Real Estate Glossary

What's a property disclosure?

As part of the home buying and selling process, the seller has a legal duty to disclose defects to the home using a Property disclosure statement. Property disclosure statements inform buyers of existing defects to the home and protect sellers from liability for issues they let buyers know about before the sale is finalized.   The seller’s duty to disclose usually extends to issues that they know about. The seller cannot conceal defects; however, they are also not required to pay for their own property inspection or do their own investigation into the possibility that the house might have problems. A buyer should always get a home inspection before finalizing the purchase.