Washington - Whatcom County Certificate of Trust Forms

Included Forms

All Whatcom County specific forms and documents listed below are included in your immediate download package:

Certificate of Trust Form - Whatcom County

Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.
Included document last updated 2/20/2023

Certifciate of Trust Guide - Whatcom County

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.
Included document last updated 2/20/2023

Completed Example of the Certificate of Trust Document - Whatcom County

Example of a properly completed form for reference.
Included document last updated 10/19/2022

Included Supplemental Documents

The Following Washington and Whatcom County supplemental forms are included as a courtesy with your order.

WA State Cover Page (Washington Document)

Statutory List of Exemptions (Washington Document)

Certificate of Acknowledgment - Individual (Washington Document)

Certificate of Acknowledgment - Representative (Washington Document)

Jurat (Washington Document)

Frequently Asked Questions:

• How long does it take to get my forms?
  • Forms are available immediately after submitting payment.
• What are supplemental forms?
  • Often when a deed is recorded additional documents are required by Washington or Whatcom County. These could be tax related, informational, or even as simple as a coversheet. Supplemental forms are provided for free with your order where available.
• How do I get my forms, are they emailed?
  • After you submit payment you will see a page listing the Whatcom County forms you ordered with a download link to the pdf form file. You download the forms to your computer. You will also receive an email with a link to your download page in case you need it later.
• What type of files are the forms?
  • All of our Whatcom County Certificate of Trust forms are PDFs. You will need to have or get Adobe Reader to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.
• Can the Certificate of Trust forms be re-used?
  • Yes. You can re-use the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have more than one property in Whatcom County that you need to transfer you would only need to order our forms once for all of your properties in Whatcom County.
• Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Whatcom County ?
  • Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by Whatcom County including margin requirements, content requirements, font and font size requirements.
• Do I have to enter all of my property information online?
  • No. The blank forms are downloaded to your computer and you fill them out there, at your convenience.
• Can I save the completed form, email it to someone?
  • Yes, you can save your deed form at any point with your information in it. The forms can also be emailed, blank or complete, as attachments.
• Do I need any special software to use these forms?
  • You will need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.
• Are there any recurring fees involved?
  • No. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.

Areas covered by these Certificate of Trust Forms:

• Whatcom County

Including:

• Acme
• Bellingham
• Blaine
• Custer
• Deming
• Everson
• Ferndale
• Lummi Island
• Lynden
• Maple Falls
• Nooksack
• Point Roberts
• Sumas

What is the Washington Certificate of Trust?

Washington State Certification of Trust

When doing business with a trustee, third parties (such as financial institutions) may request a certification of trust, a statutory document that certifies the existence of a trust and outlines the trustee's powers and authority to act on the trust's behalf. In Washington, the certificate, taken from section 1013 of the Uniform Trust Code, is codified at RCW 11.98.075 as part of the probate and trust law of Washington.

In lieu of presenting parties outside of the trust arrangement (essentially, anyone who is not a trust beneficiary) with the entire trust document, RCW 11.98.075 allows the trustee to supply a certificate of trust containing the essential information about the trust necessary for the transaction at hand, and not "the dispositive terms of the trust" (RCW 11.98.075(4)). This allows the settlor's estate plans to remain private, including the identity of trust beneficiaries.

The certificate requires a statement that the trust exists, along with the name and date of the trust, the identity of the trust's settlor, and the name and address of each current trustee serving the trust. The document also establishes the relevant powers of the trustee to conduct the business at hand. If there are co-trustees, the certificate also outlines how many are required to jointly act in performing trustee powers, and who among them has signing authority. Additional evidence as to the designation of the trustee and the trustee's powers may be requested in the form of excerpts from the trust instrument.

In addition, a certificate of trust also identifies anyone holding a power to revoke the trust, if applicable, and identifies how assets held by the trust are titled. In support of a real property transaction, a certificate may also provide a legal description of the subject property.

The contents of the certificate may be relied on by the recipient as fact, and offers protections for persons relying on the information. The certificate contains a statement to the effect that the representations made within have not been invalidated by any amendments made to or revocation of the trust.

A certificate of trust in Washington may be signed by any trustee or an attorney for the trust in the presence of a notary public. If the certificate is submitted for recording with the appropriate county's land records, it must conform to Washington State recording requirements.

Consult a lawyer with questions regarding certifications of trust in Washington, as each situation is unique.

Our Promise

The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Whatcom County recording requirements for formatting. If there's an issue caused by our formatting, we'll make it right and refund your payment.

Save Time and Money

Get your Whatcom County Certificate of Trust form done right the first time with Deeds.com Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. At Deeds.com, we understand that your time and money are valuable resources, and we don't want you to face a penalty fee or rejection imposed by a county recorder for submitting nonstandard documents. We constantly review and update our forms to meet rapidly changing state and county recording requirements for roughly 3,500 counties and local jurisdictions.

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