Board Members & Homeowners Webinar - WUCIOA, Association Next Steps

BECOMING A WUCIOA COMMUNITY

What does it mean to “become” a WUCIOA community? Well, as you have probably heard, the Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act or “WUCIOA” (pronounced woo-kai-oh-uh) is the statute that was studied and tinkered with for years by industry leaders prior to its enactment in 2018. Originally only intended to apply to new community developments, in 2023, the legislature enacted a bill referred to as “WUCIOA for All” that did two things: First, it stated that all preexisting condos and HOAs (including Old Act condos, “new act” condos and all HOAs) would be governed by WUCIOA as of January 1, 2028. Second, despite the fragile balance struck by the committee that studied and tinkered with WUCIOA for years prior to its enactment in 2018, the statute was significantly revised to change many of the concepts that community association attorneys, managers, and directors have come to learn over the years. Thus, even existing WUCIOA communities may want to consider amending their governing documents to comply with the new changes.

Converting to WUCIOA is a big deal!

Whether you’re an “Old Act” condo, pre-2018 condo or an HOA, there are a lot of changes in store for your community if it decides to “opt in” to the statute prior to the mandatory date of January 1, 2028. As experienced community association counsel and member of the WUCIOA drafting committee, attorney Marlyn Hawkins will provide attendees with information on how to opt in, the potential legal issues related to opting in, and concrete examples of some of the more significant changes between WUCIOA communities and the old regimes. Some of the differences will benefit many communities, while others may not, but both the positives and the negatives will take a significant amount of time to get used to. So please join us to start learning about what becoming a WUCIOA community really means.