Recent News

Property ownership can involve serious and unforeseen risks. Such is the case with environmental contamination from underground storage tanks and conflicts among co-owners. A recent Washington Court of Appeals case, Johnston v. Peach, illustrates these perils vividly. In this decision, co-owners of a commercial building in Bellingham faced costly soil pollution from leaking oil tanks left… Read More

In Washington, “one whose land is located in or adjacent to an urban or residential area and who has actual or constructive knowledge of defects affecting his trees has a duty to take corrective action.” Lewis v. Krussell, 101 Wn.App. 178 (2000).  This means that if your neighbor has a dangerous tree, such as a… Read More

Most real estate purchase and sale agreements involve the acquisition of residential real estate, often housing (apartment style units, townhomes, single family homes, etc.), for the purpose of serving as a primary residence for the buyer, or as an investment opportunity in the property’s current form. In these circumstances, the buyers basically know what they… Read More

It is often said that nothing is certain but death and taxes.  In Washington, property taxes are a critical source of funding for local governments, including local infrastructure such as roads, police, and schools.  To ensure the vital collection of property taxes, the Washington Legislature has created a system to allow the local governments (generally… Read More

I have previously published several blog posts regarding the push from Compass Real Estate to allow private real estate listings. Those posts can be found here, here, and here. In a nutshell, Compass Real Estate elected to give their property owner clients the ability to list with them privately, creating a private portal for its agents and their clients, so… Read More

A recent Washington State court of Appeals case looked at a dispute around an easement and if it were properly created and recorded in Solberg v. River Park Estates Property Owners Association, No. 40743-8-III (Wash. Ct. App. Div. III, Nov. 10, 2025). The Case: Erik and Megan Solberg bought their home in River Park Estates… Read More

Imagine your quiet cul-de-sac suddenly becomes the center of a heated property dispute. That happened to the litigants in Stoney Meadows Homeowners Association v. Ten Kley, a recent Washington Court of Appeals case. That lawsuit highlights how even long-term use and maintenance of land may not suffice to win an adverse possession claim. Are you a… Read More

Under the doctrine of adverse possession, a person may acquire legal title to another’s land if they use another’s land for at least ten years in a manner that is (1) hostile, (2) actual and uninterrupted, (3) open and notorious, and (4) exclusive. In some situations, a property owner will knowingly or unknowingly use another’s… Read More

One of the most common issues that arises in disputes between neighbors are those involving trees. I previously wrote an article here regarding a property owner’s right to trim back both encroaching trees that physically stand entirely on another owner’s property, and boundary trees that stand on both properties at issue. When a tree that stands entirely… Read More