the condominium documents are complex, contain other important information, and create binding legal obligations. You should consider seeking the assistance of legal counsel;
jj. Any other information and cross-references which the declarant believes will be helpful in describing the condominium to the recipients of the public offering statement, all of which may be included or not included at the option of the declarant;
kk. A notice that addresses compliance or noncompliance with the housing for older persons act of 1995, P.L. 104-76, as enacted on December 28, 1995;
ll. A notice that is substantially in the form required by RCW 64.50.050;
nn. A statement that the building enclosure has been designed and inspected as required by RCW 64.55.010 through 64.55.090, and, if required, repaired in accordance with the requirements of RCW 64.55.090; and
oo. If the association does not have a reserve study that has been prepared in accordance with RCW 64.34.380 and 64.34.382 or its governing documents, the following disclosure:
"This association does not have a current reserve study. The lack of a current reserve study poses certain risks to you, the purchaser. Insufficient reserves may, under some circumstances, require you to pay on demand as a special assessment your share of common expenses for the cost of major maintenance, repair, or replacement of a common element."
If any of the foregoing documents listed in this subsection are not available because they have not been executed, adopted, or recorded, drafts of such documents shall be provided with the public offering statement, and, before closing the sale of a unit, the purchaser shall be given copies of any material changes between the draft of the proposed documents and the final documents.
The disclosures required by subsection (1)(g), (k), (s), (u), (v), and (cc) of this section shall also contain a reference to specific sections in the condominium documents which further explain the information disclosed.
The disclosures required by subsection (1)(ee), (hh), (ii), and (ll) of this section shall be located at the top of the first page of the public offering statement and be typed or printed in ten-point bold face type size.
A declarant shall promptly amend the public offering statement to reflect any material change in the information required by this section.
[ 2008 c 115 § 10; 2005 c 456 § 19; 2004 c 201 § 11; 2002 c 323 § 10; 1997 c 400 § 1; 1992 c 220 § 21; 1989 c 43 § 4-103; ]
The public offering statement of a conversion condominium shall contain, in addition to the information required by RCW 64.34.410:
Either a copy of a report prepared by an independent, licensed architect or engineer, or a statement by the declarant based on such report, which report or statement describes, to the extent reasonably ascertainable, the present condition of all structural components and mechanical and electrical installations material to the use and enjoyment of the condominium;
A copy of the inspection and repair report prepared by an independent, licensed architect, engineer, or qualified building inspector in accordance with the requirements of RCW 64.55.090;
A statement by the declarant of the expected useful life of each item reported on in (a) of this subsection or a statement that no representations are made in that regard; and
A list of any outstanding notices of uncured violations of building code or other municipal regulations, together with the estimated cost of curing those violations. Unless the purchaser waives in writing the curing of specific violations, the extent to which the declarant will cure such violations prior to the closing of the sale of a unit in the condominium shall be included.
This section applies only to condominiums containing units that may be occupied for residential use.
[ 2005 c 456 § 18; 1992 c 220 § 22; 1990 c 166 § 10; 1989 c 43 § 4-104; ]
If a unit is offered for sale for which the delivery of a public offering statement or other disclosure document is required under the laws of any state or the United States, a single disclosure document conforming to the requirements of RCW 64.34.410 and 64.34.415 and conforming to any other requirement imposed under such laws, may be prepared and delivered in lieu of providing two or more disclosure documents.
[ 1990 c 166 § 11; ]
In the case of a sale of a unit where delivery of a public offering statement is required, a contract of sale may be executed, but no interest in that unit may be conveyed until (1) the declaration and survey map and plans which create the condominium in which that unit is located are recorded pursuant to RCW 64.34.200 and 64.34.232 and (2) the unit is substantially completed and available for occupancy, unless the declarant and purchaser have otherwise specifically agreed in writing as to the extent to which the unit will not be substantially completed and available for occupancy at the time of conveyance.
