The IRS has issued Notice 2020-18 expanding tax filing and tax payment relief for taxpayers due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Who qualifies? Any “person,” which includes an individual, trust, estate, partnership, association, company, or corporation under IRC §7701(a)(1), with a federal income tax payment or a federal income tax return due on April 15, 2020, […]
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U.S. Department of Labor Releases Model Notice of Employee Rights to Paid Sick Leave and Expanded Family and Medical Leave
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA” or “the Act”) requires covered employers to provide employees with notice of the provisions of the Act. The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) has provided a model notice which may be found here: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WHD/posters/FFCRA_Poster_WH1422_Non-Federal.pdf Although the notice may be posted physically at the employer’s main office in a […]
Department of Labor Issues Families First Coronavirus Response Act Guidance
The Department of Labor has issued some limited guidance regarding the implementation of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic/ffcra-questions. Additional, more detailed, guidance will be forthcoming. Please take note of these vital clarifications. FFCRA will go into effect on April 1, 2020 NOT on April 2 as previously reported. This is important to […]
COVID-19 and Your Real Estate Transaction
The COVID-19 pandemic and Governor Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order have stopped your real estate transaction dead in its tracks. The earnest money is in escrow, but Washington is shut down for all but “essential services”, which does not include real estate at this time. What are your options? If your transaction involves Northwest […]
Seattle Land Use and Real Estate & COVID-19
We know everyone is feeling unease about the current state of the world and there is a lot of information about the Covid-19 pandemic and the measures federal, local and state governments are taking to mitigate the economic impact. To help you understand the effects on the real estate markets, we offer the following information: […]
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act, (the “Act”) has been signed into law. It will go into effect in 15 days, and expire on December 31, 2020. This is NOT a bill that will provide direct payments to Americans, that would be a third relief bill which has not yet been fully formed or voted […]
Seattle City Council Recently Passes Flurry of Bills to Protect Residential Tenants
Last week, in response to the housing crisis and in support of greater tenant rights, the Seattle City Council passed two sets of bills related to residential rental properties in the City that both landlords and tenants alike should be aware of. The first set of bills addressed landlords’ and tenants’ rights during a tenancy […]
Wage Theft, Minimum Wage Violations: Most Costly Areas for Employers Investigated by the Seattle Office of Labor Standards
According to data reports published by the Seattle Office of Labor Standards – which enforces the City’s labor standards for minimum wage, Paid Sick and Safe Time, Fair Chance Employment, and other related laws – the costliest areas of enforcement for employers are violations of minimum wage and wage theft ordinances. In the first six […]
Buyer Beware is Still the Law of the Land
Washington’s Seller Disclosure Statute, RCW 64.06, originally passed in 1994, required Sellers of real property to disclose “material defects” on a Seller Disclosure Statement, which quickly became known as a “Form 17”. A special provision of RCW 64.06 provides that the statutory obligation to disclose material defects is independent of the common law principle of […]
New Legislation Reducing Liability for Condominium Defects Takes Effect
With concerns over affordable housing being a driving force, Senate Bill 5334 was passed earlier this year and just recently took effect. This new legislation has been celebrated by affordable housing proponents, developers, and homebuyers alike as it is expected to spur increased infill development, consistent with the Growth Management Act and local Comprehensive Plans. […]