Before a buyer signs an agreement of sale on a home in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania law requires the seller to hand over a signed property disclosure statement. It is the one document in the transaction that comes entirely from the seller, in the seller’s own words, and it follows the sale for two years after closing. Two things are worth understanding before you fill it out: what the law actually requires you to say, and what happens if something turns out to be wrong.
The rules are in the Pennsylvania Real Estate Seller Disclosure Law, Chapter 73 of Title 68 of the state’s consolidated statutes, signed in December 2000. Here is what it requires, along with the federal and state add ons that apply to some Cranberry homes.
Who has to disclose
The law applies to every residential real estate transfer in Pennsylvania, with two exceptions. Transfers by a fiduciary, such as an executor settling an estate or a trustee, are exempt. So is brand new construction that has never been occupied, as long as the buyer receives a written warranty of at least one year, the home was inspected for building code compliance, and a certificate of occupancy was issued.
If you are selling a home you have lived in, the law applies to you. Condominium owners disclose only their own unit, not the common elements.
What the form asks about
The seller completes the property disclosure statement published by the Pennsylvania State Real Estate Commission. The law lists seventeen subjects the form must cover, and the commission’s form works through them in order.
| Section | What it asks |
|---|---|
| Seller’s expertise | Whether you have professional knowledge in construction, engineering, architecture or a related field |
| Occupancy | Whether you live in the home and when you last did |
| Roof | Age, replacements, known leaks |
| Basements and crawl spaces | Sump pumps, water intrusion, repairs made |
| Termites, wood destroying insects, dry rot, pests | Any infestation, damage, or treatment contracts |
| Structural items | Foundation movement, water leakage, driveway and patio problems |
| Additions and remodeling | Alterations and structural changes you made or know about |
| Water and sewage | Public or private water, public sewer or on lot septic, test results, pumps |
| Plumbing, heating and cooling, electrical | System types, what they serve, known repair needs |
| Equipment and appliances | Items included in the sale that need repair or replacement |
| Land | Soil conditions, earth movement, mining, flooding, drainage, boundaries, sinkholes |
| Hazardous substances | Underground tanks, asbestos, radon tests, lead paint, and similar |
| Condominiums and homeowners associations | Whether the home is in an association and the notices that apply |
| Storm water facilities | Location and condition of any basin, swale or drain on the property, and who maintains it |
| Miscellaneous | Legal actions, code violations, liens, title issues |
The storm water section is the newest, added in 2015. It matters in Cranberry Township because many of the plans built here have detention ponds, swales and drainage easements that an owner or an association maintains. If your lot has one, the form asks you to say so and to say who takes care of it.
The standard is what you know
This is the part that gives sellers the most relief. The law requires you to disclose material defects that are known to you. A material defect, as the statute defines it, is a problem that would have a significant adverse impact on the value of the property or that involves an unreasonable risk to people on the property. The statute also says that a system or component being near or past the end of its normal useful life is not, by itself, a material defect. A twenty year old furnace that runs is an old furnace, not a defect.
You are not required to investigate. Section 7308 says the seller is not obligated to make any specific inquiry to complete the form. What you may not do is state something you know or have reason to know is false, and you may not leave out a defect you know about. If an item is genuinely unknown to you, section 7306 lets you answer on the best information available.
The law also protects sellers who relied on professionals. Under section 7309, you are not liable for an error if you had no knowledge of it, if you reasonably believed a problem had been fixed, or if you relied on information from a public agency, a home inspector, a contractor or another licensed professional. Handing the buyer a written report from that professional counts as compliance for that item.
When it has to be delivered
The signed and dated statement must reach the buyer before both parties sign the agreement of sale. In practice, the form is completed when the home is listed and provided to every prospective buyer, usually through their agent, before an offer is written. The buyer’s receipt is acknowledged in the agreement of sale.
Two follow up duties apply. If you learn something new before the agreement is signed, you can amend the disclosure in writing. If something you disclosed becomes inaccurate between the agreement and closing, because of a storm, a failure, or a repair, section 7307 requires you to notify the buyer.
What happens if something is wrong
A sale is not undone because of a disclosure problem. Section 7311 says a transfer is not invalidated by a failure to comply. Instead, a seller who willfully or negligently violates the law is liable for the buyer’s actual damages, and the buyer has two years from the date of settlement to bring that claim.
Just as important is what a buyer cannot sue over. Under section 7314, there is no claim for a defect that was disclosed before the agreement was signed, for a defect that developed after signing, or for one that occurred after closing. Disclosing a known issue plainly, even an unflattering one, is what closes the door on that issue later.
Your listing agent has obligations too. The law requires the seller’s agent to advise you of your responsibilities and to give you the form.
The add ons that apply to some Cranberry homes
Three other items sit outside the state form.
Lead based paint. Federal rules cover most housing built before 1978. The seller gives the buyer the EPA pamphlet Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home, discloses any known lead based paint and its location, provides any reports on hand, includes a lead warning statement with the contract, and allows the buyer a ten day window for a lead inspection unless both sides agree in writing to change it. The rule does not require testing or removal. Homes built after 1977 are exempt, which covers much of Cranberry but not its older houses.
On lot septic. The Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act requires an agreement of sale for a lot without a community sewage system to include specific notice language, and a contract missing it is not enforceable by the seller against the buyer. Most Cranberry homes are on public sewer, but the Township still permits on lot systems, and those sales carry this requirement.
Municipal lien letter. Not a disclosure, but it belongs on the same checklist. Cranberry Township offers a lien letter application that a seller uses before closing to have the Township certify that no municipal claims, such as unpaid water or sewer charges, stand against the property.
One thing Cranberry sellers do not have to worry about: the state law preempts municipalities from adding their own disclosure requirements, so there is no separate Township disclosure form on top of the state one.
How to fill it out well
Complete it yourself, in your own words, and be specific. A roof replaced in a given year is more useful than a check mark. Attach the invoices, permits and inspection reports you have, because a written report from a professional is your protection on that item. Answer what you know and mark what you do not. Do not guess in your own favor, and do not guess against yourself either. If a buyer’s inspector later finds evidence of an old problem, the question becomes whether you knew, and a form that already says so ends that conversation.
Thinking about selling in Cranberry
The disclosure belongs at the very start of the listing process, before photos and before the sign. In 2024 I was the number one individual agent in sales in Cranberry Township. If you are getting a home ready to list, start with a valuation of your home, or call me directly at (412) 980-5654. If the question is what to fix before you list, I covered that in what actually adds value when selling in Cranberry.