[ 1990 c 166 § 15; ]
A person required to deliver a public offering statement pursuant to RCW 64.34.405(3) shall provide a purchaser of a unit with a copy of the public offering statement and all material amendments thereto before conveyance of that unit. Unless a purchaser is given the public offering statement more than seven days before execution of a contract for the purchase of a unit, the purchaser, before conveyance, shall have the right to cancel the contract within seven days after first receiving the public offering statement and, if necessary to have seven days to review the public offering statement and cancel the contract, to extend the closing date for conveyance to a date not more than seven days after first receiving the public offering statement. The purchaser shall have no right to cancel the contract upon receipt of an amendment unless the purchaser would have that right under generally applicable legal principles.
If a purchaser elects to cancel a contract pursuant to subsection (1) of this section, the purchaser may do so by hand-delivering notice thereof to the offeror or by mailing notice thereof by prepaid United States mail to the offeror or to his or her agent for service of process. Cancellation is without penalty, and all payments made by the purchaser before cancellation shall be refunded promptly.
If a person required to deliver a public offering statement pursuant to RCW 64.34.405(3) fails to provide a purchaser to whom a unit is conveyed with that public offering statement and all material amendments thereto as required by subsection (1) of this section, the purchaser is entitled to receive from that person an amount equal to the greater of (a) actual damages, or (b) ten percent of the sales price of the unit for a willful failure by the declarant or three percent of the sales price of the unit for any other failure. There shall be no liability for failure to deliver any amendment unless such failure would have entitled the purchaser under generally applicable legal principles to cancel the contract for the purchase of the unit had the undisclosed information been evident to the purchaser before the closing of the purchase.
[ 1989 c 43 § 4-106; ]
Except in the case of a sale where delivery of a public offering statement is required, or unless exempt under RCW 64.34.400(2), a unit owner shall furnish to a purchaser before execution of any contract for sale of a unit, or otherwise before conveyance, a resale certificate, signed by an officer or authorized agent of the association and based on the books and records of the association and the actual knowledge of the person signing the certificate, containing:
A statement disclosing any right of first refusal or other restraint on the free alienability of the unit contained in the declaration;
A statement setting forth the amount of the monthly common expense assessment and any unpaid common expense or special assessment currently due and payable from the selling unit owner and a statement of any special assessments that have been levied against the unit which have not been paid even though not yet due;
A statement, which shall be current to within forty-five days, of any common expenses or special assessments against any unit in the condominium that are past due over thirty days;
A statement, which shall be current to within forty-five days, of any obligation of the association which is past due over thirty days;
A statement of any other fees payable by unit owners;
A statement of any anticipated repair or replacement cost in excess of five percent of the annual budget of the association that has been approved by the board of directors;
A statement of the amount of any reserves for repair or replacement and of any portions of those reserves currently designated by the association for any specified projects;
The annual financial statement of the association, including the audit report if it has been prepared, for the year immediately preceding the current year;
A balance sheet and a revenue and expense statement of the association prepared on an accrual basis, which shall be current to within one hundred twenty days;
The current operating budget of the association;
A statement of any unsatisfied judgments against the association and the status of any pending suits or legal proceedings in which the association is a plaintiff or defendant;
A statement describing any insurance coverage provided for the benefit of unit owners;
A statement as to whether there are any alterations or improvements to the unit or to the limited common elements assigned thereto that violate any provision of the declaration;
A statement of the number of units, if any, still owned by the declarant, whether the declarant has transferred control of the association to the unit owners, and the date of such transfer;
A statement as to whether there are any violations of the health or building codes with respect to the unit, the limited common elements assigned thereto, or any other portion of the condominium;
A statement of the remaining term of any leasehold estate affecting the condominium and the provisions governing any extension or renewal thereof;
A copy of the declaration, the bylaws, the rules or regulations of the association, the association's current reserve study, if any, and any other information reasonably requested by mortgagees of prospective purchasers of units. Information requested generally by the federal national mortgage association, the federal home loan bank board, the government national mortgage association, the veterans administration and the department of housing and urban development shall be deemed reasonable, provided such information is reasonably available to the association;
A statement, as required by RCW 64.35.210, as to whether the units or common elements of the condominium are covered by a qualified warranty, and a history of claims under any such warranty; and
If the association does not have a reserve study that has been prepared in accordance with RCW 64.34.380 and 64.34.382 or its governing documents, the following disclosure:
"This association does not have a current reserve study. The lack of a current reserve study poses certain risks to you, the purchaser. Insufficient reserves may, under some circumstances, require you to pay on demand as a special assessment your share of common expenses for the cost of major maintenance, repair, or replacement of a common element."
