Membership transfers are personal transactions between individual Buyers and Sellers. The Association is not involved in this process, other than to stipulate the requirements necessary to record the change in ownership. It is the responsibility of the Buyer to contact the Administration Office, at (360) 371-7122, to confirm there are no amounts outstanding on the site account and to request a site inspection and obtain a copy of approval by the General Manager, indicating any site deficiencies that must be corrected by a specific date. Note that any pro-ration of dues, site deficiency corrections or monies owing will be collected from the Buyer as they are part of the personal transaction between the Buyer and Seller that needs to be negotiated in the price paid, the Association is not involved in any way. The Buyer should read the Park's "By-Laws and Rules and Regulations" that are available on our website, birchbayleisurepark.com, in order to familiarize themselves with the Park.
To complete the change the buyer must be prepared to present the following to the Secretary of the Association:
1) The original Membership Certificate signed (not printed) and dated by the seller(s) in the transfer section on the back of the form.
2) The 8 Rec Tags registered to the membership being sold. $12 US will be charged for each missing tag.
3) 2 Gate Cards registered to the membership being sold must be presented or there will be a $25 US charge for each replaced. Cards 3 and 4, if requested by the buyer have a non-refundable $25 US charge. The exact number of cards the seller has may be obtained by contacting the Administration Centre (360) 371-7122.
4) An Initiation Fee of $600 US if the transfer is completed within 30 days, otherwise $700 US.
5) The Membership Application Form with the Site Inspection Form attached will be completed by the Secretary with the buyer once the purchase has been completed. Obtain electrical pedestal key and bathhouse keys from seller.
6) Payment of any outstanding charges or assessments recorded against the membership. Electrical should be paid by the seller which would be a credit on the site account until the next assessment date. This information may be obtained by contacting the Administration Center (360) 371-7122.
When all requirements have been completed, the buyer must arrange an appointment with the Birch Bay Leisure Park Administration Office by phone (360) 371-7122 or birchbayleisurepark@comcast.net to complete the transfer. If there are any questions do not hesitate to give her a call at any time during the process.
Please note: Whatcom County Code (Section 20.80.955 - (9)) specifies a 180-day residency restriction per calendar year regardless of citizenship. Because BBLP is an RV park the Health Department and Department of Buildings and Code do not authorize full-time residence.
Transfer of Trailer
Trailers are personal property and transfer of ownership is a personal transaction that does not involve the Association. The following information is presented to assist both the buyer and the seller (the Association is not responsible for either the accuracy or currency of this information):
- a) The seller should have a State of Washington Vehicle Certificate of Ownership that must be signed and dated in the "seller" section, and then given to the buyer. Legal owner and registered owner should be the same; otherwise a lien against the trailer is indicated.
- b) The trailer may be subject to personal property tax. This can be verified by checking with Whatcom County 360-676-6774. Property tax is due April 30 with a possible second installment on October 31 each year. If the trailer is subject to tax, then a call should be made to the Whatcom County Treasury (vehicle licensing) Office at (360) 676-6774, quoting the current taxpayer name and site number, to verify that tax payments are up to date.
- c) The transfer must be completed by taking the signed Certificate of Ownership to the County Courthouse at 311 Grand Avenue in Bellingham (360) 676-6774. This transfer cannot be done at a sub-station. The transfer of a trailer that is subject to property tax will be subject to excise tax (currently 1.8%) on the value of the trailer (excluding the membership). Trailers not subject to property tax will be subject to sales tax (currently 8.5%) on the value of the trailer (excluding the membership).