The paperwork is the part of selling that surprises people most. Sellers expect the photos, the showings, and the offers. Then escrow opens and a thick packet of forms shows up, all asking about the house.

Those forms are your disclosures. They protect the buyer, and when they’re done right, they protect you too. A buyer who knew about the old roof leak before closing can’t come back later and say you hid it.

So let me walk you through what a Leisure Village seller signs, what the Association has to provide, and the special rules for families selling a parent’s home. One step at a time.

Why Disclosures Matter So Much in Leisure Village

In California, a seller has to tell the buyer about known problems that affect the home’s value or desirability. The state turns that duty into specific forms, and a home in a homeowners association like Leisure Village adds another layer, because the buyer is also buying into the Association, its rules, and its budget.

There’s one more Leisure Village detail. The homes here were built from 1973 to 1984. Many have been updated over the years, and many still have original parts. Older homes have more history to disclose, so this is where sellers want to slow down and be thorough.

The Leisure Village Seller Disclosure Checklist

Here are the main pieces in a typical Leisure Village sale. Your agent and escrow officer will tell you which ones apply to your home and your situation.

The termite piece has its own Leisure Village twist, since the Association has a permit process for treatment. I covered that in my post on termites in Leisure Village.

The Transfer Disclosure Statement, in Plain Words

The TDS is the form most sellers think of first. It asks you, in checkbox and short answer form, about the home’s features and anything you know is wrong with it. Has there been water damage? Room additions or remodels without permits? Neighborhood noise? Problems with the plumbing, the electrical, the foundation?

Answer from what you know. You aren’t expected to inspect the home like a contractor. But if you know the bathroom floor got soaked when the toilet overflowed two years ago, that goes on the form, along with what was done to fix it.

Have you ever had a repair person tell you something about the house? A plumber who mentioned the old pipes, or a roofer who said “you’ve got a few years left”? Those conversations count as things you know. Write them down before you fill out the form, while they’re fresh.

What the Association Has to Hand Over Under Civil Code 4525

When you sell a home in a common interest development like Leisure Village, California Civil Code section 4525 says the owner gives the buyer a set of Association documents as soon as practicable before the sale closes. In plain words, the list includes items like these:

• ✓A copy of all governing documents, like the CC&Rs, bylaws, and rules and regulations.
• ✓A statement about the age restriction, when the governing documents limit residency by age in a way that differs from state law.
• ✓The most recent annual budget and reserve documents the Association sent to owners.
• ✓A written statement from the Association of current regular and special assessments and fees, and any unpaid amounts on the home.
• ✓A copy or summary of any notice the Association sent the owner about a violation that hasn’t been fixed.
• ✓Any rule that limits renting or leasing the home, with a statement of how it applies.
• ✓Minutes of the board meetings from the past 12 months, if the buyer asks for them.
• ✓A copy of the most recent required inspection report for certain balconies and other elevated exterior elements, where one applies.

Buyers read these carefully, so the rental and age rules come up a lot. If a buyer asks you about them, you can point them to my posts on Leisure Village rental rules and the Leisure Village age requirement. The dues by model are on my Leisure Village HOA fees page.

Your agent and escrow usually request this package from the Association for you. Ask early. A buyer who gets the documents late may want more time to review them, and that can push your closing date.

Lead Paint: The Pre-1978 Question

This one is easy to miss. The federal lead disclosure rule covers homes built before 1978. Since Leisure Village was built from 1973 to 1984, some homes here fall under it and some don’t, depending on the year your home was built.

For a home it covers, the EPA’s lead disclosure rule has the seller give the buyer the EPA pamphlet “Protect Your Family From Lead In Your Home,” share any known lead paint information and records, include a lead warning statement with the contract, and give the buyer 10 days to inspect for lead (the buyer can waive that, or both sides can agree on a different time). The seller keeps a signed copy of the disclosures for three years.

You may hear that senior housing is exempt. The rule does exempt “housing for the elderly,” but the federal definition is housing reserved for households with one or more people 62 or older at the time of first occupancy. Leisure Village’s age rule is 55 and older. So don’t assume the exemption fits. Ask your agent or attorney, and when in doubt, disclose.

Selling a Parent’s Leisure Village Home as an Heir or Trustee

Many of the Leisure Village sellers I talk to aren’t the original owners. They’re sons and daughters handling a parent’s home through a trust or probate. The disclosure rules are a little different for them.

Civil Code section 1102.2 exempts some sales from the TDS, including sales ordered by a probate court and many sales by a fiduciary who is administering a trust or an estate. But there’s a catch. The fiduciary exemption doesn’t apply to a trustee of a revocable trust who is a former owner of the home, or who lived in it within the past year.

And even when a form is exempt, you still have to tell the buyer about problems you know of. Your agent can give you a seller questionnaire to answer from what you know, and it’s fine to say plainly that you didn’t live there. That’s fair to the buyer, and it’s fair to you.

If you’re a successor trustee, my post on what a successor trustee does first covers the early steps, and the executor’s guide to selling during probate covers the court side. Which exemptions apply to you is a legal question, so please check with your estate attorney.

The Hard Question: A Death in the Home

For families selling after a parent passes, this question comes up gently, and often. Under Civil Code section 1710.2, a seller doesn’t have to disclose a death on the property that happened more than three years before the buyer’s offer. A death within the past three years is a different situation, and you should never give a false answer if a buyer asks directly.

I know this is hard to talk about. We’ll handle it with care, and if you have questions about what to say, an attorney can guide you.

Tips Before You Fill Out a Single Form

• ✓Gather receipts and permits for roof, plumbing, electrical, windows, and remodel work.
• ✓Write down any leaks, repairs, or warnings from contractors you remember, with rough dates.
• ✓Find your home’s year built, so you know whether the lead disclosure applies.
• ✓Check that every smoke alarm works and the water heater is strapped, and fix them before listing.
• ✓Ask your agent to request the Association documents early in the sale.
• ✓If you’re an heir or trustee, ask your attorney which forms and exemptions fit your sale.
• ✓When you’re unsure whether something matters, disclose it.

That last tip is the one I repeat most. A small item disclosed up front rarely scares a buyer. A small item discovered after closing can turn into a big problem. If your home needs work, my post on selling a house as is explains how disclosures fit with an as is sale, and my guide to costly Leisure Village selling mistakes covers what else trips sellers up.

How My Team Helps With Disclosures

When Steve and I list a home, we go through the disclosure forms with you at the kitchen table, not in a rush at the end. We explain what each question means, help you think back on repairs and history, and get the Association documents requested early. We don’t fill out your answers for you, because they’re your statements about your home. And for anything legal, like trust exemptions or what you’re required to say, we connect you with an attorney.

Know your options before you decide, and take it one step at a time.

This post is general information about California seller disclosures, based on Civil Code sections 1102.2, 1103.2, 1710.2, and 4525, Health and Safety Code sections 13113.8 and 19211, and the federal lead disclosure rule as I read them in November 2026. Laws change and every sale is different. I’m a Realtor, not an attorney or tax advisor, and this isn’t legal advice. Please talk with a real estate or estate attorney about your own situation.

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