The association, within ten days after a request by a unit owner, and subject to payment of any fee imposed pursuant to RCW 64.34.304(1)(l), shall furnish a resale certificate signed by an officer or authorized agent of the association and containing the information necessary to enable the unit owner to comply with this section. For the purposes of this chapter, a reasonable charge for the preparation of a resale certificate may not exceed two hundred seventy-five dollars. The association may charge a unit owner a nominal fee for updating a resale certificate within six months of the unit owner's request. The unit owner shall also sign the certificate but the unit owner is not liable to the purchaser for any erroneous information provided by the association and included in the certificate unless and to the extent the unit owner had actual knowledge thereof.
A purchaser is not liable for any unpaid assessment or fee against the unit as of the date of the certificate greater than the amount set forth in the certificate prepared by the association unless and to the extent such purchaser had actual knowledge thereof. A unit owner is not liable to a purchaser for the failure or delay of the association to provide the certificate in a timely manner, but the purchaser's contract is voidable by the purchaser until the certificate has been provided and for five days thereafter or until conveyance, whichever occurs first.
[ 2011 c 48 § 1; 2008 c 115 § 11; 2004 c 201 § 4; 1992 c 220 § 23; 1990 c 166 § 12; 1989 c 43 § 4-107; ]
Any deposit made in connection with the purchase or reservation of a unit from a person required to deliver a public offering statement pursuant to RCW 64.34.405(3) shall be placed in escrow and held in this state in an escrow or trust account designated solely for that purpose by a licensed title insurance company, an attorney, a real estate broker, an independent bonded escrow company, or an institution whose accounts are insured by a governmental agency or instrumentality until: (1) Delivered to the declarant at closing; (2) delivered to the declarant because of purchaser's default under a contract to purchase the unit; (3) refunded to the purchaser; or (4) delivered to a court in connection with the filing of an interpleader action.
[ 1992 c 220 § 24; 1989 c 43 § 4-108; ]
At the time of the first conveyance of each unit, every mortgage, lien, or other encumbrance affecting that unit and any other unit or units or real property, other than the percentage of undivided interest of that unit in the common elements, shall be paid and satisfied of record, or the unit being conveyed and its undivided interest in the common elements shall be released therefrom by partial release duly recorded or the purchaser of that unit shall receive title insurance from a licensed title insurance company against such mortgage, lien or other encumbrance. This subsection does not apply to any real property which a declarant has the right to withdraw.
Before conveying real property to the association the declarant shall have that real property released from: (a) All liens the foreclosure of which would deprive unit owners of any right of access to or easement of support of their units; and (b) all other liens on that real property unless the public offering statement describes certain real property which may be conveyed subject to liens in specified amounts.
[ 1989 c 43 § 4-109; ]
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A declarant of a conversion condominium, and any dealer who intends to offer units in such a condominium, shall give each of the residential tenants and any residential subtenant in possession of a portion of a conversion condominium notice of the conversion and provide those persons with the public offering statement no later than one hundred twenty days before the tenants and any subtenant in possession are required to vacate. The notice must:
Set forth generally the rights of tenants and subtenants under this section;
Be delivered pursuant to notice requirements set forth in RCW 59.12.040; and
Expressly state whether there is a county or city relocation assistance program for tenants or subtenants of conversion condominiums in the jurisdiction in which the property is located. If the county or city does have a relocation assistance program, the following must also be included in the notice:
A summary of the terms and conditions under which relocation assistance is paid; and
Contact information for the city or county relocation assistance program, which must include, at a minimum, a telephone number of the city or county department that administers the relocation assistance program for conversion condominiums.
