Sales Disclosure Form

California's Especially Stringent Disclosure Requirements Sellers must fill out and give the buyers a disclosure form listing a broad range of defects, such as a leaky roof, deaths that occurred within three years on the property, neighborhood nuisances such as a dog that barks every night, and more.

Whenever you sell real estate, you are obligated to follow local mandatory disclosure laws. This involves informing the buyer about specific hazards or problems affecting the property before the sale is completed.

If a seller fails to disclose, or actively conceals, problems that affect the value of the property; they are violating the law, and may be subject to a lawsuit for recovery of damages based on claims of fraud and deceit, misrepresentation and/or breach of contract.

In general, you have an obligation to disclose potential problems and material defects that could affect the value of the property you're trying to sell. In addition, it is considered illegal in most states to deliberately conceal major defects on your property.

Under California law, all material facts that affect the value or desirability of the property must be disclosed to the buyer. There is no specific definition or rule on what is considered to be a material fact.

If a seller fails to disclose, or actively conceals, problems that affect the value of the property; they are violating the law, and may be subject to a lawsuit for recovery of damages based on claims of fraud and deceit, misrepresentation and/or breach of contract.

In general, if the defect existed before you bought the home and the seller failed to disclose the defect, and you incurred monetary damages as a result, you can sue the seller or another party for breach of contract. A successful lawsuit could result in payment for the cost of repairs.

In the simplest terms, a Seller's Disclosure is a document a potential buyer receives in order to know what condition the property is in. It contains about 100 questions and it will take you 20-30 minutes at most to complete.You're not required to have this document ready until your home is under contract.