Form 17 – Seller Disclosure Statement (Residential Real Property), issued under RCW 64.06.020; parallel versions exist for unimproved residential land (RCW 64.06.015) and commercial real estate (RCW 64.06.013) — RCW Chapter 64.06 (Real Property Transfers—Sellers' Disclosures), Revised Code of Washington, in force since January 1, 1995
Washington is NOT a caveat emptor state — it has a real, codified seller disclosure statute. RCW 64.06 requires sellers of most residential real property (1-4 unit dwellings, condos, manufactured/mobile homes, and qualifying unimproved residential land) to deliver a completed, signed, dated disclosure statement (Form 17) to the buyer within 5 business days after mutual acceptance of the purchase and sale agreement, unless the parties agree to a different timeframe. Disclosure is based strictly on the seller's actual, subjective knowledge at the time the form is completed — it is expressly not a warranty by the seller or any real estate licensee, and does not substitute for the buyer's own inspection. After receiving the completed disclosure, the buyer has 3 business days to either accept it or rescind the purchase agreement, at the buyer's sole discretion, without needing to state a reason. A seller who had no actual knowledge of a defect or inaccuracy is not liable for failing to disclose it. Net effect: Washington imposes genuine, itemized, statutory disclosure obligations well beyond a pure "buyer beware" regime, but the standard is knowledge-based rather than a duty to investigate or a warranty of condition.
Confirmed, well-documented history: Form 17 has been revised roughly ten times since 1995, with notable substantive additions including carbon monoxide alarm disclosure (2012), a 2015 update, expanded disclosures effective for agreements after January 1, 2020 (2019 amendment), and a 2021 amendment (effective mid-2021) adding a high-speed internet availability disclosure — the most recent confirmed major substantive change to the statute's content that I could independently verify. During this research I found indications on the official RCW site of additional session-law amendments to RCW 64.06.020 tagged for 2025-2026, but web search and page-fetch tools returned inconsistent, contradictory, and at least one clearly mismatched bill citation (a funeral/burial-practices bill unrelated to real estate) when I tried to identify their actual content — so I could not reliably confirm what, if anything, specifically changed in 2025 or 2026 beyond the 2021 baseline. Readers should verify current-year Form 17 language directly against the Northwest MLS's official current form or RCW 64.06.020's official text before relying on it, rather than treating my 2025-2026 findings as confirmed.
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.