No tenant or subtenant may be required to vacate upon less than one hundred twenty days' notice, except by reason of nonpayment of rent, waste, conduct that disturbs other tenants' peaceful enjoyment of the premises, or act of unlawful detainer as defined in RCW 59.12.030, and the terms of the tenancy may not be altered during that period except as provided in (c) of this subsection.
At the declarant's option, the declarant may provide all tenants in a single building with an option to terminate their lease or rental agreements without cause or consequence after providing the declarant with thirty days' notice. In such case, tenants continue to have access to relocation assistance under subsection (6)(e) of this section.
Nothing in this subsection shall be deemed to waive or repeal RCW 59.18.200(2). Failure to give notice as required by this section is a defense to an action for possession.
The city or county in which the property is located may require the declarant to forward a copy of the conversion notice required in (a) of this subsection to the appropriately designated department or agency in the city or county for the purpose of maintaining a list of conversion condominium projects proposed in the jurisdiction.
For sixty days after delivery or mailing of the notice described in subsection (1) of this section, the person required to give the notice shall offer to convey each unit or proposed unit occupied for residential use to the tenant who leases that unit. If a tenant fails to purchase the unit during that sixty-day period, the offeror may offer to dispose of an interest in that unit during the following one hundred eighty days at a price or on terms more favorable to the offeree than the price or terms offered to the tenant only if: (a) Such offeror, by written notice mailed to the tenant's last known address, offers to sell an interest in that unit at the more favorable price and terms, and (b) such tenant fails to accept such offer in writing within ten days following the mailing of the offer to the tenant. This subsection does not apply to any unit in a conversion condominium if that unit will be restricted exclusively to nonresidential use or the boundaries of the converted unit do not substantially conform to the dimensions of the residential unit before conversion.
If a seller, in violation of subsection (2) of this section, conveys a unit to a purchaser for value who has no knowledge of the violation, recording of the deed conveying the unit extinguishes any right a tenant may have to purchase that unit but does not affect the right of a tenant to recover damages from the seller for a violation of subsection (2) of this section.
If a notice of conversion specifies a date by which a unit or proposed unit must be vacated and otherwise complies with the provisions of this chapter and chapter 59.18 RCW, the notice also constitutes a notice to vacate specified by that statute.
Nothing in this section permits termination of a lease by a declarant in violation of its terms.
Notwithstanding RCW 64.34.050(1), a city or county may by appropriate ordinance require with respect to any conversion condominium within the jurisdiction of such city or county that:
In addition to the statement required by RCW 64.34.415(1)(a), the public offering statement shall contain a copy of the written inspection report prepared by the appropriate department of such city or county, which report shall list any violations of the housing code or other governmental regulation, which code or regulation is applicable regardless of whether the real property is owned as a condominium or in some other form of ownership; said inspection shall be made within forty-five days of the declarant's written request therefor and said report shall be issued within fourteen days of said inspection being made. Such inspection may not be required with respect to any building for which a final certificate of occupancy has been issued by the city or county within the preceding twenty-four months; and any fee imposed for the making of such inspection may not exceed the fee that would be imposed for the making of such an inspection for a purpose other than complying with this subsection (6)(a);
Prior to the conveyance of any residential unit within a conversion condominium, other than a conveyance to a declarant or affiliate of a declarant: (i) All violations disclosed in the inspection report provided for in (a) of this subsection, and not otherwise waived by such city or county, shall be repaired, and (ii) a certification shall be obtained from such city or county that such repairs have been made, which certification shall be based on a reinspection to be made within seven days of the declarant's written request therefor and which certification shall be issued within seven days of said reinspection being made;
The repairs required to be made under (b) of this subsection shall be warranted by the declarant against defects due to workmanship or materials for a period of one year following the completion of such repairs;
