We wanted to share an important change to Connecticut’s smoke detector disclosure requirements that will impact home sellers beginning Oct. 1.
Last year, we shared that the state legislature passed a bill augmenting the disclosure requirements for home sellers. The legislature has since decided to remove some of those new requirements, which became effective Oct. 1, 2023.
The law passed last year required that sellers of a one or two-family home not only sign an affidavit certifying there are smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on the premises (or credit the buyer $250) but also certify that those detectors comply with fire and building codes, among other requirements.
Another significant change in the new amendment is that sellers will no longer have the option to credit the buyer $250 as an acceptable alternative to meeting the smoke detector requirements.
Under the amendments, a buyer will have 10 days after the closing to notify the seller that the residence lacks any of the required smoke or carbon monoxide detectors or that the detectors are inoperable. The seller would then have 10 days after receiving the notice to comply with the requirements.
To offset the removal of this $250 alternative, lawmakers tried to simplify language in the current law on requirements of a home’s smoke detection system so that they are easier for sellers to understand and satisfy.
The new language states that any smoke detection and warning equipment must (1) be able to sense visible or invisible smoke particles; (2) installed following the manufacturer’s instructions and in the immediate vicinity of each bedroom; and (3) be able to give an alarm suitable to warn occupants when activated.
Both chambers of the legislature passed the new amendments.
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