Find legal forms, law schools, and legal resources
Try “residential lease” — forms for your state are shown first.
Ohio does not issue or require one statewide purchase-agreement form for an ordinary home sale. If an agent is involved, use the current contract supplied or authorized by that broker for the property and market. If you are buying or selling without an agent, use a written agreement prepared or reviewed for your transaction. In either situation, handle Ohio’s official Residential Property Disclosure Form early when the transfer is covered.
Ask which current purchase contract the broker will use and review every deadline before signing. Ohio REALTORS® offers a voluntary statewide contract to its members, but brokers and local markets may use other forms. The association contract is not a State of Ohio form.
See the agent-assisted routeDo not choose a download only because it looks Ohio-specific. An Ohio real-estate attorney can prepare or review the agreement, while a title company can coordinate title, escrow, and closing. Contact both before signing if the deal has unusual terms or risks.
See the Ohio FSBO checklistMany transfers of residential property with one to four dwelling units require the owner to complete, sign, date, and deliver Ohio’s current Residential Property Disclosure Form as soon as practicable. The form reports conditions the owner actually knows; it is not a warranty or a substitute for inspections. Late delivery can create a time-limited buyer rescission right.
Open the official Ohio disclosure formPublicLegal links the official Ohio disclosure and does not sell an Ohio REALTORS®, local board, bar-association, or government-form lookalike.
Reviewed August 2026 · ORC §§5302.30, 1335.05 · OAC 1301:5-6-10 · Commerce Residential Property Disclosure Form (form marked Eff. 06/2022) · EPA lead
Independent self-help information—not legal advice, a government publication, an Ohio REALTORS® form, or representation by a title company or attorney.
Already under contract? For a covered transfer, a buyer who receives the disclosure or an amendment late generally must rescind in writing within three business days after receipt and no later than the earlier of closing or 30 days after the seller accepted the offer. If no form was received, a different cutoff applies. Exemptions and waiver can change the result—get Ohio legal advice promptly rather than relying on a general deadline summary.
Editorial summary based on Ohio Revised Code §5302.30 and §1335.05; Ohio Administrative Code 1301:5-6-10; the Ohio Department of Commerce Residential Property Disclosure Form and agency page; Ohio REALTORS materials describing its voluntary statewide purchase contract; and EPA lead-disclosure materials. Re-check official sources before you rely on deadlines or form versions—statutes, forms, and local practices change.
A contract concerning the sale of land generally must be in writing and signed by the party against whom enforcement is sought (ORC §1335.05). That writing requirement is not the same thing as a government-issued form number.
Ohio does not mandate one statewide residential purchase-agreement blank. Brokerages and local markets may use different current contracts, including a voluntary Ohio REALTORS® statewide form or local board/bar forms. Always use the current authorized version for your transaction.
The purchase agreement creates the parties’ obligations. The deed conveys title later at closing. The Residential Property Disclosure Form is a separate statutory disclosure document for many one-to-four-unit residential transfers.
If an Ohio real-estate licensee represents you, that licensee or the brokerage typically selects and supplies the current purchase agreement and addenda for the property and deal structure. Forms vary. Some brokerages use the voluntary Ohio REALTORS® statewide residential purchase contract. Others use local board or local board-and-bar forms that differ by market. None of those association forms is a free statewide government purchase blank.
Ask which form and revision is being used. Read financing, appraisal, inspection, title, earnest-money, possession, default, and attorney-review provisions carefully—local forms are not identical. Confirm whom the licensee represents and whether anyone else in the transaction has different representation.
The Residential Property Disclosure Form is separate from the purchase contract. For a covered transfer, the seller must complete the current Commerce form and deliver it as soon as practicable. Delivering it before the buyer enters the purchase agreement is the safer operational practice because late delivery can open a statutory rescission window.
PublicLegal does not host, sell, or reproduce Ohio REALTORS® or local board purchase contracts. Your agent should provide the current authorized version for your transaction.
Ohio does not publish a free statewide residential purchase-contract blank for ordinary resales. Unrepresented parties still need a written agreement that covers deposit, financing, inspections, title, possession, defaults, disclosures, and closing logistics. Contracts concerning the sale of land generally must be in writing and signed by the party to be charged under Ohio’s statute of frauds (ORC §1335.05).
The safer contract path is an Ohio real-estate attorney who prepares or reviews the agreement before anyone signs. Form access from random internet sites is not legal advice, and association forms may be restricted to authorized users.
Select a title company early. Title companies commonly handle title search, escrow, settlement statements, and closing logistics in Ohio, but they do not automatically represent your individual legal interests or replace attorney advice on contract terms.
For a covered one-to-four-unit residential transfer, complete and deliver the official Commerce Residential Property Disclosure Form as soon as practicable—ideally before the buyer enters the purchase agreement. Add federal lead materials for most pre-1978 housing. PublicLegal does not sell an Ohio purchase-contract substitute on this page.
Except as provided in the statute’s exemptions, every person who intends to transfer residential real property—real property improved by a building or structure with one to four dwelling units—by sale, land installment contract, lease with option to purchase, exchange, or a 99-year renewable lease must complete all applicable items on the property disclosure form prescribed by the Director of Commerce and deliver a signed and dated copy to each prospective transferee or the transferee’s agent as soon as is practicable (ORC §5302.30(C)). For this section, a transfer occurs when the initial contract for transfer is executed.
