Spring is here. The cherry blossoms are blooming. It’s nearly time to roll out the grill for its summer stint on the patio. Hopefully any extended time spent outside enjoying your property includes a friendly wave from your neighbor. For residential property owners dealing with the turmoil of a contentious boundary line dispute, a wave is more likely an apoplectic stare, or worse. 

When it comes to landlord – tenant relationships, nothing should be left to translation or interpretation. The dealings between both parties should be mutually beneficial, respectful, and above all else, clear. With that in mind, the attorneys at Holmquist & Gardiner work with landlords (and tenants) to make sure their interests are provided for and protected.

2019 is a big year for local Seattle law firm, Holmquist + Gardiner! Celebrating 10 years in business, founders Imants Holmquist and Hamilton Gardiner look back on how they got their start and how they’ve successfully grown over the years, establishing themselves as one of the top law practices in the city of Seattle.

Seattle and the state of Washington continue to be in a constant state of expansion. New commercial buildings are springing up left and right; in fact, Seattle tops the nation as the city with the most tower cranes for the third straight year in a row. With new developments come new commercial spaces, and if you’re in the market for office, retail or industrial rental space in the Emerald City, lease negotiations are going to be in your near future.

Adverse possession, more commonly known as “squatters rights” is an interesting situation, often fueled by surprise and emotion. Property owners understandably take matters concerning their residential home, including the dirt within its boundary, personally. To provide a quick definition of adverse possession, if someone has had possession of a piece of property for a long time (ten years in the state of Washington) that person could possibly be entitled to direct ownership.

Are you in the process of developing real estate in Seattle? Are you from out-of-state? It is likely that your lender will require a loan opinion letter. Loan opinion letters are provided by legal counsel for borrowers and provide a number of opinions including the assurance that loan documents will be binding under the law of the jurisdiction, the borrower and guarantor entities have the necessary signing authority, and that such entities have been properly formed.