Prior to the conveyance of any residential unit within a conversion condominium, other than a conveyance to a declarant or affiliate of a declarant: (i) The declarant shall establish and maintain, during the one-year warranty period provided under (c) of this subsection, an account containing a sum equal to ten percent of the actual cost of making the repairs required under (b) of this subsection; (ii) during the one-year warranty period, the funds in such account shall be used exclusively for paying the actual cost of making repairs required, or for otherwise satisfying claims made, under such warranty; (iii) following the expiration of the one-year warranty period, any funds remaining in such account shall be immediately disbursed to the declarant; and (iv) the declarant shall notify in writing the association and such city or county as to the location of such account and any disbursements therefrom;
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A declarant shall pay relocation assistance, in an amount to be determined by the city or county, which may not exceed a sum equal to three months of the tenant's or subtenant's rent at the time the conversion notice required under subsection (1) of this section is received, to tenants and subtenants:
Who do not elect to purchase a unit;
Who are in lawful occupancy for residential purposes of a unit; and
Whose annual household income from all sources, on the date of the notice described in subsection (1) of this section, was less than an amount equal to eighty percent of:
I. The annual median income for comparably sized households in the standard metropolitan statistical area, as defined and established by the United States department of housing and urban development, in which the condominium is located; or
The household size of a unit shall be based on the number of persons actually in lawful occupancy of the unit. The tenant or subtenant actually in lawful occupancy of the unit shall be entitled to the relocation assistance. Relocation assistance shall be paid on or before the date the tenant or subtenant vacates and shall be in addition to any damage deposit or other compensation or refund to which the tenant is otherwise entitled. Unpaid rent or other amounts owed by the tenant or subtenant to the landlord may be offset against the relocation assistance;
ii. Elderly or special needs tenants who otherwise meet the requirements of (e)(i)(A) of this subsection shall receive relocation assistance, the greater of:
A. The sum described in (e)(i) of this subsection; or
B. The sum of actual relocation expenses of the tenant, up to a maximum of one thousand five hundred dollars in excess of the sum described in (e)(i) of this subsection, which may include costs associated with the physical move, first month's rent, and the security deposit for the dwelling unit to which the tenant is relocating, rent differentials for up to a six-month period, and any other reasonable costs or fees associated with the relocation. Receipts for relocation expenses must be provided to the declarant by eligible tenants, and declarants shall provide the relocation assistance to tenants in a timely manner. The city or county may provide additional guidelines for the relocation assistance;
iii. For the purposes of this subsection (6)(e):
A. "Special needs" means, but is not limited to, a chronic mental illness or physical disability, a developmental disability, or other condition affecting cognition, disease, chemical dependency, or a medical condition that is permanent, not reversible or curable, or is long lasting, and severely limits a person's mental or physical capacity for self-care; and
B. "Elderly" means a person who is at least sixty-five years of age;
Except as authorized under (g) of this subsection, a declarant and any dealer shall not begin any construction, remodeling, or repairs to any interior portion of an occupied building that is to be converted to a condominium during the one hundred twenty-day notice period provided for in subsection (1) of this section unless all residential tenants and residential subtenants who have elected not to purchase a unit and who are in lawful occupancy in the building have vacated the premises. For the purposes of this subsection:
"Construction, remodeling, or repairs" means the work that is done for the purpose of converting the condominium, not work that is done to maintain the building or lot for the residential use of the existing tenants or subtenants;
"Occupied building" means a stand-alone structure occupied by tenants and does not include other stand-alone buildings located on the property or detached common area facilities; and
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If a declarant or dealer has offered existing tenants an option to terminate an existing lease or rental agreement without cause or consequence as authorized under subsection (1)(c) of this section, a declarant and any dealer may begin construction, remodeling, or repairs to interior portions of an occupied building (A) to repair or remodel vacant units to be used as model units, if the repair or remodel is limited to one model for each unit type in the building, (B) to repair or remodel a vacant unit or common area for use as a sales office, or (C) to do both.
