Asbestos Abatement — What the HOA Docs Actually Say

1. The Key HOA Finding

The Continental House — Questions & Answers document that the property manager provides to every buyer as part of the disclosure package contains two questions that settle the asbestos issue directly:

Source: "The Continental House — Questions & Answers," attached page 7 of the Seller Disclosure Statement, Form 17 Rev 8/21, signed 03/15/2026.

2. Building & HOA Facts from the Disclosure

Source: Form 17 Seller Disclosure Statement, Sections 4, 5, 6.

3. The Form 17 Contradiction

Form 17 Section 7E asks explicitly about environmental hazards:

4. What the HOA Docs Imply About the Abatement Process

Neither the Form 17 nor the Q&A lays out a formal step-by-step asbestos abatement procedure for owners. What they do establish is a set of constraints that any Unit 606 abatement scope has to respect (several of which are actually driven by government regulation — see Section 5 below):

• Licensed / certified abatement contractor required. The Q&A notes that prior popcorn-ceiling remodels in the building "have used an abatement company." The HOA doc describes this as past practice — but the requirement is actually mandatory under Washington law: only DOSH-certified asbestos abatement contractors may bid on or perform the work (see Section 5).
• HOA Board approval of alterations — verbatim requirement. The newly-reviewed March 14 docset confirms Board pre-approval is not just a mini-split issue — it is a blanket requirement written into the Declaration and House Rules. Declaration Section XVIII (Structural Modifications): "No structural modifications or alterations in any apartment shall be made without specific prior authorization in writing from the Board and the prior written approval of the mortgagees and deed of trust beneficiaries of the Property." House Rules, Par. 8: "In the event any construction or renovation work within the individually owned unit involves common area elements (common area elements within the unit would include, but not be limited to, plumbing, electrical, vents and building structural members), then prior approval by the Association Board of Directors will be required." Ceiling abatement removes and replaces drywall against common-element building structure — both provisions plainly apply. See Section 6 for the full Unit Remodel Policy that implements these provisions.
• Hard-surface flooring triggers acoustic testing. Per the Q&A: "The Owner shall refer to hard surface flooring specifications (Policy attached). The Association's vendor, Censeo (206-866-9020), shall perform the acoustical sound testing at the owner's expense."
• Sequencing — abatement before renovation. Not spelled out in the HOA docs, but it's a regulatory requirement: PSCAA and Seattle SDCI both require the asbestos survey and (where applicable) abatement to be addressed before renovation work that would disturb the material can proceed (see Section 5).
• No building-wide asbestos project on record. Two years of HOA board-meeting minutes were reviewed; nothing about asbestos remediation appears — so there is no pending building-wide abatement that would cover Unit 606. (Sourced from the existing Case Summary, not the Form 17 PDF.)

5. Regulatory Requirements — King County, Washington State & Seattle

The HOA docs describe building-level practice. Layered on top are three separate government frameworks that govern asbestos abatement in a Seattle condo. These are the rules that actually determine who can touch the material, what notifications are required, and what has to happen before renovation can begin.

PSCAA Puget Sound Clean Air Agency — primary local regulator

PSCAA regulates asbestos in King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish counties. For Unit 606 specifically:

• A pre-project asbestos survey by an AHERA-certified building inspector is required before any renovation or demolition — see PSCAA — Asbestos overview and Regulating Asbestos.
• An Asbestos/Demolition Notification form plus filing fee must be submitted to PSCAA before any asbestos removal begins. The notification cannot be amended after filing — a mistake means starting a new one. See File a Notification.
• PSCAA offers an exemption for owner-occupied single-family homeowners doing their own renovations (Homeowner Renovation page) — but this does not apply to condos. Condo owners must hire a certified asbestos abatement contractor.

L&I / DOSH WA Dept. of Labor & Industries — Chapter 296-65 WAC

State law sets the worker-safety and contractor-certification rules. Full text: Chapter 296-65 WAC — Asbestos Removal and Encapsulation.

• Only DOSH-certified asbestos abatement contractors may bid on or perform asbestos projects — see L&I Asbestos Certification.
• The contractor must employ at least one certified asbestos supervisor providing direct on-site supervision.
• Only certified asbestos workers may handle the material.
• Notification to L&I is required for any asbestos project greater than 48 square feet or 10 linear feet — both bedrooms of Unit 606 will far exceed this threshold, so L&I notification is mandatory.

SDCI Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections

For the renovation work that wraps around the abatement:

• Interior alteration of a multifamily unit generally requires an SDCI construction permit (alteration / addition) — see SDCI — Construction Permit: Addition or Alteration and Do You Need a Permit?.
• SDCI requires an asbestos survey to be completed before renovation or demolition work — this aligns with the PSCAA requirement above.

