Iowa Seller Disclosure Requirements: What the Chapter 558A Statement Must Say

Iowa seller disclosure requirements sit in one short chapter, and timing is what trips people up: Iowa Code chapter 558A requires a written condition statement before any written offer. Sellers rarely get in trouble over what they wrote, only when they sent it.

This guide covers who owes the statement, when it is due, which nine transfers are exempt, what the state form asks, radon, lead paint, the septic inspection, and as-is cash sales.

What Are Iowa's Seller Disclosure Requirements?

Iowa requires a person transferring residential real property to deliver a written disclosure statement covering its condition and characteristics (Iowa Code § 558A.4(1)). The duty runs to the seller, though a broker or salesperson may deliver it for them.

The chapter reaches any transfer or conveyance, by sale, exchange, contract, or other purchase method, of real estate with one to four dwelling units (Iowa Code § 558A.1(7)). A house, duplex, or fourplex qualifies; a five-unit building does not.

Section 558A.4(1)(a) names two items directly: structural integrity defects and lead service lines. Everything else comes from Iowa Real Estate Commission rules, which may cover zoning, plumbing, heating, electrical systems, and pests.

Where the form itself lives

Real Estate Commission rule 193E, chapter 14, was renumbered 481 IAC chapter 2014 in the June 10, 2026 supplement and lists 20 numbered items, effective April 22, 2026. No particular wording is required, only that the items are covered.

When Is the Iowa Disclosure Statement Due?

The statement must be delivered before the seller makes or accepts a written offer (Iowa Code § 558A.2(1)): a statement produced after a signed purchase agreement is late, even if accurate.

Section 558A.2(2) sets the delivery methods and the consequence of missing the deadline. A late statement gives the buyer a short, clean exit.

The installment contract wrinkle

Seller-financed installment sales carry an earlier deadline under Section 558A.4(2). A seller subject to Iowa Code § 558.70, who signed four or more residential contracts in the previous year, delivers the statement at least seven days before execution and recommends an independent home inspection.

Which Transfers Are Exempt From Chapter 558A?

Iowa carves its exemptions out of the word "transfer": § 558A.1(7) names nine categories, and a deal that falls into one sits outside the chapter. Most describe a seller who never lived in the house.

• Court-ordered transfers: transfers under chapter 633 or 633A, judgment executions, mortgage foreclosure under chapter 654, contract forfeiture under chapter 656, bankruptcy-trustee transfers, eminent domain, or a decree for specific performance.
• Mortgage-related transfers: to a mortgagee by a defaulting borrower, or a deed-in-lieu transfer under chapter 654 or 655A; also a transfer back to a borrower under the right of first refusal in § 654.16A.
• Fiduciary transfers: a transfer by a fiduciary administering a decedent's estate, guardianship, conservatorship, or trust.
• Between co-owners: a transfer between joint tenants or tenants in common.
• To a spouse or close relative: a transfer to a spouse, or to a person within the third degree of consanguinity or affinity.
• Divorce transfers: between spouses under a dissolution decree, a legal separation, or an incidental property settlement.
• Government transfers: to or from the state, a political subdivision, another state, or the United States.
• Quitclaim deeds and powers of attorney: a transfer by quitclaim deed, or by power of attorney.

The fiduciary exemption has a live-in exception

The estate exemption is narrower than it looks. Section 558A.1(7)(c) removes it where the fiduciary occupied the property within the twelve months before the transfer, such as an adult child who served as executor and lived there that year.

Once the estate closes and heirs sell in their own names, they are ordinary sellers with an ordinary duty. Our guide to selling an inherited house in Iowa covers where that line falls.

Inside the Iowa Seller Property Condition Disclosure Statement

The Iowa disclosure statement asks 20 numbered questions, nearly all phrased "any known problems?" with a yes-or-no box (481 IAC 2014.1(7)). Mark inapplicable items N/A, use UNK where unknown, and label approximations AP; every "yes" needs a written explanation.