The work performed under this subsection (6)(g) must not violate the tenant's or subtenant's rights of quiet enjoyment during the one hundred twenty-day notice period.
[ 2008 c 113 § 1; 1992 c 220 § 25; 1990 c 166 § 13; 1989 c 43 § 4-110; ]
All cities and counties planning under RCW 36.70A.040, which have allowed any conversion condominiums within the jurisdiction within the previous twelve-month period, must report annually to the *department of community, trade, and economic development the following information:
The total number of apartment units converted into condominiums;
The total number of conversion condominium projects; and
The total number of apartment tenants who receive relocation assistance.
Upon completion of a conversion condominium project, a city or county may require the declarant to provide the information described in subsection (1) of this section to the appropriately designated department or agency in the city or county for the purpose of complying with subsection (1) of this section.
[ 2008 c 113 § 3; ]
Express warranties made by any seller to a purchaser of a unit, if relied upon by the purchaser, are created as follows:
Any written affirmation of fact or promise which relates to the unit, its use, or rights appurtenant thereto, area improvements to the condominium that would directly benefit the unit, or the right to use or have the benefit of facilities not located in the condominium creates an express warranty that the unit and related rights and uses will conform to the affirmation or promise;
Any model or written description of the physical characteristics of the condominium at the time the purchase agreement is executed, including plans and specifications of or for improvements, creates an express warranty that the condominium will conform to the model or description except pursuant to *RCW 64.34.410(1)(v);
Any written description of the quantity or extent of the real property comprising the condominium, including plats or surveys, creates an express warranty that the condominium will conform to the description, subject to customary tolerances; and
A written provision that a buyer may put a unit only to a specified use is an express warranty that the specified use is lawful.
Neither formal words, such as "warranty" or "guarantee," nor a specific intention to make a warranty are necessary to create an express warranty of quality, but a statement purporting to be merely an opinion or commendation of the real estate or its value does not create a warranty. A purchaser may not rely on any representation or express warranty unless it is contained in the public offering statement or made in writing signed by the declarant or declarant's agent identified in the public offering statement.
Any conveyance of a unit transfers to the purchaser all express warranties of quality made by previous sellers.
[ 1989 c 428 § 2; ]
A declarant and any dealer warrants that a unit will be in at least as good condition at the earlier of the time of the conveyance or delivery of possession as it was at the time of contracting, reasonable wear and tear and damage by casualty or condemnation excepted.
A declarant and any dealer impliedly warrants that a unit and the common elements in the condominium are suitable for the ordinary uses of real estate of its type and that any improvements made or contracted for by such declarant or dealer will be:
Free from defective materials;
Constructed in accordance with sound engineering and construction standards;
Constructed in a workmanlike manner; and
Constructed in compliance with all laws then applicable to such improvements.
A declarant and any dealer warrants to a purchaser of a unit that may be used for residential use that an existing use, continuation of which is contemplated by the parties, does not violate applicable law at the earlier of the time of conveyance or delivery of possession.
Warranties imposed by this section may be excluded or modified as specified in RCW 64.34.450.
For purposes of this section, improvements made or contracted for by an affiliate of a declarant, as defined in RCW 64.34.020(1), are made or contracted for by the declarant.
Any conveyance of a unit transfers to the purchaser all of the declarant's implied warranties of quality.
In a judicial proceeding for breach of any of the obligations arising under this section, the plaintiff must show that the alleged breach has adversely affected or will adversely affect the performance of that portion of the unit or common elements alleged to be in breach. As used in this subsection, an "adverse effect" must be more than technical and must be significant to a reasonable person. To establish an adverse effect, the person alleging the breach is not required to prove that the breach renders the unit or common element uninhabitable or unfit for its intended purpose.
