AN ACT Relating to requiring the owner of a rental property or condominium to certify compliance with fire safety requirements prior to obtaining insurance for the premises; amending RCW 64.34.352; and adding a new section to chapter 48.18 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 48.18 RCW to read as follows:

(1) Prior to issuing or renewing a policy of insurance to the owner of commercial or residential rental property for coverage of the premises, the insurer must require the owner to certify that the owner has complied with all applicable laws and building codes relating to the installation of smoke detectors and fire alarms on the premises.

(2) Prior to issuing or renewing a policy of insurance to an association for a condominium pursuant to RCW 64.34.352, the insurer must require the association to certify that the condominium is in compliance with all applicable laws and building codes relating to the installation of sprinklers, smoke detectors, and fire alarms in the common elements of the premises.

Sec. 2.  RCW 64.34.352 and 1992 c 220 s 18 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Commencing not later than the time of the first conveyance of a unit to a person other than a declarant, the association shall maintain, to the extent reasonably available:

(a) Property insurance on the condominium, which may, but need not, include equipment, improvements, and betterments in a unit installed by the declarant or the unit owners, insuring against all risks of direct physical loss commonly insured against. The total amount of insurance after application of any deductibles shall be not less than eighty percent, or such greater amount specified in the declaration, of the actual cash value of the insured property at the time the insurance is purchased and at each renewal date, exclusive of land, excavations, foundations, and other items normally excluded from property policies; and

(b) Liability insurance, including medical payments insurance, in an amount determined by the board of directors but not less than the amount specified in the declaration, covering all occurrences commonly insured against for death, bodily injury, and property damage arising out of or in connection with the use, ownership, or maintenance of the common elements.

(2) If the insurance described in subsection (1) of this section is not reasonably available, or is modified, canceled, or not renewed, the association promptly shall cause notice of that fact to be hand-delivered or sent prepaid by first-class United States mail to all unit owners, to each eligible mortgagee, and to each mortgagee to whom a certificate or memorandum of insurance has been issued at their respective last known addresses. The declaration may require the association to carry any other insurance, and the association in any event may carry any other insurance it deems appropriate to protect the association or the unit owners.

(3) Insurance policies carried pursuant to subsection (1) of this section shall provide that:

(a) Each unit owner is an insured person under the policy with respect to liability arising out of the owner's interest in the common elements or membership in the association;

(b) The insurer waives its right to subrogation under the policy against any unit owner, member of the owner's household, and lessee of the owner;

(c) No act or omission by any unit owner, unless acting within the scope of the owner's authority on behalf of the association, will void the policy or be a condition to recovery under the policy; and

(d) If, at the time of a loss under the policy, there is other insurance in the name of a unit owner covering the same risk covered by the policy, the association's policy provides primary insurance.

(4) Any loss covered by the property insurance under subsection (1)(a) of this section must be adjusted with the association, but the insurance proceeds for that loss are payable to any insurance trustee designated for that purpose, or otherwise to the association, and not to any holder of a mortgage. The insurance trustee or the association shall hold any insurance proceeds in trust for unit owners and lienholders as their interests may appear. Subject to the provisions of subsection (((7))) (8) of this section, the proceeds must be disbursed first for the repair or restoration of the damaged property, and unit owners and lienholders are not entitled to receive payment of any portion of the proceeds unless there is a surplus of proceeds after the property has been completely repaired or restored or the condominium is terminated.

(5) An insurance policy issued to the association does not prevent a unit owner from obtaining insurance for the owner's own benefit.

(6) An insurer that has issued an insurance policy under this section shall issue certificates or memoranda of insurance to the association and, upon written request, to any unit owner or holder of a mortgage. The insurer issuing the policy may not modify the amount or the extent of the coverage of the policy or cancel or refuse to renew the policy unless the insurer has complied with all applicable provisions of chapter 48.18 RCW pertaining to the cancellation or nonrenewal of contracts of insurance. The insurer shall not modify the amount or the extent of the coverage of the policy, or cancel or refuse to renew the policy without complying with this section.

(7) An insurer may not issue an insurance policy pursuant to subsection (1) of this section unless the association has certified that the condominium is in compliance with all applicable laws and building codes relating to the installation of sprinklers, smoke detectors, and fire alarms in the common elements of the premises as provided in section 1 of this act.

(8) Any portion of the condominium for which insurance is required under this section which is damaged or destroyed shall be repaired or replaced promptly by the association unless: (a) The condominium is terminated; (b) repair or replacement would be illegal under any state or local health or safety statute or ordinance; or (c) eighty percent of the unit owners, including every owner of a unit or assigned limited common element which will not be rebuilt, vote not to rebuild. The cost of repair or replacement in excess of insurance proceeds and reserves is a common expense. If all of the damaged or destroyed portions of the condominium are not repaired or replaced: (i) The insurance proceeds attributable to the damaged common elements shall be used to restore the damaged area to a condition compatible with the remainder of the condominium; (ii) the insurance proceeds attributable to units and limited common elements which are not rebuilt shall be distributed to the owners of those units and the owners of the units to which those limited common elements were allocated, or to lienholders, as their interests may appear; and (iii) the remainder of the proceeds shall be distributed to all the unit owners or lienholders, as their interests may appear, in proportion to the common element interests of all the units. If the unit owners vote not to rebuild any unit, that unit's allocated interests are automatically reallocated upon the vote as if the unit had been condemned under RCW 64.34.060(1), and the association promptly shall prepare, execute, and record an amendment to the declaration reflecting the reallocations. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, RCW 64.34.268 governs the distribution of insurance proceeds if the condominium is terminated.

(((8))) (9) The provisions of this section may be varied or waived as provided in the declaration if all units of a condominium are restricted to nonresidential use.

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