Item 13 is the newest: the 2025 legislature added lead service lines to § 558A.4(1)(a) effective January 1, 2026, and § 558A.1(4) defines the term. A galvanized line counts if it ever sat downstream of a lead or unknown-material line, common in older Iowa neighborhoods.

Radon: The Item Iowa Sellers Should Read Twice

Radon draws unusual attention in Iowa. The Iowa Radon Survey found 71.6 percent of Iowa houses test above the EPA action level of 4 pCi/L, the largest share of any state (Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, 2026).

Nothing in chapter 558A requires a radon test. Item 10 asks only whether tests are known, and if so, the date and results of the last report. A seller who never tested checks "no."

A seller who has tested cannot skip the result. Iowa Code § 136B.2(2) normally excuses results below the EPA guideline and excuses an owner testing their own building, but both exceptions end during a real estate transaction.

The form also carries two acknowledgments about the Iowa Radon Home-Buyers and Sellers Fact Sheet: the seller confirms the buyer received it, and the buyer signs a receipt.

Good Faith, Amendments, and Wrong Answers

Iowa Code § 558A.3 sets a good-faith, not a certainty, standard. Where information is unavailable after a reasonable effort, an approximation may be used, labeled as such and based on the best information available.

When the statement has to be amended

Section 558A.3(2) requires an amended statement if the information becomes inaccurate, misleading, or supplemented, following the same delivery procedures as the original. Two situations do not require one:

• The information was accurate when disclosed and was later made inaccurate by an act, occurrence, or agreement after delivery.
• The information came from a public agency, in which case it is deemed accurate unless the seller or licensee knew of an error or failed to use ordinary care in obtaining it.

What a violation actually costs

A person who violates chapter 558A is liable to the buyer for actual damages (Iowa Code § 558A.6). But there is no liability for an error, inaccuracy, or omission absent actual knowledge or a failure to use ordinary care.

There is no statutory right to undo the sale after closing. Section 558A.8 says a transfer is not invalidated solely for noncompliance. The buyer's real leverage sits in the pre-closing window in § 558A.2(2).

An expert report can help. Under § 558A.4(1)(b), a written report from a qualified person, such as a licensed surveyor, geologist, pest control operator, or building contractor, satisfies the statement for matters inside that expertise.

Two Duties That Sit Outside Chapter 558A

Chapter 558A is not the only disclosure law an Iowa seller meets. Section 558A.7 says the chapter does not limit any duty created by another law or by contract. Two others come up often.

Federal lead paint disclosure for pre-1978 houses

The federal Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act applies to housing built before 1978, whatever state law says (42 U.S.C. § 4852d). HUD and the EPA jointly require four things of the seller.

• Give the buyer the EPA pamphlet Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home.
• Disclose known lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards, including location and condition.
• Hand over any available records and reports on lead-based paint in the house or building.
• Attach a Lead Warning Statement to the contract and allow a 10-day period for the buyer to inspect or run a risk assessment, unless the parties agree in writing otherwise.

Signed copies are kept three years (US EPA, Real Estate Disclosure, 2026). Item 11 on the Iowa statement asks a narrower question, so a pre-1978 house needs both.

The time-of-transfer septic inspection

A house on a private sewage disposal system needs a certified inspection before ownership transfers (Iowa Code § 455B.172(11)). The county recorder will not record the deed without an inspector's report or the buyer's binding acknowledgment to inspect promptly. The tank is pumped at inspection unless the owner documents a pump-out within the previous three years. Our guide to selling a house with a septic system in Iowa covers the exemptions and timing.

Does Selling a House As Is in Iowa Remove the Duty?

No. An as-is clause is a contract term about who pays for repairs; chapter 558A attaches to the transfer itself. Nothing in § 558A.2 lets the parties waive delivery of the statement, and § 558A.7 preserves every other disclosure duty.

What as-is changes is the conversation after the statement lands. In a financed sale, a disclosed roof problem or wet basement often becomes a repair request, credit, or lender condition. In an as-is sale, the same item is priced once and left alone.

