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The D.C. Real Estate Commission’s public resources do not list a free government residential purchase-agreement blank for an ordinary resale. If an agent or broker is involved, obtain the current agreement and addenda that the brokerage is authorized to use. For an FSBO transaction, have a District of Columbia real-estate attorney prepare or review the agreement before anyone signs. D.C.’s seller-disclosure chapter applies to transfers of one through four residential dwelling units only when the purchaser states in writing an intent to reside in the property, unless an exemption applies. For a covered sale, the transferor must provide the signed Mayor-approved disclosure statement before or when the purchaser executes the purchase agreement. Choose your situation:
Ask your agent for the current purchase agreement and addenda the brokerage is authorized to use, and verify the revision dates. GCAAR forms are private industry forms available only through authorized access. The purchase agreement and the seller’s Chapter 13 disclosure are separate documents with separate functions.
See the agent-assisted guidanceDo not start with a generic national purchase blank or an internet copy of an association form. Have a D.C. real-estate attorney prepare or review the agreement before signing and coordinate the contract, seller disclosure, title, settlement, and any property-specific requirements.
Find a D.C. real-estate lawyerFor a covered transaction, the transferor must provide the signed Mayor-approved statement before or when the purchaser executes the purchase agreement. If it is delivered afterward, the purchaser may terminate in writing no later than five calendar days after receipt. The right is waived if not exercised before the earliest applicable event in D.C. Code § 42-1302(d), including a qualifying written loan application, settlement, or occupancy.
Read D.C. Code § 42-1302PublicLegal does not sell or reproduce GCAAR purchase contracts and does not manufacture a D.C. government purchase form.
D.C. law and forms reviewed August 11, 2026 · Sources include Chapter 13, the 17 DCMR § 2708 form effective November 28, 2025, D.C. lead and tank law, condominium law, and current TOPA/DOPA law
Independent D.C. self-help information—not legal advice, a government form, or a GCAAR form.
The five-calendar-day termination rule is not a general cooling-off period. It applies when a required Chapter 13 disclosure is delivered after the purchaser executes the agreement, and the right can end sooner at a statutory waiver event. If a late disclosure has arrived, obtain D.C. legal advice before applying for financing, settling, taking occupancy, or allowing the deadline to expire.
Editorial summary based on D.C. Code Title 42, Chapter 13 and the official § 2708 form effective November 28, 2025; D.C. and federal lead law; underground-storage-tank disclosure; condominium resale and declarant-sale rules; cooperative transfer law; current TOPA/DOPA provisions including the RENTAL Act effective December 31, 2025; D.C. Commission resources; and GCAAR access rules. Confirm current forms and property-specific deadlines before use.
The purchase agreement creates the parties’ contractual obligations. The Chapter 13 residential disclosure statement is a separate statutory process for covered homebuyer transfers. Settlement and title professionals handle closing logistics. The deed transfers title later when the transaction settles and records. Do not treat a deed form as a substitute for the purchase contract.
The Commission catalog reviewed for this page does not list an ordinary consumer resale purchase agreement. Brokered deals use agreements the brokerage is authorized to provide, including private GCAAR forms where access is authorized. A separate statutory mandate for a nonmandatory TOPA-specific template does not create an ordinary government resale PSA. Attorney preparation or review is the safer FSBO path.
District residential transactions commonly close through title or settlement companies. Settlement supervision is not the same as personal legal representation for either party, and it does not replace reviewing the purchase agreement before execution.
If a District of Columbia real-estate licensee is handling your transaction, obtain the current purchase agreement and related addenda the brokerage is authorized to use. If the brokerage uses Greater Capital Area Association of REALTORS® (GCAAR) forms, confirm its authorized access and the current revision. Those are private industry materials—not free public government purchase blanks or PublicLegal products.
Review financing, inspection, appraisal, title, condominium or cooperative documents, settlement, possession, default, and dispute provisions carefully before signing. The purchase agreement creates the binding sale obligations once executed. PublicLegal does not host, sell, or reproduce GCAAR purchase contracts.
Separately, for covered residential transfers where the purchaser has expressed in writing an intent to reside in the property, the transferor must deliver the signed Mayor-approved residential disclosure statement before or when the purchaser executes the purchase agreement. Track any late-delivery five-calendar-day termination window as its own checklist item.
The District does not list a free government residential purchase-agreement blank for ordinary FSBO resales in the Real Estate Commission’s public resources reviewed for this page. GCAAR forms are private industry forms with access restrictions. Do not treat random internet blanks or scraped association PDFs as authorized public forms.
The safer path is a District of Columbia real-estate attorney who prepares or reviews the written agreement before anyone signs—covering parties, property description, price, deposits, financing, inspections, title, condominium or tenant issues, settlement, possession, default, and remedies. Confirm whether Chapter 13 applies, including the purchaser’s written intent-to-reside requirement.
Unrepresented transferors of covered residential property still own the Chapter 13 disclosure duties. PublicLegal does not sell a District of Columbia purchase-contract substitute on this page.
D.C. Code Title 42, Chapter 13 (Residential Real Property Seller Disclosures) generally applies to the transfer or sale of real estate located in the District consisting of not less than one nor more than four residential dwelling units, whether by sale, exchange, installment land contract, lease with an option to purchase, or any other option to purchase. Critically, the chapter applies only where the purchaser expresses, in writing, an intent to reside in the property to be transferred.