Proof of breach of any obligation arising under this section is not proof of damages. Damages awarded for a breach of an obligation arising under this section are the cost of repairs. However, if it is established that the cost of such repairs is clearly disproportionate to the loss in market value caused by the breach, then damages shall be limited to the loss in market value.
[ 2004 c 201 § 5; 1992 c 220 § 26; 1989 c 43 § 4-112; ]
For units intended for nonresidential use, implied warranties of quality:
May be excluded or modified by written agreement of the parties; and
Are excluded by written expression of disclaimer, such as "as is," "with all faults," or other language which in common understanding calls the buyer's attention to the exclusion of warranties.
For units intended for residential use, no disclaimer of implied warranties of quality is effective, except that a declarant or dealer may disclaim liability in writing, in type that is bold faced, capitalized, underlined, or otherwise set out from surrounding material so as to be conspicuous, and separately signed by the purchaser, for a specified defect or specified failure to comply with applicable law, if: (a) The declarant or dealer knows or has reason to know that the specific defect or failure exists at the time of disclosure; (b) the disclaimer specifically describes the defect or failure; and (c) the disclaimer includes a statement as to the effect of the defect or failure.
A declarant or dealer may offer an express written warranty of quality only if the express written warranty does not reduce protections provided to the purchaser by the implied warranty set forth in RCW 64.34.445.
[ 2004 c 201 § 6; 1989 c 43 § 4-113; ]
A judicial proceeding for breach of any obligations arising under RCW 64.34.443, 64.34.445, and 64.34.450 must be commenced within four years after the cause of action accrues: PROVIDED, That the period for commencing an action for a breach accruing pursuant to subsection (2)(b) of this section shall not expire prior to one year after termination of the period of declarant control, if any, under *RCW 64.34.308(4). Such periods may not be reduced by either oral or written agreement, or through the use of contractual claims or notice procedures that require the filing or service of any claim or notice prior to the expiration of the period specified in this section.
Subject to subsection (3) of this section, a cause of action or [for] breach of warranty of quality, regardless of the purchaser's lack of knowledge of the breach, accrues:
As to a unit, the date the purchaser to whom the warranty is first made enters into possession if a possessory interest was conveyed or the date of acceptance of the instrument of conveyance if a nonpossessory interest was conveyed; and
As to each common element, at the latest of (i) the date the first unit in the condominium was conveyed to a bona fide purchaser, (ii) the date the common element was completed, or (iii) the date the common element was added to the condominium.
If a warranty of quality explicitly extends to future performance or duration of any improvement or component of the condominium, the cause of action accrues at the time the breach is discovered or at the end of the period for which the warranty explicitly extends, whichever is earlier.
If a written notice of claim is served under RCW 64.50.020 within the time prescribed for the filing of an action under this chapter, the statutes of limitation in this chapter and any applicable statutes of repose for construction-related claims are tolled until sixty days after the period of time during which the filing of an action is barred under RCW 64.50.020.
Nothing in this section affects the time for filing a claim under chapter 64.35 RCW.
[ 2004 c 201 § 7; 2002 c 323 § 11; 1990 c 166 § 14; ]
If a declarant or any other person subject to this chapter fails to comply with any provision hereof or any provision of the declaration or bylaws, any person or class of persons adversely affected by the failure to comply has a claim for appropriate relief. The court, in an appropriate case, may award reasonable attorney's fees to the prevailing party.
[ 1989 c 43 § 4-115; ]
If any improvement contemplated in a condominium is labeled "NEED NOT BE BUILT" on a survey map or plan, or is to be located within a portion of the condominium with respect to which the declarant has reserved a development right, no promotional material may be displayed or delivered to prospective purchasers which describes or portrays that improvement unless the description or portrayal of the improvement in the promotional material is conspicuously labeled or identified as "NEED NOT BE BUILT."
