Cars smash into apartment (condo) building on SR 99 repeatedly (WA)

The speed limit on State Route 99 between the new tunnel and the Aurora Bridge is 40 mph, but drivers go a lot faster than that, according to nearby resident Brian Nakayama.  “I live up here and I can see the accidents,” Nakayama said, pointing to his upstairs apartment overlooking a slight bend in the […]

Clearwood Association Alleges Former Bookkeeper Embezzled Nearly $300K (WA)

The Clearwood Community Association filed a civil complaint in Thurston County Superior Court Nov. 30 alleging its former bookkeeper embezzled nearly $300,000 and that the amount could in fact be more.  The lawsuit against Dolanna K Burnett, her husband and their businesses, claims the bookkeeper wrote multiple checks to herself and covered it up in […]

Feds zero in on Surfside asbestos mess (WA)

North Beach Water District is under scrutiny from state authorities and the federal Environmental Protection Agency for improperly handling and storing asbestos cement pipes while working under contract for the Surfside Homeowners Association. An estimated seven to nine current and former workers were exposed to asbestos.  The asbestos imbroglio is already costing the association and […]

Woman, 42, accused of siphoning water funds (WA)

The former secretary/treasurer of a North Whidbey community association is accused of stealing more than $40,000, court records state.  Johanna M. Boyle, 42, is accused of paying her husband, who was the association’s water manager, thousands of dollars for work he did not do over a seven-year period, according to the police report.   Read the […]

Sunland homeowners to discuss golf club options (WA)

Leaders of Sunland Golf & Country Club said the 18-hole course and its cafe and pro shop continue to hit hard times.  Bruce Mullikin, board president of the club, wrote in the club’s August newsletter that before the end of the fiscal year, the club will “need to borrow significant funds to meet our payroll […]

Bremerton Harborside slide? One condo resident questions the safety of his home (WA)

Rich Chwaszczewski believes Housing Kitsap is obligated to reinforce the bluffs above Sinclair Inlet where the agency built the Harborside condominiums in the early 2000s.  If left unchecked, Chwaszczewski fears the bluff could pose a risk to the 78-unit downtown Bremerton complex where he lives.    Through public records requests, Chwaszczewski found the housing agency filled […]

Milestone: Sunland homeowners give scholarships to SHS trio (WA)

The Sunland Homeowners Association Scholarship Committee recently awarded $12,000 in scholarships to Sequim High School students.  To be eligible, each recipient maintained a minimum 3.75 grade-point-average, completed advanced-placement classes and are Honor Society members. ………The scholarships were made possible by donations from Sunland homeowners.      Read the article……………….

Mukilteo community ‘devastated’ over Frognal Estates ruling (WA)

A legal battle over the largest piece of undeveloped residential real estate in the Mukilteo area has all but run its course.  Snohomish County and the developer behind the Frognal Estates project won an appeal brought by neighbors seeking to limit the proposed 112-home subdivision. The state Court of Appeals issued its ruling Tuesday.    Read […]

Sammamish’s Baker House to be demolished after reversal of landmark designation (WA)

The 110-year-old Baker House in Sammamish was prepared for demolition this week after a hearing examiner decision reversed the house’s designation as a historic landmark.  The reversal of the landmark designation came after the Laurels neighborhood homeowners association (HOA) appealed the designation to the city hearing examiner, who concluded that the Baker House did not […]

South Sound woman billed nearly $8,000 for late $300 HOA payment (WA)

A South Sound homeowner has paid thousands of dollars just to satisfy a bill for a few hundred dollars.  That bill was from the homeowners’ association and the cost skyrocketed because the payment was late.   Jennifer Hart pays her homeowners’ association $310 a year to live in Lakeland Hills, near Auburn.   She forgot to pay […]

Homeowners association files another lawsuit against radio tower near Sequim (WA)

Dungeness Heights Homeowners has sued over a land-use certificate that allows a 150-foot radio-cell tower to operate in the hamlet north of Sequim despite a pending court case in the state Court of Appeals.  Olympia attorney Gerald Steel filed the lawsuit on behalf of the homeowners’ association in Clallam County Superior Court on Monday.    Read […]

Thieves breaking into Seattle condo, apartment buildings through call boxes (WA)

This week, people from several condo and apartment buildings near downtown Seattle reported break-ins. And a common theme was thieves getting into the buildings by breaking into the call box.  KIRO 7 found a simple fix to one repeated method.  “We were getting hit probably every night for three weeks straight,” Adam Su said of […]

Lower Mainland condo developer under RCMP investigation (BC)

A Langley based developer has been ordered extradited to face fraud charges in the United States.  In a Thursday morning hearing in a Vancouver courtroom, Justice Jennifer Duncan ruled that Mark Chandler, of the Newmark group of companies, will have to face trial for an alleged real estate fraud in Los Angeles that took place […]

Clark County buyers eager for condos, but developers skittish (WA)

There is a perception among developers that if you build a condominium you may as well be building a wasp’s nest. Veering into that market has gotten many builders stung by lawsuits over purported construction defects.  Vancouver developer Elie Kassab has heard those concerns, but isn’t worried. People constantly ask whether he will build any […]

Tree removal disagreement leads to face-off with Canterwood HOA (WA)

Residency in the Canterwood neighborhood is coveted by some in Gig Harbor. The gated community boasts a golf course, tennis courts, beautiful homes and plenty of greenery.  But some of that greenery has lead to a contentious showdown with the Canterwood Homeowners’ Association for residents John and Kathy Arroyo.  The Arroyos moved to Gig Harbor […]

Property owners attempt to save Lone Lake (WA)

