Recent News

When multiple people own real property together, disagreements about the property's use or sale can create serious challenges. Washington law provides a legal remedy known as a partition action, which allows co-owners to divide their interests or force a sale when they cannot agree on how to manage shared property. This guide explains how partition… Read More

Disputes involving easements are a common real property topic in Washington that frequently results in litigation.  An easement is a property right separate from ownership that allows the use of another person’s land without compensation. Creation and Requirements of Easements. Easements in Washington are interests in land.  Under the state’s statute of frauds, express easements… Read More

Boundary line disputes represent a highly common real property conflict in Washington. These disputes typically arise when the physical boundary line between adjoining parcels of land is uncertain, disputed, or inconsistent with public records, monuments, or landmarks. Washington law provides many statutory and common law frameworks for resolving these boundary disputes. Statutory Boundary Resolution Framework.… Read More

Most people alive today were born after the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.  We may be inclined to take for granted that civil rights are so engrained in our society that racial discrimination is only a thing of the past.  Yet, cases still come up in Washington where racial discrimination is at… Read More

A lis pendens is a document that clouds title to real property and provides notice to potential purchasers and encumbrancers that title to the real property is the subject of pending litigation. Washington law only authorizes a party to record a lis pendens in “an action affecting title to real property.” RCW 4.28.320. What constitutes… Read More

Under Washington law, “any person furnishing labor, professional services, materials, or equipment for the improvement of real property shall have a lien upon the improvement for the contract price of labor, professional services, materials, or equipment furnished at the instance of the owner, or the agent or construction agent of the owner.” RCW 60.04.021. Filing… Read More

Most people think settlement ends a dispute. But a settlement agreement is a legally binding contract, and disputes regarding compliance can arise. A recent decision from the Washington Court of Appeals, Cai v. Wen, illustrates how a settlement compliance dispute unfolds. Following an investment dispute, Daoying Cai and Boheng Wen entered into a settlement agreement… Read More

In the Spring of 2025 (with slight modifications made earlier just this last June), the Washington State legislature passed a new statute, RCW 61.40.010, which applies Chapter 19.86 RCW, best known as the Consumer Protection Act, in certain circumstances involving the solicitation of real property. More specifically, RCW 61.40.010 applies to real estate transactions executed on… Read More

Maybe you are in the process of buying a home. Maybe you have lived there for years. At some point, you might have asked yourself is that fence really on the actual property line? Figuring out where your land ends and your neighbor’s begins can be more complex than you think. The recent Washington Court of Appeals… Read More