SPU Seattle Public Utilities — disposal

Asbestos-containing debris cannot go in standard construction dumpsters. See Seattle Utilities — Asbestos in Construction and Demolition. A properly certified abatement contractor handles disposal as part of the scope.

6. HOA Unit Remodel Policy — Board Approval, Fees & Contractor Rules

The Continental House Unit Remodel Policy (revised and approved by the Board on May 5, 2015, and re-stated in the current Rules & Regulations) spells out the exact requirements for any remodel. These sit on top of — not in place of — the regulatory framework in Section 5.

Board Pre-Approval Required (verbatim)

Fee Schedule & Deposits

• $350 minimum management fee — covers management oversight and outside consulting required by the Board. If the actual cost exceeds $350, additional time is billed at the hourly rate of management and the consultant.
• $25 per day Common Area & Association fee — accrues for the duration of the project, from preparation/set-up start date until work completion is confirmed in writing to CWD and the Board.
• $1,000 Damage & Cleaning Deposit — required when the project needs architectural review. The policy states: "Reviews are required when walls and building systems are involved." Ceiling abatement plus drywall replacement plainly qualifies.
• $100 refundable deposit + $50 non-refundable fee — for a contractor access device (fob). Deposit refunded on project completion if the device is returned undamaged.

Documentation & Insurance

• Plans / drawings of proposed alterations plus anticipated start and end dates must be submitted to the Board before work begins.
• Contractor's business license, bond, and insurance certificate must be provided. The insurance certificate must name "Continental House Condominium and CWD Group, Inc." as additional insured, with coverage of no less than $1,000,000 / $2,000,000 aggregate.
• City of Seattle permits — "If required by city code, permits for work shall be properly obtained and posted in the Unit." This dovetails with the SDCI alteration-permit requirement in Section 5.
• Owner responsibility. "The Owner is responsible for all activities and persons involved in the construction/remodel work" — responsibility may be delegated to the General Contractor, but legal exposure stays with the owner.

Neighbor Notice & Work Hours

• 3 full business days' written notice to neighboring residents before work starts — via the "Notice of Construction Work" form — including any planned water shut-off.
• Work hours: 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM Monday through Friday, excluding holidays (Unit Remodel Policy / House Rules Par. 5). No work on weekends without prior arrangement with management for unusual situations.
• Noise standard: "All noise, including music and conversation loud enough to be heard from hallways or other Units, is prohibited."

Building Access & Debris Disposal

• Contractors must enter and exit via A Deck or B Deck garage entrances only — the main lobby entrance is prohibited.
• Materials and tools travel via the West elevator only. Elevator pads and a hardboard insert over the carpet are required — coordinated through the CWD Move Coordinator.
• Contractor vehicles park on the street only. Parking on garage decks, driveways, or guest spaces is prohibited; violators may be towed at the owner's expense.
• All debris must be disposed of off-site — contractor debris is not allowed in the building's dumpsters or receptacles. Debris must be sealed in 3-mil plastic contractor bags (or equivalent) to avoid contamination of Common Areas during transport. Directly relevant to asbestos: this rule aligns with PSCAA / Seattle SPU requirements for handling asbestos-containing construction debris.
• Plumbing / water shut-off: stack rebalancing after shut-offs must be done by the Association's vendor, Quality Plumbing (206-789-7676), at the owner's expense.

Acoustic Testing — Hard Surface Flooring Policy (rev. 2018)

• Replacement of hard-surface flooring (existing entry/kitchen/bath) must achieve an FIIC Rating of 55. New installation (in areas that did not originally have hard-surface flooring — e.g., bedrooms or living room) must achieve an FIIC Rating of 62. Up to a 3 dB waiver may be granted by the Board for test anomalies.
• Deposit = 150% of the Acoustic Consultant's sound-testing cost, or $1,000 — whichever is greater. Refunded once the Acoustic Consultant verifies compliance.
• Pre-installation and post-installation acoustic tests are both required. For new installations, the owner must obtain written permission from residents below the modified area to permit testing in their units.
• Board-approved acoustic consultants: Censeo — (206) 866-9020 (per current R&R) and Sparling — (206) 667-0555 (per Unit Remodel Policy).
• The Association is explicitly authorized to file suit — with costs and legal fees recoverable — against any owner who installs hard-surface flooring without following the policy.

Source: Continental House Unit Remodel Policy (revised and approved by the Board of Directors, May 5, 2015) and Hard Surface Flooring Policy (revised 2018); reiterated in the current Rules & Regulations. From the March 14, 2026 HOA document packet provided by realtor Paul.

7. Key Contacts — HOA & Regulatory

8. Open Items & Gaps