What Are SPDS? Arizona's Seller Disclosure Form (2026)
SPDS stands for Seller's Property Disclosure Statement: the standard Arizona form where a seller tells the buyer in writing everything they know about the property's condition and history. ClozeEZ provides the SPDS as a guided form with e-signing, so by-owner sellers complete the same disclosure an agent-listed sale uses. Arizona law requires sellers to disclose known material facts whether or not an agent is involved, and the SPDS is how it is done: roof, systems, repairs, water, pests, HOA, insurance claims, and more. Delivered on the contract's timeline, it is both the buyer's information and the seller's best legal protection.
The legal duty behind the form
Arizona sellers must disclose facts they know that materially affect the property's value or desirability, a duty that exists independent of using an agent, rooted in Arizona case law. The SPDS turns that duty into a checklist so nothing known goes unsaid.
The standard is honesty about what you actually know. The form is not a warranty and does not require you to investigate or guarantee the property; "I don't know" is a legitimate answer when true, and disclosing a past, repaired problem is normal and expected.
What needs to be disclosed, section by section
The standard Arizona SPDS walks through six areas, and knowing them ahead of time makes the form an hour's work instead of a stressful afternoon. Ownership and property: who owns the home, whether it is occupied or rented, HOA membership and fees, any assessments, easements, boundary or title issues, and any lawsuits or insurance claims involving the property.
Building and safety: the age and condition of the roof and any repairs or warranties, structural issues like foundation cracks or settling, past or present problems with plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling, the water heater, pool and spa equipment, past fire or flood damage, remodels and additions (and whether they were permitted), and pest history including termite treatment.
Utilities: who provides water, power, gas, and trash, and anything unusual about service. Environmental: drainage and flooding behavior (especially in monsoon season), soil settlement or expansion issues, airport or traffic noise, nearby landfills or agriculture, and any known environmental hazards. Sewer or septic: which one the home has, and its service history, a section Arizona treats seriously enough that the contract has its own septic addendum. Other conditions: the catch-all for any material fact a buyer would reasonably want to know that no earlier question captured.
Arizona specifics worth answering carefully: roof age, AC service history, scorpion or termite treatment, solar (owned versus leased, and the payment terms), irrigation and drainage, and any insurance claims on the home.
What you do not have to disclose
Arizona law (A.R.S. § 32-2156) says sellers face no liability for not disclosing that a death or felony occurred on the property, that a prior occupant had a disease not known to be transmitted through occupancy, or that a registered sex offender lives nearby. These are so-called stigmatized-property facts, and the law deliberately keeps them off the required list.
Two cautions on that. If a buyer asks you directly, do not lie: the protection covers staying silent, not misrepresenting. And the line only covers those specific categories; anything physically or legally material to the property itself stays squarely on the disclosure list.
Timing and the buyer's review window
The standard Arizona contract sets the delivery deadline, days rather than weeks after acceptance, and gives the buyer a short window after receiving the SPDS to review it and disapprove of items it reveals, alongside their inspection period rights. Late or missing disclosures give buyers leverage and cancellation rights you do not want to hand over.
Practical FSBO tip: fill out the SPDS before you list. It forces the walkthrough of your own knowledge, surfaces anything worth fixing pre-market, and lets you hand serious buyers a complete disclosure immediately, a professionalism signal most FSBO listings never send.
Why honest SPDS answers protect the seller
Post-closing disputes overwhelmingly grow from surprises a buyer believes were hidden, and a truthful, complete SPDS is the seller's best evidence that nothing was. Disclose the cracked tile and the repaired leak; a disclosed defect is priced in, an undisclosed one is a lawsuit theory.
ClozeEZ builds the SPDS into the listing flow so FSBO sellers complete the same standard disclosure an agent-listed sale would use, with e-signing. This is disclosure software, not legal advice; unusual situations deserve an Arizona real estate attorney's review.
Frequently asked questions
Is the SPDS required in Arizona?
The disclosure duty is: Arizona sellers must disclose known material facts. The SPDS is the standard form the Arizona purchase contract expects sellers to deliver, FSBO or agent-listed alike.
When is the SPDS delivered?
On the timeline in the purchase contract: within days after acceptance under the standard form. The buyer then has a short contractual window to review it and respond to what it discloses.
Do I have to disclose repairs I already fixed?
Yes. The form asks about past conditions and repairs because they are material history. A repaired, disclosed problem is routine; a concealed one is where liability comes from.
What if I honestly don't know an answer?
Say so. The SPDS asks for what you actually know; it is not a warranty and does not obligate you to investigate. Never guess; a wrong guess reads as a misrepresentation later.
Do I have to disclose a death on the property?
No. Arizona law (A.R.S. § 32-2156) shields sellers from liability for not disclosing deaths, felonies, or nearby sex offenders. But the shield covers silence, not lies: if a buyer asks directly, answer truthfully or decline to answer; never misrepresent.
Does a FSBO seller face more disclosure risk than an agent-listed one?
The duty is identical. What protects any seller is the same: complete the SPDS honestly, deliver it on time, and keep a signed copy. ClozeEZ includes the SPDS flow in every listing.