Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Washington

Re: Lease Option, won't sign off on title..

You have a really interesting problem, although that is likely not what you wanted to hear.

Is the lease/option clearly delineated in a contract - signed by your brother and either the father or the son?

This is a conversation that should not be occuring over the phone, but instead, should be in writing.

As a matter of fact, likely you should consider lawyering up now.

The expiration of the lease option occuring a few weeks ago - sounds irrelevant because your brother has clearly indicated his intent to exercise the option, and has put money into the bargain to boot.

The father/son issue is more interesting. You may need to file suit to clarify who owns the property (father or son) and to force them to comply with the bargain struck at the beginning of the tenancy.

There is nothing in your question that clearly tells me that anybody falsified anything. I am also reluctant to impute malice where simple cluelessness suffices. So, cannot tell from what you wrote whether there is malfeasance or not.

Your brother's contract terms control, and if the document requires notification when the option expires, then yes, notification is required.

Yes, you may well have recourse. Your best bet is to contact local counsel and hire them. This is not a self-help problem, and phone calls at this point are not going to solve anything.

Hope this helps. Elizabeth