Assessments for common expenses — Enforcement of collection — Liens and foreclosures — Liability of mortgagee or purchaser — Notice of delinquency — Second notice. (Effective January 1, 2026, until January 1, 2028.)

RCW 64.32.200
in effect
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(1) The declaration may provide for the collection of all sums assessed by the association of apartment owners for the share of the common expenses chargeable to any apartment and the collection may be enforced in any manner provided in the declaration including, but not limited to, (a) 10 days notice shall be given the delinquent apartment owner to the effect that unless such assessment is paid within 10 days any or all utility services will be forthwith severed and shall remain severed until such assessment is paid, or (b) collection of such assessment may be made by such lawful method of enforcement, judicial or extra-judicial, as may be provided in the declaration and/or bylaws. (2) All sums assessed by the association of apartment owners but unpaid for the share of the common expenses chargeable to any apartment shall constitute a lien on such apartment prior to all other liens except only (a) tax liens on the apartment in favor of any assessing unit and/or special district, and (b) all sums unpaid on all mortgages of record. Such lien is not subject to the ban against execution or forced sales of homesteads under RCW 6.13.080 and, subject to the provisions in subsection (5) of this section, may be foreclosed by suit by the manager or board of directors, acting on behalf of the apartment owners, in like manner as a mortgage of real property. In any such foreclosure the apartment owner shall be required to pay a reasonable rental for the apartment, if so provided in the bylaws, and the plaintiff in such foreclosures shall be entitled to the appointment of a receiver to collect the same. The manager or board of directors, acting on behalf of the apartment owners, shall have power, unless prohibited by the declaration, to bid on the apartment at foreclosure sale, and to acquire and hold, lease, mortgage, and convey the same. Upon an express waiver in the complaint of any right to a deficiency judgment, the period of redemption shall be eight months after the sale. Suit to recover any judgment for any unpaid common expenses shall be maintainable without foreclosing or waiving the liens securing the same. (3) Where the mortgagee of a mortgage of record or other purchaser of an apartment obtains possession of the apartment as a result of foreclosure of the mortgage, such possessor, his or her successors and assigns shall not be liable for the share of the common expenses or assessments by the association of apartment owners chargeable to such apartment which became due prior to such possession. Such unpaid share of common expenses of assessments shall be deemed to be common expenses collectible from all of the apartment owners including such possessor, his or her successors and assigns. (4)(a) No later than 30 days after an assessment becomes past due, an association must provide a notice of delinquency to an apartment owner by first-class mail that meets the following criteria. The notice of delinquency must: (i) Be mailed to the apartment address and to any other address that an apartment owner has provided to the association for the transmission of notice, and by email if the apartment owner's electronic address is known to the association; (ii) Be provided in English and any other language indicated as a preference for correspondence by an apartment owner. Translation inaccuracies shall not diminish a good faith effort to provide notice in a preferred language other than English; and (iii) Include a first preforeclosure notice that states as follows: THIS IS A NOTICE OF DELINQUENCY FOR PAST DUE ASSESSMENTS FROM THE APARTMENT 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. Housing counselors and attorneys may assist you in meeting and conferring with your association to resolve the past due assessments, and based on the circumstances refer you to the foreclosure mediation program. 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. (b) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, until the 15th day after providing an apartment owner with a notice of delinquency that meets the requirements in (a) of this subsection, an association may not: (i) Take any other action to collect a delinquent assessment; or (ii) Charge an apartment owner for any costs related to the collection of the delinquent assessment except for: (A) The actual costs of printing and mailing the notice of delinquency; (B) An administrative fee of no more than $10 related to providing the notice of delinquency; and (C) A single late fee of no more than $50 or five percent of the amount of the unpaid assessment which triggered the fee, whichever is less. (c) If, when a delinquent account is referred to an association's attorney, the first preforeclosure notice required under (a) of this subsection has not yet been mailed to the apartment owner, the association or the association's attorney shall mail the first preforeclosure notice to the apartment owner in order to satisfy the requirement in (a) of this subsection. (d) Mailing the first preforeclosure notice pursuant to (a) of this subsection does not satisfy the requirement in subsection (5)(b) of this section to mail a second preforeclosure notice at or after the date that assessments have become past due for at least 90 days. The second preforeclosure notice may not be mailed sooner than 60 days after the first preforeclosure notice is mailed. (e) The association must maintain the preforeclosure information required under this section and make it available to apartment owners in accordance with RCW 64.32.170 . (5) An association, or the manager or board of directors on its behalf, may not commence an action to foreclose a lien on an apartment under this section unless: (a) The apartment owner, at the time the action is commenced, owes at least a sum equal to the greater of: (i) 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 (ii) $2,000 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; (b) At or after the date that assessments have become past due for at least 90 days, but no sooner than 60 days after the first preforeclosure notice required in subsection (4)(a) of this section is mailed, the association has mailed, by first-class mail, to the owner, at the apartment address and to any other address which the owner has provided to the association, a second notice of delinquency, which must include a second preforeclosure notice that contains the same information as the first preforeclosure notice provided to the apartment owner pursuant to subsection (4)(a) of this section. The second preforeclosure notice may not be mailed sooner than 60 days after the first preforeclosure notice required in subsection (4)(a) of this section is mailed; (c) At least 90 days have elapsed from the date the minimum amount required in (a) of this subsection has accrued; (d) If the apartment owner was referred to mediation pursuant to RCW 61.24.163 , until the mediation is completed and the certification of mediation is issued or after 10 days from the date the mediator's certification was due to the association; and (e) The board approves commencement of a foreclosure action specifically against that apartment. (6) Every aspect of a collection, foreclosure, sale, or other conveyance under this section, including the