Exemptions include categories such as certain court-ordered transfers, specified foreclosure and mortgagee paths, transfers by a nonoccupant fiduciary in estate/guardianship/conservatorship/trust administration, transfers among cotenants, transfers to specified family members or domestic partners, divorce-related transfers, transfers to or from a governmental entity, and transfers of newly constructed residential property that has not been inhabited. Confirm the current § 42-1301(b) list for your facts.
For a covered transfer, the transferor must deliver a real property disclosure statement on a form approved by the Mayor, signed by the transferor, before or at the time the prospective transferee executes a purchase agreement (or, for certain installment or lease-option paths, before or at execution of that instrument). Compliance may be indicated on the purchase agreement, an addendum, or a separate document.
If any disclosure required by the chapter is delivered after the prospective transferee executes the purchase agreement (or covered installment/lease-option instrument), the prospective transferee may terminate by delivering written notice of termination to the transferor not later than five calendar days after receipt of the disclosure statement, and any deposits made by the transferee to the transferor shall be promptly returned. That five-calendar-day remedy is not a general cooling-off period after a timely disclosure.
The termination right is waived if not exercised before the earliest of: (1) the making of a written application to a lender for a mortgage loan or financing, provided the lender discloses in writing at or before the time application is made that the right to rescind terminates on submission of the application; (2) settlement or the date of occupancy by the purchaser in the event of a sale; or (3) occupancy in the event of a lease with option to purchase.
The current free Mayor-approved Real Property Seller’s Disclosure Statement is the “View Text” form under 17 DCMR § 2708, effective November 28, 2025. It includes known property defects and lead-water/service-line information but does not replace a condominium package, D.C. lead-paint form, federal lead package, tank notice, or tenant-sale notice. Chapter 13 places its duty on the transferor, while § 42-1307, license law, and federal lead law can still affect agent transmission or other duties. A transfer is not invalidated solely by Chapter 13 noncompliance.
Key points to keep straight:
When in doubt about coverage, exemptions, late-delivery timing, or a running waiver event, ask D.C. counsel. Use the current statute text and the current Mayor-approved form.
We do not sell a District of Columbia purchase-contract substitute. When you need a related PublicLegal product, these are optional and stage-specific—not replacements for the purchase agreement.
Use this as a practical sequence—not a substitute for advice on your facts.
Depending on the property and transaction, parties may also need to address:
Local practices differ across D.C. neighborhoods and property types. Use professionals and primary sources for your address—not a generic national packet.
District residential transactions commonly close through title or settlement companies. Settlement professionals handle funds, documents, and recording according to the parties’ instructions and lender requirements. That provider is not automatically your personal lawyer for negotiating contract rights or disclosure disputes.
A District of Columbia real-estate attorney can prepare or review the purchase agreement, advise on Chapter 13 disclosure timing and any five-calendar-day late-delivery termination window, title objections, condominium or tenant issues, entity or estate authority, and custom terms. Consider counsel early in FSBO deals and whenever deadlines or disclosure disputes appear.
The purchase agreement creates the sale obligations. The deed conveys title at settlement and recording. A deed form is not a substitute for the purchase agreement. This page does not currently cross-sell D.C. deed products from the purchase-guidance strip.
Independently verify wire instructions. Real-estate wire fraud is common.
That keeps this page honest: orientation and primary-source links, not a substitute for authorized brokerage forms or D.C. legal advice.
The D.C. Real Estate Commission’s public resources reviewed for this page do not list a free government residential purchase-agreement blank for ordinary resales. Brokered deals use agreements the brokerage is authorized to provide. PublicLegal does not sell a GCAAR lookalike.
GCAAR contract forms are private industry forms with membership and access restrictions. They are not free public government purchase blanks. Obtain the current form through the brokerage authorized to use it, or have a D.C. attorney prepare or review the agreement.
No. In addition to the one-to-four-unit scope, the chapter applies only where the purchaser expresses in writing an intent to reside in the property, and statutory exemptions may apply. Confirm the current § 42-1301 text for your facts.
For a covered sale, the transferor must deliver the signed Mayor-approved disclosure statement before or at the time the prospective purchaser executes the purchase agreement.
No. The five-calendar-day written termination right applies when a required Chapter 13 disclosure is delivered after the purchaser has already executed the agreement. It is not a general cooling-off period after a timely disclosure, and the right can end sooner at a statutory waiver event.
Under § 42-1302(d), the right is waived if not exercised before the earliest of a qualifying written mortgage/financing application (when the lender provides the required written warning), settlement or occupancy in a sale, or occupancy under a lease with option to purchase.
No. D.C. Code § 42-1310 states that a transfer is not invalidated solely because of a failure to comply with the chapter. Other remedies and contract rights may still matter—get D.C. legal advice promptly if disclosure is missing or late.
No. The purchase agreement creates the obligation to buy and sell. Title typically transfers later by deed at settlement and recording. A deed form is not a substitute for the purchase agreement.
PublicLegal provides self-help forms and information. This is not legal advice. Real estate purchase and disclosure rules vary by state and transaction. Confirm requirements for your property with a qualified professional when needed.