Selling an Ohio house: the disclosure form, the inspection and the bathroom
When a Central Ohio house is sold, two documents meet over the bathroom: the seller's disclosure form and the buyer's home inspection report. This page sets out, from the Ohio statute and rules as published in September 2026, what the form asks a seller about water leaks, plumbing and past repairs, what a home inspector must and need not check in a bathroom, and where the two leave a gap the other is meant to fill.
Last updated September 2026 · Quoted from the Ohio Revised Code, the Ohio Administrative Code and the disclosure form itself, each read September 25, 2026 · No prices on this page; the Estimate Builder carries those · Part of the knowledge base
The seller's form, and whose knowledge it records
Ohio Revised Code section 5302.30 requires the seller of a house with one to four dwelling units to complete a property disclosure form and give a signed, dated copy to the buyer as soon as is practicable. The form covers material defects "within the actual knowledge of the transferor", answered in good faith, and "Unknown" is an allowed answer. Fourteen kinds of transfer are exempt, among them court-ordered and foreclosure sales, transfers between co-owners or spouses or to a lineal relative, a newly built house nobody has lived in, and a sale by an heir who has not lived in the house within a year. The form does not narrow any other duty to disclose, and the statute says so, including the common-law duty that exists to prevent fraud by misrepresentation, concealment or nondisclosure.
A buyer who receives the form, or an amendment to it, after signing a purchase agreement may rescind by a signed, dated written notice delivered within three business days of receiving it, and in any case no later than the earlier of 30 days after the seller accepted the offer or the closing. A buyer who received the form before making the offer has no such right, and the statute lets a buyer waive the right, so the purchase agreement itself is worth reading on this point. The form tells the buyer that the owner has no obligation to update it.
What the form asks about water, plumbing and repairs
The form, prescribed by Ohio Administrative Code rule 1301:5-6-10 and effective in its current version since June 2022, asks its questions section by section, most of them beginning "Do you know of". There is no single question about past repairs; each section asks for repairs in its own "If Yes" line. Most of those lines are limited to the past five years, but the two water intrusion questions are not, and the second of them names "leaking pipes, plumbing fixtures, or appliances" as a cause of damage to floors, walls or ceilings. The water supply question asks only about current problems.
| Section of the form | What it asks the seller | Time the question reaches | Repairs |
|---|---|---|---|
| A, water supply | Current leaks, backups or other material problems with the water supply or the quality of the water | Current only | Repairs asked for, but not longer than the past 5 years |
| B, sewer system | Previous or current leaks, backups or other material problems with the sewer system | Previous or current | Repairs asked for, but not longer than the past 5 years |
| D, water intrusion | Previous or current water leakage, water accumulation, excess moisture or other defects, including any area below grade | Previous or current | Repairs asked for, with no time limit |
| D, water intrusion | Water or moisture damage to floors, walls or ceilings from causes including leaking pipes, plumbing fixtures or appliances | Any known | Repairs asked for, with no time limit |
| D, water intrusion | Whether the property was ever inspected for mold by a qualified inspector | Ever | Report and any remediation asked for |
| G, mechanical systems | Previous or current problems or defects with the plumbing (pipes), sump pump and water softener, among others | Previous or current | Repairs asked for, but not longer than the past 5 years |
The mold question asks whether the property was ever inspected for mold by a qualified inspector, not whether mold was ever present, and the form's notice adds that every home contains mold. For a bathroom, the practical reading is plain: a shower or toilet leak that damaged a floor or ceiling, repaired or not, is within the wording of section D whenever it happened, if the seller knows of it.
What a home inspection covers in a bathroom
Ohio requires a person who inspects homes for pay to hold the state's home inspector credential, issued under Revised Code chapter 4764, and to work under a written contract; architects, engineers, code officials and credentialed plumbing, electrical, heating and air conditioning, refrigeration and hydronics contractors, among others, working within their own professions, are exempt. The statute defines a home inspection as "a visual examination of the readily accessible components of a residential building", and "readily accessible" excludes anything that would mean moving personal property or taking destructive measures. The standards of practice, Ohio Administrative Code rule 1301:17-1-17 as amended June 24, 2024, set out what an inspector must look at and report, and what the inspector is not required to do.
| Item | Under the standards of practice |
|---|---|
| Water supply and distribution inside the house, including fixtures and faucets | Must inspect and report |
| Drain, waste and vent system inside the house, including fixtures | Must inspect and report |
| Water heating equipment, with its approximate age | Must inspect and report |
| Bathroom exhaust systems | Must inspect and report |
| Walls, ceilings and floors | Must inspect and report |
| Ground fault circuit interrupters | Must inspect and report, but not required to test them |
| Filling a shower pan or fixture to test for water leaks | Not required |
| Water quality, supply flow, pressure or quantity | Not required |
| Wells, water storage and water conditioning systems | Not required |
| Concealed conditions and the source or cause of a condition | Not required |
| Whether anything complies with a building, plumbing or electrical code | Not required, and not to be represented |
The report must list the deficiencies found with a recommendation to repair or monitor, and every item the standards require that was not inspected, with the reason. The inspection is, in the rule's words, "a visual and not technically exhaustive examination" as of the day it happened, and the inspector is not required to give an opinion on the cause of a condition, its remaining life or the cost of repairing it. An inspector may not represent that anything complies with Ohio's residential, plumbing or electrical codes, and may not repair or upgrade a system in a house they inspected before the sale closes. A claim for damages against an inspector has to be filed within one year of the inspection, and only after the inspector has been told of the problem and given a chance to review and remedy it; the year is paused while that happens.
