Happy family

Find a legal form in minutes

Browse US Legal Forms’ largest database of 85k state and industry-specific legal forms.

Washington Construction Defect Claims

Rev. Code Wash. (ARCW) § 64.50.020 states that in every construction defect action brought against a construction professional, the claimant shall serve written notice of claim on the construction professional, no later than forty-five days before filing an action.  The notice of claim shall state that the claimant asserts a construction defect claim against the construction professional and shall describe the general nature of the defect.  Thereafter, the construction professional shall serve a written response on the claimant by registered mail or personal service within twenty-one days after service of the notice of claim.

The written response shall propose to inspect the residence that is the subject of the claim and to complete the inspection within a specified time frame.  The proposal shall include the statement that the construction professional shall offer to remedy the defect, compromise by payment, or dispute the claim based on the inspection.  The proposal shall further offer to compromise and settle the claim by monetary payment without inspection.  A construction professional’s offer to compromise and settle a homeowner’s claim may include an express offer to purchase the claimant’s residence that is the subject of the claim, and to pay the claimant’s reasonable relocation costs.  The offer may state that the construction professional disputes the claim and will neither remedy the construction defect nor compromise and settle the claim.

If the construction professional disputes the claim or does not respond to the claimant’s notice of claim within the specified time, the claimant may bring an action against the construction professional for the claim without further notice.  If the claimant rejects the inspection proposal or the settlement offer made by the construction professional, the claimant shall serve written notice of the claimant’s rejection on the construction professional.  After service of the rejection, the claimant may bring an action against the construction professional.  If the construction professional has not received from the claimant, within thirty days after the claimant’s receipt of the construction professional’s response, the construction professional may terminate the proposal or offer by serving written notice to the claimant.  Thereafter, the claimant may bring an action against the construction professional for the construction defect claim.

If the claimant elects to allow the construction professional to inspect in accordance with the construction professional’s proposal, the claimant shall provide the construction professional and its contractors reasonable access to the claimant’s residence during normal working hours.  Within fourteen days following completion of the inspection, the construction professional shall serve on the claimant

  • a written offer to remedy the construction defect at no cost to the claimant, including a report of the scope of the inspection, the findings and results of the inspection, a description of the additional construction necessary to remedy the defect described in the claim, and a timetable for the completion of such construction;
  • a written offer to compromise and settle the claim by monetary payment; or
  • a written statement that the construction professional will not proceed further to remedy the defect.

If the construction professional does not proceed further to remedy the construction defect within the agreed timetable, the claimant may bring an action against the construction professional for the claim.  Any claimant accepting the offer of a construction professional to remedy the construction defect shall serve the construction professional with a written notice of acceptance within a reasonable time period after receipt of the offer, and no later than thirty days after receipt of the offer.  The claimant shall provide the construction professional and its contractors reasonable access to the claimant’s residence during normal working hours to perform and complete the construction.


Inside Washington Construction Defect Claims