method, advertising, time, date, place, and terms, must be commercially reasonable. (1) The declaration may provide for the collection of all sums assessed by the association of apartment owners for the share of the common expenses chargeable to any apartment and the collection may be enforced in any manner provided in the declaration including, but not limited to, (a) 10 days notice shall be given the delinquent apartment owner to the effect that unless such assessment is paid within 10 days any or all utility services will be forthwith severed and shall remain severed until such assessment is paid, or (b) collection of such assessment may be made by such lawful method of enforcement, judicial or extra-judicial, as may be provided in the declaration and/or bylaws. (2) All sums assessed by the association of apartment owners but unpaid for the share of the common expenses chargeable to any apartment shall constitute a lien on such apartment prior to all other liens except only (a) tax liens on the apartment in favor of any assessing unit and/or special district, and (b) all sums unpaid on all mortgages of record. Such lien is not subject to the ban against execution or forced sales of homesteads under RCW 6.13.080 and, subject to the provisions in subsection (5) of this section, may be foreclosed by suit by the manager or board of directors, acting on behalf of the apartment owners, in like manner as a mortgage of real property. In any such foreclosure the apartment owner shall be required to pay a reasonable rental for the apartment, if so provided in the bylaws, and the plaintiff in such foreclosures shall be entitled to the appointment of a receiver to collect the same. The manager or board of directors, acting on behalf of the apartment owners, shall have power, unless prohibited by the declaration, to bid on the apartment at foreclosure sale, and to acquire and hold, lease, mortgage, and convey the same. Upon an express waiver in the complaint of any right to a deficiency judgment, the period of redemption shall be eight months after the sale. Suit to recover any judgment for any unpaid common expenses shall be maintainable without foreclosing or waiving the liens securing the same. (3) Where the mortgagee of a mortgage of record or other purchaser of an apartment obtains possession of the apartment as a result of foreclosure of the mortgage, such possessor, his or her successors and assigns shall not be liable for the share of the common expenses or assessments by the association of apartment owners chargeable to such apartment which became due prior to such possession. Such unpaid share of common expenses of assessments shall be deemed to be common expenses collectible from all of the apartment owners including such possessor, his or her successors and assigns. (4)(a) No later than 30 days after an assessment becomes past due, an association must provide a notice of delinquency to an apartment owner by first-class mail that meets the following criteria. The notice of delinquency must: (i) Be mailed to the apartment address and to any other address that an apartment owner has provided to the association for the transmission of notice, and by email if the apartment owner's electronic address is known to the association; (ii) Be provided in English and any other language indicated as a preference for correspondence by an apartment owner. Translation inaccuracies shall not diminish a good faith effort to provide notice in a preferred language other than English; and (iii) Include a first preforeclosure notice that states as follows: THIS IS A NOTICE OF DELINQUENCY FOR PAST DUE ASSESSMENTS FROM THE APARTMENT 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. Housing counselors and attorneys may assist you in meeting and conferring with your association to resolve the past due assessments, and based on the circumstances refer you to the foreclosure mediation program. 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. (b) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, until the 15th day after providing an apartment owner with a notice of delinquency that meets the requirements in (a) of this subsection, an association may not: (i) Take any other action to collect a delinquent assessment; or (ii) Charge an apartment owner for any costs related to the collection of the delinquent assessment except for: (A) The actual costs of printing and mailing the notice of delinquency; (B) An administrative fee of no more than $10 related to providing the notice of delinquency; and (C) A single late fee of no more than $50 or five percent of the amount of the unpaid assessment which triggered the fee, whichever is less. (c) If, when a delinquent account is referred to an association's attorney, the first preforeclosure notice required under (a) of this subsection has not yet been mailed to the apartment owner, the association or the association's attorney shall mail the first preforeclosure notice to the apartment owner in order to satisfy the requirement in (a) of this subsection. (d) Mailing the first preforeclosure notice pursuant to (a) of this subsection does not satisfy the requirement in subsection (5)(b) of this section to mail a second preforeclosure notice at or after the date that assessments have become past due for at least 90 days. The second preforeclosure notice may not be mailed sooner than 60 days after the first preforeclosure notice is mailed. (e) The association must maintain the preforeclosure information required under this section and make it available to apartment owners in accordance with RCW 64.32.170 . (5) An association, or the manager or board of directors on its behalf, may not commence an action to foreclose a lien on an apartment under this section unless: (a) The apartment owner, at the time the action is commenced, owes at least a sum equal to the greater of: (i) 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 (ii) $2,000 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; (b) At or after the date that assessments have become past due for at least 90 days, but no sooner than 60 days after the first preforeclosure notice required in subsection (4)(a) of this section is mailed, the association has mailed, by first-class mail, to the owner, at the apartment address and to any other address which the owner has provided to the association, a second notice of delinquency, which must include a second preforeclosure notice that contains the same information as the first preforeclosure notice provided to the apartment owner pursuant to subsection (4)(a) of this section. The second preforeclosure notice may not be mailed sooner than 60 days after the first preforeclosure notice required in subsection (4)(a) of this section is mailed; (c) At least 90 days have elapsed from the date the minimum amount required in (a) of this subsection has accrued; (d) If the apartment owner was referred to mediation pursuant to RCW 61.24.163 , until the mediation is completed and the certification of mediation is issued or after 10 days from the date the mediator's certification was due to the association; and (e) The board approves commencement of a foreclosure action specifically against that apartment. (6) Every aspect of a collection, foreclosure, sale, or other conveyance under this section, including the method, advertising, time, date, place, and terms, must be commercially reasonable.
Source: WA Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=64.32&full=trueFetched: 6/29/2026

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