The official form is published by the Ohio Department of Commerce. It is a statement of certain conditions and information actually known by the owner. It is not a warranty by the owner or any agent, and it is not a substitute for independent professional inspections. Unless the buyer is otherwise advised in writing, the owner is not representing greater knowledge than a careful inspection would reveal. Use the current Commerce PDF—not a rewritten third-party substitute.
Disclosures must be made in good faith. If an item is unknown, the owner may make a good-faith approximation that is not used to evade the statute. An owner is not liable in damages for an error, inaccuracy, or omission that was not within the owner’s actual knowledge. That protection does not erase other duties: the statute does not limit obligations created by other Revised Code provisions or the common law, including fraud by misrepresentation, concealment, or nondisclosure (ORC §5302.30(J)).
The owner may amend disclosures in writing after delivery. Buyers who receive the form should sign, date, and return an acknowledgment of receipt as the statute provides.
Late or missing delivery does not automatically void the transfer, but it can create buyer rescission rights. If a covered buyer receives the form or an amendment after entering the transfer agreement, the buyer may rescind by a written, signed, and dated notice delivered within three business days after receipt, and no later than the earlier of closing or thirty days after the transferor accepted the transfer offer—unless the buyer already received that form or amendment before submitting the offer and entering the agreement. A buyer may waive the rescission right. If the buyer never receives a form after submitting an offer and entering an agreement, a separate rescission path runs to the earlier of closing or thirty days after acceptance. Upon a valid statutory rescission, deposits must be returned.
Federal lead-based paint rules still apply to most pre-1978 housing and sit on top of Ohio’s state disclosure framework.
ORC §5302.30 does not apply to every transfer. Examples of exempt transfers include (paraphrased—read the statute for exact text):
Confirm the exact subsection before relying on an exemption. When in doubt, complete the current Commerce form or ask Ohio counsel.
We do not sell an Ohio purchase-contract substitute. When you need a related PublicLegal product, these are optional and stage-specific.
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 customs differ across Ohio. Use professionals and primary sources for your address—not a generic national packet.
Ohio residential purchases are commonly closed through a title company that handles title examination, escrow, settlement statements, and recording logistics. That is different from states where every ordinary closing must be lawyer-controlled. A title company still does not automatically act as your personal lawyer for negotiating contract rights.
An Ohio real-estate attorney can prepare or review the purchase agreement, advise on title objections, disclosure disputes, estate or entity authority, boundary issues, and custom terms. Consider counsel early in FSBO deals and whenever deadlines or documents are unclear.
The purchase agreement creates the sale obligations. The deed conveys title at closing. PublicLegal’s deed library can help when you need conveyance forms, but a deed is not a substitute for the purchase contract or for closing professionals.
Independently verify wire instructions. Real-estate wire fraud is common.
That keeps this page honest: orientation and official links, not a substitute for authorized association forms or Ohio legal advice.
Ohio does not issue or require one statewide purchase-agreement blank for ordinary home resales. Brokerages and local markets may use different current contracts. PublicLegal does not sell an Ohio board or REALTORS® lookalike.
No. Ohio REALTORS® has described the statewide contract as voluntary for REALTOR® use. Local and brokerage forms also exist. It is not a State of Ohio government form.
For covered transfers, the seller must complete the Commerce-prescribed form and deliver a signed and dated copy as soon as practicable. Delivering it before the buyer enters the purchase agreement is the safer practice because late delivery can open a statutory rescission window.
For a covered transfer, a buyer who receives the form or an amendment after entering the agreement may generally rescind in a written, signed, and dated notice delivered within three business days after receipt and no later than the earlier of closing or 30 days after the seller accepted the offer—unless the buyer already received that form or amendment before the offer and agreement. A buyer may waive the right. Get Ohio legal advice on your facts and timing.
If a covered buyer does not receive the form after submitting an offer and entering an agreement, the statute provides a separate rescission path that must be exercised by the earlier of closing or 30 days after the seller accepted the offer. Deposits are returned after a valid statutory rescission. Confirm coverage, exemptions, and timing with counsel.
No. The form reports conditions the owner actually knows. It is not a warranty and is not a substitute for independent professional inspections.
No. Title companies commonly handle Ohio residential closings. An Ohio real-estate attorney is still often the right advisor for contract drafting or review—especially in FSBO deals—and for disputes, title problems, or unusual terms.
Most pre-1978 housing is subject to federal lead-based paint disclosure rules, including known information and records, a warning statement, the EPA pamphlet, and a buyer inspection opportunity unless properly changed or waived. Those federal rules sit on top of Ohio’s state disclosure framework.
No. The purchase agreement is the contract to buy and sell. Title typically transfers later by deed at closing. A deed form is not a substitute for the purchase agreement.
Consider an attorney if no agent is involved, if you need the purchase agreement reviewed before signing, if disclosure timing is in doubt, if title or financing is complex, or if you do not understand documents you are being asked to sign. This page is orientation, not representation.
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.