Certain buildings may already be subject to Washington's Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS), with further obligations rolling out through the end of the decade. Benchmarking and compliance costs could be significant, and the party responsible for those costs often depends…
Read MoreOn July 1, 2025, Mayor Bruce Harrell signed Seattle City Council Bill 121000 which bans the use of algorithmic software designed to propose rent rates for residential landlords.[1] This new law is codified in Chapter 7.34 of the Seattle Municipal…
Read MoreWashington currently imposes estate tax on the estate of any individual who dies with an estate valued in excess of $2,193,000 if that individual was either a Washington resident or owned Washington property at the time of their death. The…
Read MoreBig changes to federal estate taxes could be ahead if Kamala Harris wins the presidential election in November, and the Democratic party holds the Senate and takes the House. Harris’s campaign recently endorsed the estate tax reforms in S. 4824,…
Read MoreWashington’s Paid Sick Leave law requires employers to provide non-exempt employees with paid sick leave for certain legally protected reasons, including (1) the employee’s personal medical care; (2) to care for a family member with a mental or physical illness,…
Read MoreSeattle’s new regulations limiting a landlord’s ability to require certain financial obligations of commercial tenants operating in the City of Seattle have been codified in Chapter 6.104 of the Seattle Municipal Code (SMC). In short, the new regulations establish limits…
Read MoreWhat Landlords Need to Know If you are a landlord in Shoreline, you will want to be familiar with Shoreline’s new tenant protections. On December 11, 2023, the Shoreline City Council passed Ordinance Number 996. Ordinance Number 996 establishes a…
Read MoreThere is a common misconception when it comes to estate planning: only people with significant wealth need an estate plan. In fact, an estate plan is simply a set of documents that tells the world what we want to happen…
Read MoreThe IRS just issued Revenue Procedure 2023-34 announcing the 2024 increases to the federal estate and gift tax exemption and the gift tax annual exclusion. The 2024 federal estate and gift tax exemption has been increased to $13,610,000, up from…
Read MoreWith property taxes on the rise in Washington state, many property owners are looking for creative ways to plan and utilize their land to reduce their tax burden. Washington’s Open Space Taxation Act, Chapter 84.34 RCW (the “Act”), enacted in…
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