Real Property Seller's Disclosure Statement (officially titled under the "District of Columbia Residential Real Property Seller Disclosure Act" — formally, the "Residential Real Property Seller Disclosure, Funeral Services Date Change, and Public Service Commission Independent Procurement Authority Act of 1998"). The prescribed form itself is codified as the "Real Property Seller's Disclosure Statement" under 17 DCMR § 2708.13. — D.C. Official Code Title 42, Chapter 13 ("Residential Real Property Seller Disclosures"), §§ 42-1301 through 42-1311, implemented via regulation at 17 DCMR § 2708. Key sections: § 42-1301 (applicability/exceptions), § 42-1302 (written statement requirement), § 42-1303 (scope of liability for third-party info), § 42-1304 (changed conditions after delivery), § 42-1305 (specific disclosure content, including lead water service lines), § 42-1306 (good faith standard), § 42-1310 (failure to comply — non-invalidation clause). Originally enacted as D.C. Law 12-263 (1999); § 42-1305 amended by D.C. Law 22-241, the "Lead Water Service Line Replacement and Disclosure Amendment Act of 2018."
DC is NOT a caveat emptor jurisdiction — it has an affirmative, statutory seller disclosure requirement, though enforcement is notably toothless. Under D.C. Code § 42-1301(a), any seller of residential real property with 1-4 dwelling units where the buyer intends to reside must complete and deliver a signed "Real Property Seller's Disclosure Statement" to the buyer before or at the time the buyer signs a purchase agreement. The seller must disclose "actually known" defects — this is a knowledge-based (not inspection-based) standard, meaning sellers are not required to investigate or hire inspectors; they disclose only what they actually know. If the disclosure is delivered late (after contract signing), the buyer gets a 5-calendar-day right to cancel and reclaim any deposit (§ 42-1302). Critically, § 42-1310 states a transfer "shall not be invalidated solely because" a seller failed to comply — meaning DC provides no statutory penalty or automatic remedy for non-disclosure beyond the buyer's termination right during the window when it applies; recourse for post-closing fraud/omission typically falls to common-law fraud or negligent misrepresentation claims rather than the disclosure statute itself. The DC Association of Realtors (formerly GCAAR, the Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors) and local brokerages use a standardized disclosure packet built around the DCRA/DLCP-prescribed form, often bundled with a separate DC Lead Paint Disclosure form for pre-1978 properties (required in addition to the federal EPA/HUD Lead-Based Paint Disclosure under 24 CFR Part 35, not in place of it).
The most significant substantive change remains the 2018 "Lead Water Service Line Replacement and Disclosure Amendment Act" (D.C. Law 22-241), which added lead service line replacement/status disclosure to § 42-1305 — this is still the operative disclosure content as of 2026. DC Council has continued separate, broader lead-pipe legislative efforts (e.g., the 2023 "Green New Deal for a Lead-Free DC Amendment Act," B25-0192, and the "Lead-Free DC Omnibus Amendment Act," B25-0195) aimed at mandating full lead service line replacement citywide, but these are infrastructure/replacement mandates distinct from — and have not further amended — the Chapter 13 seller-disclosure-statement content itself. No new DC Council act has restructured Chapter 13's core disclosure form or exemptions in the 2024-2026 window based on available sources; the statutory text and DCRA/DLCP-prescribed form structure appear stable since the 2018 amendment. Note: DCRA's residential real estate licensing/regulatory functions have since been reorganized under DLCP (Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection), DC's successor agency to DCRA for these functions.
Facts on this page reflect research current as of 2026-07-05. Programs, rates, and laws change — confirm current figures with the relevant state agency before relying on them.