The Connecticut disclosure law, in plain terms
Connecticut (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 20-327b) requires most residential sellers to complete a Residential Property Condition Disclosure Report before a buyer signs a purchase contract — or credit the buyer $300 at closing in lieu of disclosing. Most sellers disclose anyway, since skipping it can look worse than an honest answer.
The report covers the roof, foundation, basement, mechanical systems, water/septic, known hazards (lead paint, radon, asbestos, underground oil tanks), and any legal issues affecting the property — liens, encroachments, zoning violations.
"Known defects" means known — not guessed
You're only required to disclose defects you actually know about. You are not required to hire an inspector to go looking for problems you don't already know exist. That said, if you suspect something (a roof leak you patched, a damp basement after heavy rain), the safer legal position is almost always to disclose it plainly rather than hope it doesn't come up.
Underground oil tanks are a Connecticut-specific landmine
Connecticut has an unusually high number of older homes with underground oil storage tanks (USTs) — many installed decades ago and long since abandoned or replaced. A leaking UST can turn into a five- or six-figure remediation problem discovered after closing, and it's one of the most common sources of post-sale disputes in this state specifically. If you know your home ever had one, disclose it, even if it was supposedly removed.
A licensed agent has filled out dozens of these and knows exactly which honest disclosures cause the fewest problems and how to phrase them. Getting a second set of eyes before you sign costs nothing.
Have an agent review your disclosureWhat happens if you get it wrong
An inaccurate or incomplete disclosure — especially one a court finds was made in bad faith — can expose you to a lawsuit well after closing, sometimes years later. This is the FSBO risk that's easy to underestimate: unlike a bad negotiation, a disclosure problem doesn't show up until it's expensive.
A simple rule of thumb
When in doubt, write it down. A buyer walking away from a disclosed issue costs you a delay. An undisclosed issue that surfaces after closing costs you a lawsuit.