[WSBARP] 3 story house meets 2 story CCR restriction

[John McCrady]

Beware of Item 4 of the Exclusions:

Risks:
a. that are created, allowed, or agreed to by You, whether or not they are recorded in the Public Records;
b. that are Known to You at the Policy Date, but not to Us, unless they are recorded in the Public Records at the Policy Date;
c. that result in no loss to You; or
d. that first occur after the Policy Date - this does not limit the coverage described in Covered Risk 7, 8.e., 25, 26, 27 or 28.
I would probably want to request affirmative coverage against that matter.

John McCrady
Counsel
Puget Sound Title Company
5350 Orchard Street West
University Place WA 98467
253-476-5721
j.mccrady at pstitle.com

From: wsbarp-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com [mailto:wsbarp-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com] On Behalf Of marc holmeslawgroup.com
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2018 11:27 AM
To: WSBA Real Property Listserv <wsbarp at lists.wsbarppt.com>
Cc: kim holmeslawgroup.com <kim at holmeslawgroup.com>
Subject: [WSBARP] 3 story house meets 2 story CCR restriction

We have a client set to buy a brand new 3 story house and, lo and behold, the builder didn't notice or ignored a CCR restriction limiting homes to no more than 2 stories.  Title company says the ALTA Homeowner's policy covers this and points to a "covered risk" provision that reads:

You are forced to correct or remove an existing violation of any covenant, condition or restriction affecting the Land, even if the covenant, condition or restriction is excepted in Schedule B.  However, You are not covered for any violation that relates to:
a.       Any obligation to perform maintenance or repair on the Land; or
b.      Environmental protection of any kind, including hazardous or toxic conditions or substances.
unless there is a notice recorded in the Public records, describing any part of the Land, claiming a violation exists.  Our liability for this Covered Risk is limited to the extent of the violation stated in that notice.

We're not aware of any publicly recorded notice of that the 3rd story is a violation.  Does this seem like adequate protection for the buyer or a recipe for disaster?



Marc Holmes
Holmes Law Group PLLC
2303 W. Commodore Way, # 306
Seattle WA 98199
HolmesLawGroup.com<http://holmeslawgroup.com/>
marc at holmeslawgroup.com<mailto:marc at holmeslawgroup.com>
Ofc: 206-357-4224
Cell: 206-849-0853

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