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Ohio's disclosure requirement comes from its legislature, specifically a law called Ohio Revised Code § 5302.30. It mandates filling out a Residential Property Disclosure Form, which is meant to alert prospective home buyers to known problems with the property: roof leaks, electrical troubles, malfunctioning appliances, pests, and so on.
The form is used only in the sale of residential property with one to four dwelling units. It applies not only to regular sales but to land installment contracts, leases with option to purchase, exchanges, and leases for a term of 99 years and renewable forever.
Not every seller of residential property in Ohio is required to complete the disclosure form. You need not do so if the home sale you're involved in is either a:
The form you will need to fill out as an Ohio home seller covers many types of items and issues, from legal to structural to environmental, in accordance with both law and local custom. Here's a summary sampling:
At the end of the form, sellers are asked to mention any additional "material" defects; that is, problems that could cause a buyer to not buy the property because of anticipated costs to repair or replace. Material defects are also things that are potentially dangerous, such as contamination, loose boards, areas where people could fall and get hurt. By including an "other" section, the form obviously intends sellers not to leave out any problems that don't neatly fall into one of the existing categories on the form.
Ohio disclosure law requires sellers to disclose only those material defects or other information that they actually know about. This means that you aren't required to get an independent inspection to complete the form, only to list what you actually have learned and observed about the house through having lived there and taken care of it.
In other words, you will need to mark down any material (non-trivial) items you know about, like loose back steps and a microwave that doesn't work. But you don't need to worry about things you don't know about, for example if your neighbor, unbeknownst to you, built the new backyard fence a few inches on your side of the property line. And you don't need to worry about non-material defects, such as chipped paint or a small dent in the wood flooring.
Also, if the problem is open to observation, like a water stain in the ceiling that could be seen by anyone walking under it, then the seller does not have to disclose it; but there's no harm in doing so, and it could foster buyer trust.
The seller must not do anything to conceal or prevent the buyer from investigating a problem, like locking an entry door to a garage or putting out air fresheners to mask odors. The seller must also not engage in fraud, nor falsely deny, if asked, that a problem exists.
When in doubt; for example, if you have heard scrabbling in the attic but aren't sure what it means, it's better to disclose what you know than to conceal the truth and potentially face a later lawsuit for fraud or nondisclosure. The law does require sellers to act in "good faith" when completing the form, so looking for excuses not to disclose something might not match that standard.
Also realize that the buyers, knowing that you aren't obligated to inspect or provide comprehensive information about the property, will likely want to obtain an independent inspection and title search prior to finalizing the home purchase.
If your house was built before 1978, you will need to comply with federal law about lead-based paint. The law is called the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992 (U.S. Code § 4852d), also known as Title X. It requires sellers to tell buyers about all known lead-based paint and hazards in the house. Sellers must also give buyers a pamphlet titled Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home prepared by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Sellers must allow buyers ten days to test the house for lead.
Your contract will need to include warning language about the lead-based paint. You will, as the seller, need to keep copies of the signed acknowledgement for three years after the sale is completed.
Failing to comply with the requirements carries a stiff penalty for sellers. The buyer can sue for triple the amount of damages actually suffered.
Ohio real estate sellers are required to give a completed disclosure form to prospective home buyers (that is, to people with whom they might enter into a purchase contract) " as soon as is practicable." (See Ohio Revised Code § 5302.30(C).) If the buyers sign a purchase contract before receiving the disclosures, they can rescind the contract. They would need to do so within three business days.
Ohio's disclosure statute does not set out penalties or any civil causes of action (bases to sue) against sellers who don't comply. However, a disgruntled buyer could find bases to file suit outside of the statute, such as for breach of contract or fraud. Consult an attorney to learn more.