Transfer of Real PropertyDisclosures Upon Transfer of Residential Property
Section § 1102
This part of the law applies to any kind of transfer involving the sale or exchange of single-family homes, contracts to sell such properties, leases that include an option to buy, and certain leases with improvements. Definitions from another chapter also apply here, giving additional guidance on terms used. Importantly, you cannot waive these rules because they're meant to protect the public interest.
Section § 1102.1
This section explains that when selling real estate, manufactured homes, or mobile homes in California, the seller must provide a specific disclosure statement about the property’s condition and any known issues. This is true even if the sale is "as is." The law emphasizes that these disclosure duties remain intact regardless of any new legislative updates. Additionally, real estate professionals like brokers and salespersons have specific duties and must use the designated forms to ensure transparency. The obligations are consistent even if recent Assembly Bills were passed, meaning they don't alter the basic duty to disclose relevant information about the property.
Section § 1102.2
This law outlines situations where certain real estate transactions are not subject to the rules and disclosures typically required. It includes exemptions for sales related to legal processes like foreclosure or bankruptcy, transfers between family members or co-owners, and government entities. It also excludes certain lease agreements, transactions that don't involve single-family homes, and situations covered by specific business codes. In addition, certain trustee-related sales are omitted unless the trustee used to own or live in the property. Essentially, it identifies scenarios where typical real estate transaction protocols don't apply.
Section § 1102.3
If you're selling a single-family home, you must give buyers a written disclosure statement before the sale. For regular sales, this needs to happen as soon as possible before the property changes hands. If the sale involves a real estate contract, lease with purchase option, or ground lease with improvements, the disclosure should be provided as soon as possible before the contract is signed. Once the buyer receives any necessary disclosure after an offer has been made, they have a few days to back out—three days if given in person, five if mailed or sent electronically. The disclosure includes specific sections that both the seller and their agent need to complete.
Section § 1102.3
If you're selling or leasing a manufactured home or mobile home in California, you need to give the buyer a written statement about the property. If you're using an agent, you must provide this before the sale is finalized. Without an agent, you need to provide it when the buyer signs any purchase documents. You must show you've done this on a document related to the sale. If important information about the property is disclosed after the purchase offer, the buyer has a few days to back out: three days if told in person and five days if told by mail.
Section § 1102.4
This law states that a seller and their agents, or a buyer's agent, aren't responsible for errors or missing info in a real estate disclosure if they didn't personally know about it, used public or expert-provided info, and acted with ordinary care. Anyone required to disclose info can pass it to a buyer to meet legal requirements, and this frees the seller or agents from further responsibility. If experts like engineers or pest control operators share their reports with a buyer on request, they're only responsible for the info they explicitly cover in their report, freeing them from liability for anything they're not directly addressing.
Section § 1102.5
If a mistake happens in the disclosed information after the fact, it's not considered a violation as long as it wasn't intentional. If you don't have some of the information when required, you can make a reasonable guess as long as it's clearly labeled. The rules you follow are based on the date everyone signed the contract. Any changes to the law afterwards don't usually change your obligations under that contract.
Section § 1102.6
This section requires specific disclosures to be made when transferring property, using a standard form known as the Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement. Any changes to this requirement, as provided by a specific act, became effective on July 1, 2014.
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NOTICE OF INCOMPLETE TEXT: The Real Estate Transfer
Disclosure Statement appears in the published bill.
See Sec. 25, Chapter 370 (pp. 34–38), Statutes of 2020.
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Section § 1102.6
Starting July 1, 1990, cities or counties in California can require sellers to provide additional disclosures on real estate transactions, beyond what state law mandates. These can be new forms or amendments to existing local ordinances. However, if no new form is adopted for airports, disclosure of any nearby airport within two miles or an "airport influence area" disclosure will satisfy local requirements from 2006 onwards. This law allows cities and counties flexibility in using standard disclosure forms or adding supplements for specific concerns like nearby airports.
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NOTICE OF INCOMPLETE TEXT: The Local Option Real Estate Transfer
Disclosure Statement appears in the published bill.
See Sec. 13, Chapter 907 (pp. 9–10), Statutes of 2018.
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Section § 1102.6
This law is about making sure sellers of certain types of real estate in California tell buyers about special taxes or assessments linked to the property. If the property is subject to taxes under laws like the Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act or the Improvement Bond Act of 1915, sellers need to provide disclosure notices. These notices come from local agencies and explain the taxes owed, maximum possible taxes, and more details like contact information. If local agencies don't provide the notices, sellers can use other reliable sources to provide similar information. Once a seller gives the buyer these notices, they don't have to provide more detailed tax information. Buyers are protected by knowing about any special taxes or assessments before they purchase the property.
Section § 1102.6
If you're selling property in California, you must give the buyer a notice about extra property taxes called 'supplemental tax bills.' This notice should say that when the property changes ownership, it may be reassessed, leading to these extra bills. These bills won't go to your lender, so if you have a mortgage, you must pay them yourself. Make sure the notice is clear and stands out with specific font size requirements.
Section § 1102.6
If you're selling a manufactured home or mobile home in California, there are specific disclosure rules you need to follow unless the property is in a certain type of community managed by specific rules. These disclosures need to be on a specific form, but the detailed form isn't included here; you have to look it up in the official legal publications from 2012.
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NOTICE OF INCOMPLETE TEXT: The Manufactured Home and
Mobilehome Transfer Disclosure Statement is in the hard-copy publication of the
chaptered bill. See Sec. 34, Chapter 181 (pp. 29–33), Statutes of 2012.