That distinction matters where housing stock is old and price points are modest. Zillow's index reads about $212,006 for Des Moines, down 0.1 percent year over year, and about $214,766 for Cedar Rapids, up 2.5 percent (Zillow Home Value Index, July 2026). A $12,000 sewer line is a much larger share of the deal in Iowa than in a coastal market.

How a Direct Cash Offer Fits the Disclosure Rules

A cash buyer receives the same statement on the same deadline: chapter 558A (§ 558A.1(7)) is written around the transfer, not the financing, and how the buyer pays is not part of the test.

What changes is how the answers are used. Propcash is a direct cash homebuyer, founded in 2026 and based in Nashville, making offers as a principal. A disclosed foundation crack, fuse box, or 24-year-old roof gets priced in, not held back for a later renegotiation.

Sellers working through an Iowa transfer often find the pre-offer deadline easier to hit without a listing: complete the statement, deliver it before any written offer, and keep the signed copy. To see the numbers, get a cash offer and compare it to a listed sale.

A cash sale is not the right answer for every house: if it shows well and you have time, a listed sale may net more, and Propcash will point you to a fitting local agent. We may receive compensation from agents we refer. See our Iowa seller resources and the Des Moines cash buyer page for more options.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does an Iowa seller have to deliver the disclosure statement?

Iowa Code section 558A.2(1) requires the disclosure statement to reach the buyer before the seller makes or accepts a written offer. Installment sales under section 558.70 move that deadline earlier, to at least seven days before the contract is executed.

What happens if the Iowa disclosure statement arrives late?

Under Iowa Code section 558A.2(2), a late statement lets the buyer withdraw or revoke without liability, within three days of personal delivery or five of electronic or mail delivery. There is no rescission right after closing, so the risk is the deal unwinding before the deed is signed.

Who is exempt from Iowa seller disclosure requirements?

Iowa Code section 558A.1(7) excludes nine categories from the definition of transfer. They include court orders, mortgage foreclosures and deeds in lieu, fiduciary transfers of an estate or trust, transfers between co-owners or close relatives, divorce settlements, government transfers, quitclaim deeds, and transfers by power of attorney.

Does selling a house as is in Iowa remove the disclosure requirement?

No. An as-is clause is a contract term about who pays for repairs; chapter 558A attaches to the transfer itself. Section 558A.2 does not let the parties waive delivery, and section 558A.7 preserves every other disclosure duty. Selling as-is changes the repair negotiation, not the paperwork.

Do Iowa sellers have to test for radon before selling a house?

No. The state form asks only whether radon tests are known, and if so, the date and results; a test is not required. Sellers do have to confirm the buyer receives the Iowa Radon Home-Buyers and Sellers Fact Sheet, and the buyer signs a receipt.

Can an Iowa buyer undo the sale after closing if the disclosure was wrong?

Chapter 558A gives buyers no rescission right after closing. Section 558A.6 makes a violator liable for actual damages only with actual knowledge of an inaccuracy or a failure to use ordinary care, and section 558A.8 bars invalidating a transfer solely for noncompliance.

Does a cash buyer still receive the Iowa seller property condition disclosure statement?

Yes. Chapter 558A applies to a transfer of one to four dwelling units by any purchase method, regardless of how the buyer pays. A cash buyer receives the same statement on the same pre-offer deadline. Propcash reviews it as part of pricing, not a reason to renegotiate later.

Data Sources: Iowa Code chapter 558A, §§ 136B.2, 455B.172 and 558.70 (legis.iowa.gov, read September 2026); 481 IAC chapter 2014, effective April 22, 2026. Also drawn on: Iowa HHS radon resources; US EPA real estate disclosure guidance; Zillow Home Value Index, July 2026. Propcash is a direct cash homebuyer, not a law firm or brokerage. Iowa sellers should consult an Iowa-licensed attorney for guidance.