Published in the Washington State Bar News
In an article published on 9/11 in the Washington State Bar News, Tony Rafel and Timothy Feth discuss the Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act (WUCIOA) and the provisions that will become pertinent to community associations beginning January 1, 2026.
“One of the provisions of WUCIOA that was retroactive from the start, was the requirement that associations conduct reserve studies—a process by which an independent professional evaluates the remaining useful life of physical components which the association is responsible to maintain, repair, and replace, and provides guidance on how the association should be saving money to meet those repair and replacement obligations as they arise,” said Rafel and Feth. “There is no requirement under WUCIOA or older statutes that associations follow the advice of the reserve study professional or fund reserves to any minimum degree. However, WUCIOA communities have the additional requirement to open and maintain a reserve account.”
While the WUCIOA is intended to standardize the laws and operational layout for common interest communities in Washington, it simultaneously creates immense pressure for communities to conform by the short deadline of January 1, 2028.
“They will be required to comply with the new laws on “Day One,” even though their governing documents specify different requirements. This “disconnect” will create chaos for associations that have not planned for the transition,” the authors explain. “In most cases, planning should consist of amending and restating the governing documents to conform to WUCIOA, training the board and outside manager on the changes, and communicating with the community.”
Read the story in full, click here.