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Section § 1102.6
If you're selling a property on or after January 1, 2008, and there's a transfer fee involved, you must provide an extra disclosure statement to the buyer when you give them the usual property condition report. This statement must include that a fee is needed, how much it is, how it's calculated, who gets the money, what the money is used for, and when the obligation to pay it ends, if ever.
Section § 1102.6
If you're selling a home built before 2010 in a high fire risk area, you need to inform the buyer that the home might need improvements to protect against wildfires. You'll have to provide a statement about fire hazards, available improvements, and any work done. By July 2025, you'll also need to list any affordable upgrades for fire safety that have been made. Also, you should tell them about certain features of the home that could make it vulnerable to fire. Finally, if you have a final fire safety inspection report, you must give that to the buyer too. This doesn't change building code rules.
Section § 1102.6
Starting July 1, 2022, any contract for selling real estate must include a notice that any appraisal of the property must be fair and not influenced by discrimination based on race, gender, or other personal characteristics. If a buyer or seller suspects bias, they can report it to the lender or file a complaint with the Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers. Additionally, this notice must be given when refinancing a home loan through a licensed person, and it can be part of certain federal loan disclosures. A licensed person includes banks and loan officers who are state or federally recognized or those covered by specific business laws.
Section § 1102.6
If you're selling a single-family home within 18 months of buying it, you need to tell the buyer about any major changes or repairs you've done that involved a contractor. You must provide the contractor's name and contact info if the job was above a certain price. If you got permits for these changes, give copies to the buyer. Otherwise, let the buyer know where they can get this info from any third parties involved. This rule applies to agreements made on or after July 1, 2024.
Section § 1102.6
Starting January 1, 2026, when someone sells a property, they must inform the buyer about the importance of having a professional inspect the electrical system. This includes panels and wiring because faulty or inadequate wiring can be a fire risk or make getting insurance hard. This rule doesn't apply if the building is sold within three years of when it was first used.
Section § 1102.6
Starting January 1, 2026, if you're selling a single-family home, you need to let the buyer know in writing if there are any state or local rules about changing out any gas-powered appliances that come with the house. This includes things like stoves or heaters that run on natural gas or propane, as long as you or your agent know about these rules.
Section § 1102.7
This law section states that any required disclosure or action taken to make a disclosure must be done honestly. "Good faith" here means acting honestly during the transaction.
Section § 1102.8
This law section explains that even though certain items must be disclosed during a transaction, this list doesn't limit or reduce any other disclosure duties required by law. Essentially, if there are existing responsibilities to disclose information to prevent fraud, lying, or trickery in a deal, those must still be followed, regardless of what's specifically listed.
Section § 1102.9
If a seller or their agent needs to change any information that was previously disclosed, they can do so in writing. However, any changes must follow the guidelines set out in Section 1102.3 or Section 1102.3a.
Section § 1102.10
This law section states that when you need to give certain disclosures, you can either hand them directly to the person receiving them or mail them. If you deliver them to the recipient's spouse, it's considered the same as delivering to the person themselves, unless a contract says otherwise.
Section § 1102.11
This law says that if someone or an entity acts as an escrow agent when real estate is being transferred, they aren't automatically considered the agent of the buyer or seller when it comes to required disclosures, unless there's a written agreement specifically stating they are. If such an agreement exists, it will detail the agent's responsibilities.
Section § 1102.12
This law section says that in a real estate transaction involving more than one broker, the broker who secured the buyer's offer must deliver the necessary disclosure documents to the buyer, unless there's a different arrangement in writing. If the broker is unable to get or confirm the disclosure's receipt, they must inform the buyer in writing about their rights to this information. The broker must also keep a record of what steps were taken to follow the law according to another specific code.
Section § 1102.13
If someone doesn't follow the rules for transferring property, the transfer itself won't be canceled just because of that mistake. However, if a person intentionally or carelessly doesn't do what this law requires, they have to pay for any real financial harm this causes to the person receiving the property.
Section § 1102.15
When a person is selling a home, if they know there are any old military training sites that could have explosives within a mile of that home, they must inform the buyer in writing as soon as possible before the sale is completed. These sites are called 'former federal or state ordnance locations.' The requirement to provide this information does not cancel out other responsibilities the seller might have to disclose information to avoid misleading the buyer.
Section § 1102.16
When selling a property in California, you must inform potential buyers if there are window security bars and whether those bars have a safety release mechanism. This information should be shared according to rules set out in other sections of the Civil Code.
Section § 1102.17
If you're selling a home and you know it's next to industrial activities or affected by them, you must tell the buyer in writing about this before the sale is completed.
Section § 1102.18
This section basically means that the rules or requirements mentioned in subdivision (d) of another section, Section 1102.1, also apply to the laws covered in this section.
Section § 1102.19
Section § 1102.155
If you are selling a single-family home in California, you must inform the buyer in writing about a law requiring water-saving plumbing fixtures starting from January 1, 2017. You also need to say if any of the plumbing fixtures don't meet these requirements. When making this disclosure, make it clear it's your own statement and not necessarily the viewpoint of your real estate agent or a guarantee. This notice also isn't meant to replace any home inspections the buyer plans to do.
Section § 1102.156
Starting January 1, 2025, if you're selling a property in California that received a domestic water storage tank through certain assistance programs, you'll need to inform potential buyers about it. This disclosure is mandatory if the property still has the tank. It should include details like the source of the tank, conditions that led to its installation, and a warning that the tank might not be part of the property sale. Additionally, buyers should get the property's water well inspected and evaluated for sufficient water supply.