[ 1989 c 43 § 4-116; ]
The declarant shall complete all improvements labeled "MUST BE BUILT" on survey maps or plans prepared pursuant to RCW 64.34.232.
The declarant is subject to liability for the prompt repair and restoration, to a condition compatible with the remainder of the condominium, of any portion of the condominium damaged by the exercise of rights reserved pursuant to or created by RCW 64.34.236, 64.34.240, 64.34.244, 64.34.248, 64.34.256, and 64.34.260.
[ 1989 c 43 § 4-117; ]
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the Washington condominium act or the condominium act.
[ 1989 c 43 § 1-101; ]
Section captions as used in this chapter do not constitute any part of the law.
[ 1989 c 43 § 4-119; ]
This act shall take effect July 1, 1990.
[ 1989 c 43 § 4-124; ]
Sections 1 through 13 of this act take effect July 1, 2004.
[ 2004 c 201 § 14; ]
This chapter being a general act intended as a unified coverage of its subject matter, no part of it shall be construed to be impliedly repealed by subsequent legislation if that construction can reasonably be avoided.
[ 1989 c 43 § 1-109; ]
This chapter shall be applied and construed so as to effectuate its general purpose to make uniform the law with respect to the subject of this chapter among states enacting it.
[ 1989 c 43 § 1-110; ]
**
Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision in the governing documents, notice to the association, board of directors, or any owner or occupant of a unit under this chapter shall be in writing and shall be provided to the recipient by personal delivery, public or private mail or delivery service, or by electronic transmission as provided in this section: PROVIDED, That if this chapter requires different or additional notice requirements for particular circumstances, those requirements shall apply.
Notice in a tangible medium shall be provided as follows:
Notice to the association or board of directors shall be addressed to the association's registered agent at its registered office, to the association at its principal office shown in its most recent annual report, or to an address provided by the association to the unit owners.
Notice to a unit owner or occupant shall be addressed to the unit address unless the unit owner has requested, in a writing delivered to the association, that notices be sent to an alternate address.
Notice in an electronic transmission shall be provided as follows:
Notice to the association, the board of directors, or unit owners by electronic transmission is effective only upon those who have consented, in writing, to receive electronically transmitted notices under this chapter and have designated the address, location, or system to which such notices may be electronically transmitted, provided that such notice otherwise complies with any other requirements of this chapter and applicable law.
Notice under this subsection includes any materials that accompany the notice.
Owners who have consented to receipt of electronically transmitted notices may revoke this consent by delivering a revocation to the association in writing.
The consent of any owner is revoked if the association is unable to electronically transmit two consecutive notices and this inability becomes known to the secretary of the association or any other person responsible for giving the notice. The inadvertent failure by the association to treat this inability as a revocation does not invalidate any meeting or other action.
Notice to unit owners who have consented to receipt of electronically transmitted notices may be provided by posting the notice on an electronic network and delivering to the unit owner separate notice of the posting, together with comprehensible instructions regarding how to obtain access to the posting on the electronic network.
Notice is effective as follows:
Notice provided in a tangible medium is effective as of the date of hand delivery, deposit with the carrier, or when sent by fax.
Notice provided in an electronic transmission is effective as of the date it:
Is electronically transmitted to an address, location, or system designated by the recipient for that purpose; or
Has been posted on an electronic network and separate notice of the posting has been sent to the recipient containing instructions regarding how to obtain access to the posting on the electronic network.
The ineffectiveness of a good faith effort to deliver notice by an authorized means does not invalidate action taken at or without a meeting.
This chapter modifies, limits, and supersedes the federal electronic signatures in global and national commerce act, 15 U.S.C. Sec. 7001 et seq., but does not modify, limit, or supersede 15 U.S.C. Sec. 7001(c) or authorize electronic delivery of any of the notices described in 15 U.S.C. Sec. 7003(b).
[ 2021 c XXX § 8; ]**