Where the two meet
The form itself says it is not a substitute for an inspection, and the two cover different ground. An inspector must inspect and report on the readily accessible fixtures, drains and the bath fan, but is not required to fill a shower pan, see behind tile or say where a stain came from; a leak that dried out behind a finished wall can pass a standards-compliant inspection unseen. The form asks the seller about exactly that, without a time limit, from what the seller knows. What happens to the walls and the pan when a shower is replaced is on the page on the conversion scope, what a new shower does to resale on the page on a walk-in shower, a tub and resale, and what a remodel has to do with the county's value on the page on remodeling and property taxes.
Scope, plainly. This page quotes the statute, the rule and the form as published on September 25, 2026. It is not legal advice, and a particular sale is a question for a real estate agent or an attorney.
The short version. Ohio's disclosure form asks a seller, from actual knowledge, about previous or current water leakage and about water damage to floors, walls or ceilings from leaking pipes, plumbing fixtures or appliances, and those water intrusion questions carry no five-year limit. An Ohio home inspector must look at the bathroom's fixtures, drains, water heater, exhaust fan and GFCI outlets, but is not required to fill a shower pan to test for leaks, test water pressure or quality, see behind finished walls or name the cause of a stain. A buyer who gets the form after signing may rescind within three business days, unless the right was waived.
Sources
Every figure, date and quotation on this page comes from one of these documents, read on the date given. Where two of them disagree, the page says so.
- Ohio Revised Code, Section 5302.30, Property disclosure form, effective May 6, 2005; read September 25, 2026.
- Ohio Administrative Code, Rule 1301:5-6-10, Residential property disclosure form, effective June 1, 2022, and its appendix, the form itself, compared with the Department of Commerce copy; read September 25, 2026.
- Ohio Revised Code, Chapter 4764, Home inspectors, sections 4764.01, 4764.02, 4764.03, 4764.14 and 4764.17; read September 25, 2026.
- Ohio Administrative Code, Rule 1301:17-1-17, Standards of practice, and Rule 1301:17-1-16, Canons of ethics, both effective June 24, 2024; read September 25, 2026.
Common questions
Do I have to tell a buyer about a past shower leak in Ohio?
Ohio's residential property disclosure form asks whether the seller knows of any previous or current water leakage, and of any water or moisture damage to floors, walls or ceilings from causes including leaking pipes, plumbing fixtures or appliances, with a line to describe any repairs. Those water intrusion questions carry no five-year limit, unlike most repair lines on the form. The form records the seller's actual knowledge, and a particular sale is a question for an agent or an attorney.
How far back does the Ohio disclosure form ask about repairs?
It depends on the section. The repair lines for water supply, sewer, the roof, structure, mechanical systems and drainage ask for repairs but not longer than the past five years. The two water intrusion questions ask for any repairs with no time limit, and the water supply question asks only about current problems.
Does a home inspector check the shower for leaks in Ohio?
An Ohio home inspector must inspect and report on the fixtures and faucets, the drain, waste and vent system, the water heater and the bathroom exhaust system, and on walls, ceilings and floors. The standards of practice say the inspector is not required to fill shower pans or fixtures to test for water leaks, and the inspection is visual, of readily accessible components, so a concealed leak behind a finished wall may not be seen.
Does a home inspection check plumbing against the code in Ohio?
No. The statute excludes determining compliance with building codes from a home inspection, and the inspectors' canons of ethics say an inspector shall not represent a determination of compliance with Ohio's residential, mechanical, plumbing or electrical codes. An inspector may recommend further evaluation by an appropriate professional.
Can an Ohio buyer back out after receiving the disclosure form?
A buyer who receives the disclosure form, or an amendment to it, after signing a purchase agreement may rescind by a signed, dated written notice delivered within three business days of receiving it, and no later than the earlier of 30 days after the seller accepted the offer or the closing. A buyer who received the form before making the offer has no right to rescind under that section, and the statute lets a buyer waive the right. A buyer who never receives the form after signing may also rescind, within the same 30-day or closing limit.
Which home sales in Ohio do not need a disclosure form?
Section 5302.30 exempts fourteen kinds of transfer, among them court-ordered and foreclosure sales, transfers by a fiduciary administering an estate or trust, transfers between co-owners, to a spouse or a lineal relative, transfers to or from a government, a newly built house that has never been lived in, and a sale by an heir who inherited the house and has not lived in it within one year.
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