Iowa Real Estate Disclosure Statement (Seller Property Condition Disclosure) — content mandated by Iowa Code Chapter 558A and administrative rules; official form published by the Iowa Real Estate Commission / Iowa Dept. of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL) — Iowa Code Chapter 558A ("Real Estate Disclosures"), sections 558A.1 through 558A.8, plus new section 558A.4A (home inspector standards, added 2025 Acts ch. 19). Administrative rules at Iowa Admin. Code 193E, chapter 14. Verified directly against the official Iowa Legislature codified text (legis.iowa.gov), Iowa Code 2026 edition.
Iowa is NOT a caveat emptor state for residential real estate — Iowa Code Chapter 558A imposes an affirmative statutory duty on sellers of 1-4 unit dwellings to give buyers a written disclosure statement covering the property's condition and important characteristics before a written offer is made or accepted. Delivery must be personal, by certified/registered mail, or electronic (with proof of receipt for electronic delivery); if not timely delivered, the buyer may withdraw the offer or revoke acceptance without liability within 3 days (personal delivery) or 5 days (mail/electronic). Disclosures must be made in good faith; unknown facts may be given as a labeled good-faith approximation, and the statement must be amended if it later becomes inaccurate or misleading. Liability is capped at actual damages and only attaches if the seller/broker had actual knowledge of an error or failed to exercise ordinary care — Iowa's regime is closer to a structured, liability-limited disclosure duty than either pure caveat emptor or strict seller liability.
Two real 2025 legislative changes are now in effect. (1) HF876 (2025 Iowa Acts ch. 144), signed by Governor Reynolds June 6, 2025: adds a mandatory lead service line disclosure to the seller disclosure statement, defining "lead service line" and "service line" in Iowa Code 558A.1 and folding the requirement into 558A.4 — effective January 1, 2026, so this is brand new as of the current date. (2) 2025 Iowa Acts ch. 19 created an entirely new section, Iowa Code 558A.4A, establishing for the first time who may issue an "independent home inspection report" (licensed home inspectors, out-of-state licensed/registered inspectors, licensed architects, or licensed professional engineers), mandatory report contents and conspicuous disclaimer language, conflict-of-interest and anti-kickback rules for inspectors, and E&O/general liability insurance requirements (minimum $100,000/$500,000) for inspections delivered on or after July 1, 2025 — this section did not exist before 2025.
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.