The past few years haven’t been the best for Lone Lake.  A favorite for outdoor enthusiasts ranging from anglers to sailors, Lone Lake’s has continually deteriorating water quality due to toxic algae blooms. In the past year, things have gotten so bad it’s caused user groups to take their activities elsewhere.  Luckily for them, a […]

Tom Kelly: Condo financing taking dead aim on renters

But the big question behind condo and alternative housing is financing. Will lenders bend their conservative outlook toward condos to support growth? In order to obtain financing, the percentage of owners in many buildings must equal 50 percent.  That’s what Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the largest suppliers of mortgage money in the country, often […]

Joint effort ponders Greenbank tide gate headache (WA)

In addition to problems occurring because of the aging infrastructure, the tide gate was never meant to accommodate the development that has taken place on surrounding property over the years, Zupich said.  The issue occurs on land owned by the homeowner’s association, the Greenbank Beach and Boat Club, but it impacts more than just the […]

Hazen Hills Homeowners Association donates park to City of Kirkland (WA)

Mayor Amy Walen, Deputy Mayor Jay Arnold, Councilmembers Toby Nixon and Jon Pascal were joined by over 30 community members on June 10 to celebrate the transfer of Hazen Hills Park to the City of Kirkland.  The park, located at 13215 121st Ave. N.E. in the Kingsgate neighborhood, was donated to the city by the […]

Small victory for homeowners in Helen’s View case (WA)

A small victory in the ongoing legal case between the Helen’s View Homeowners Association and developers seeking to build on an HOA remainder parcel happened last week as a county Superior Court judge ruled to remove lis pendens, or a notice of pending litigation, from properties implicated in the suit.  Clark County Superior Court Judge […]

Helen’s View legal battle continues (WA)

The ongoing issue of a Ridgefield homeowners association against a would-be developer continues with a favorable court ruling in the developer’s favor happening earlier this month.  On Dec. 16, Clark County Superior Court Judge Daniel Stahnke granted a motion by Holt Opportunity Fund LLC, the developer planning to build in a land parcel on the […]

Short-term rentals, long-term fix

The planning department for the city of Spokane is trying to get the word out that short-term rental operators using online home-stay networks such as Airbnb and VRBO are required to obtain licenses from the city and state.  The Spokane City Council adopted a short-term rental licensing ordinance last year.    Read the article…………….

Seattle’s history of housing segregation remains apparent today

Take a look at the deed record for most of the thousands of properties in many Emerald City neighborhoods, particularly those north of the Ship Canal. This (or something similar) is what you’ll still find:  No property in said plat shall at any time be directly or indirectly sold conveyed or leased in whole or […]

Runstad Center report: Addressing condo construction defect liability may help promote affordable housing in Seattle (WA)

A new study from the University of Washington’s Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies suggests that Seattle and Washington state could invite development of more affordable housing by easing the legal risk — or the appearance of risk — in condominium development, construction, liability and insurance.     The research was funded by the Washington State […]

Court Upholds Association Foreclosure for Unpaid Fines

A Connecticut court recently upheld a foreclosure action after an owner refused to pay fines assessed for her failure to construct a deck in accordance with board approved plans. Although this case was decided by a Connecticut court and is not binding in Washington, it demonstrates how a court in Washington might decide a similar […]

Sudden Valley (WA) rejects dues increases

Property owners in the communitywide homeowners association rejected four dues increases on a Saturday, Nov. 7, ballot, including a 28 percent increase for basic maintenance.  Read the article……………

Debate rages on in Mt. Vista Homeowners Association (WA)

A total of 430 homeowners comprise the Mt. Vista Homeowners Association (HOA). We are situated right next door to the WSU campus. It is a beautiful neighborhood and many are beyond determined to keep it that way.  In Mt. Vista, it has been eight years of questionable control and financial issues with the former Board […]

Community Associations Day, September 26th

The Washington Chapter of the Community Associations Institute (WSCAI) is hosting its annual Community Associations Day, or “CA Day” for short, on Saturday, September 26.   Read the article………..

Behind the veil, condos repaired (WA)

In late 2012, the owners at 2200 Westlake reached a construction-defects settlement with Vulcan — worth about $26 million, according to Windermere broker Jeff Reynolds, who blogs about the condo sector. A 12-phase repair project began in fall 2013 and is scheduled to be finished by March.    Read the article…………

Goats return to the Issaquah Highlands (WA)

Goats have returned to the Issaquah Highlands to clean up dry growth on the area’s steep hillsides, with nothing but the power of their prodigious appetites.     Read the article……….

Frisinger and Highlands Association given green awards

On April 10, the city of Issaquah named former Mayor Ava Frisinger and the Issaquah Highlands Community Association as recipients of city environmental awards.  Frisinger is the recipient of the 2015 Ruth Kees Environmental Award. The award recognizes individuals who have shown themselves to be exemplary advocates for the environment.    Read more………

Washington Supreme Court Affirms Drainage Pipe Maintenance Decision

The Washington Supreme Court recently upheld an appellate court’s decision that the City of Bothell assumed responsibility for maintaining a drainage pipe installed in a residential subdivision in Snohomish County. The Court concluded that the only reasonable interpretation of the plat is that the City assumed responsibility to maintain that pipe.     Read more……….

Law Change – HOA Minutes (WA)

Substitute House Bill 2567, prime sponsored by Representative Hans Zeiger (R-Puyallup) has been signed by Governor Inslee and takes effect June 11. The new law requires homeowner associations under RCW 64.38, to make meeting minutes from the previous association meeting available to each owner for examination and copying within sixty days after the meeting.   […]