Lead-Based Paint Disclosure (Sales & Leases) — Michigan Edition Template

Federal law — Section 1018 of the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992, codified at 42 U.S.C. § 4852d, with implementing regulations at 24 C.F.R. Part 35 and 40 C.F.R. Part 745 — requires sellers and lessors of most housing built before 1978 to disclose known lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards before the buyer or tenant is obligated under the contract. Noncompliance carries real teeth: civil penalties, potential treble damages to injured purchasers, and joint enforcement by EPA and HUD. Agents have independent duties under the rule to ensure compliance.

This template package covers both the sales and lease versions of the disclosure. It includes the seller's/lessor's disclosure of known lead-based paint and hazards (or affirmation of no knowledge), the records and reports acknowledgment, the buyer's acknowledgment of receipt of the EPA "Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home" pamphlet, the buyer's 10-day risk assessment/inspection opportunity (which may be waived in writing in sales transactions), and the agent's acknowledgment of compliance duties — all with the certification-of-accuracy signature block the regulation requires each party to execute.

The 4-page package also includes a one-page compliance checklist for agents: which transactions are covered (pre-1978 "target housing"), the exemptions (0-bedroom dwellings, housing for the elderly, foreclosure sales, short-term leases of 100 days or less, and others), timing requirements, and the record-retention rule (keep executed disclosures for at least 3 years). Because this is a federal requirement the core language is uniform nationwide, but the included notes flag states that layer additional lead disclosure or inspection requirements on top of the federal floor.

About this Michigan Edition: the template and its drafting notes are adapted for Michigan practice under Article 25 of the Michigan Occupational Code (MCL 339.2501 et seq.), which governs broker, associate broker, and salesperson licensing and requires that all compensation flow through the employing broker, and under Michigan's agency disclosure statute, MCL 339.2517, which requires the written Disclosure Regarding Real Estate Agency Relationships before a client shares confidential information. Michigan permits dual agency only with the informed written consent of both parties and also recognizes designated agency, so this edition's agency document is a Dual Agency Disclosure & Informed Consent that offers designated agency as the alternative. Seller disclosure follows the Michigan Seller Disclosure Act (MCL 565.951–565.966), with the Seller's Disclosure Statement delivered before a binding purchase agreement and statutory purchaser rescission rights for late delivery. Electronic signatures rely on the Michigan Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (MCL 450.831 et seq.); commission agreements are drafted to satisfy Michigan's statute of frauds (MCL 566.132), and broker lien references are limited to the Commercial Real Estate Broker's Lien Act (MCL 570.581 et seq.). Michigan-specific drafting notes accompany the template for review before use.