Sellers Not Required to Disclose the Presence of Neighboring Sex Offenders

By Christopher J. Charles, Esq.

 

In some cultures, it’s customary to meet the neighbors before purchasing a home. In the recent case of Lerner v. DMB Realty, LLC, the plaintiffs wish they would have done just that. Unfortunately, they didn’t discover that their next-door neighbor was a class 1 sex offender until after they closed on the purchase and had moved into their home.

As discussed in this column’s November 2013 edition, Avoiding Real Estate Malpractice, Arizona REALTORS’® Duty to Disclose and the November 2012 edition, Caveat Venditor!, the law imposes strict disclosure requirements on property owners, namely, sellers must disclose any information that materially or adversely affects the value of the property.   Hill v. Jones, 151 Ariz. 81, 725 P.2d 1115 (App. 1986).

Most families, especially families with young children, prefer not to live near criminals and sex offenders. As a result, buyers want to know if a home is situated immediately next door to a sex offender.

Arizona law, however, exempts certain conditions from disclosure. For example, pursuant to A.R.S. § 32‑2156, sellers and their agents are not required to disclose:

• A property that is or has been the site of a natural death, suicide, or homicide;

• A property that is or has been occupied by someone with HIV or a similar disease; or

• A property that is located in the vicinity of a sex offender.

The Arizona Court of Appeals recently upheld the constitutionality of this statute in Lerner v. DMB Realty, LLC, et al., 231 Ariz. 297, 294 P.3d 135 (2014).

Notwithstanding A.R.S. § 32-2156, the plaintiffs sued the sellers and their REALTORS® after they closed on the purchase of their residence which is located next door to a sex offender.

Six months after closing on the purchase of their home, the plaintiffs discovered that the home is situated next door to a “level-one” sex offender.[1] This was particularly troublesome to the plaintiffs because they have small children. As a result, the plaintiffs sued the sellers and the REALTORS® for damages due to the non‑disclosure. The plaintiffs argued that the sellers and the REALTORS® were liable for fraud and non‑disclosure. They urged that their claim wasn’t precluded by the statute because the statute is unconstitutional. The plaintiffs sued the REALTORS® and the sellers for non‑disclosure, breach of fiduciary duty, and fraud.

The plaintiffs knew the sellers and their agents weren’t required to disclose the property was near a sex offender. Pursuant to the dual agency agreement[2], the plaintiffs signed the Consent to Limited Representation which reminded the plaintiffs that pursuant to A.R.S. § 32-2156, the sellers and agents are not obligated to disclose that the property is or has been located in the vicinity of a sex offender.

Furthermore, the sellers provided the plaintiffs with the standard Seller’s Property Disclosure Statement which expressly outlines “buyer acknowledges that by law, sellers, lessors and brokers are not obligated to disclose that the property is or has been … located in the vicinity of a sex offender.”

In addition, the sellers and their REALTORS® provided the plaintiffs with the Residential Seller Advisory which further explains that by law the sellers are not obligated to disclose that the property is located in the vicinity of a sex offender.

Finally the standard AAR Residential Resale Purchase Agreement states “if the presence of sex offenders in the vicinity is a material matter to the buyer, it must be investigated by the buyer during the inspection period.”

Notwithstanding the above disclosures, the plaintiffs sued the sellers because they felt deceived. Prior to close of escrow, the plaintiffs asked the sellers why they were selling and the sellers said they were moving to be closer to friends. After discovering that the property was located next to a sex offender, the plaintiffs inferred that the real reason the sellers were moving was because they didn’t want to live next door to a sex offender and that the sellers’ explanation of wanting to be closer to friends was pretext.

The sellers and the REALTORS® moved to dismiss the Complaint based on A.R.S. § 32-2156. The trial court agreed that the statute precluded the plaintiffs’ claims and dismissed the Complaint. The plaintiffs promptly appealed the dismissal to the Arizona Court of Appeals.

On Appeal, the plaintiffs argued that the statute was unconstitutional and that the sellers should have told the plaintiffs about the presence of a sex offender in the neighborhood. They further argued that the sellers committed fraud when they told the plaintiffs that the reason they were moving was to be closer to friends when the real reason was that they didn’t want to live next to a sex offender.

The Court of Appeals generally affirmed the trial court’s ruling and upheld the constitutionality of A.R.S. § 32-2156 and affirmed that the sellers and the REALTORS® were not obligated to disclose the sex offender status of the next door neighbor.

The Court of Appeals found, however, that the plaintiffs may have a claim for fraud against the sellers if the sellers did in fact misrepresent the real reason for moving. Thus, the Court of Appeals remanded the case to trial court for a finding of whether the sellers misrepresented the reason for moving and whether the plaintiffs reasonably relied on their statement.

The Court of Appeals also dismissed the plaintiffs’ breach of fiduciary duty claim against the REALTORS® because pursuant to the statute, the REALTORS® were not obligated to disclose the vicinity of the sex offender. And unlike their claims against the sellers, the plaintiffs did not allege that the REALTORS® made any specific misrepresentations.

The two take-aways from the case are: (1) A.R.S. § 32-2156 is constitutional; and (2) the statute does not prevent the claim for outright fraud.

When confronted with these difficult disclosure issues, it’s important to note that sellers and REALTORS® must always be truthful in their comments to buyers. When asked whether one of the exempted categories above applies, sellers and REALTORS® should simply respond “by law we are not obligated to respond to your question but if that condition is important to you, you should research your question and possibly hire a professional to help you with your research.”

In regard to REALTORS® specifically, they should be careful not to breach any instructions from the seller and may be required to disclose nothing more than as noted above.

If you or someone you know has questions regarding a disclosure issue or any other real estate issue, call or email Mr. Charles today to schedule an appointment.

 

For more Laying Down the Law articles, click here.

 

Christopher Charles is an experienced real estate lawyer and a former “Broker Hotline Attorney” for the Arizona Association of REALTORS® (the “AAR”). He has an “AV Preeminent” rating by the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings system, which connotes the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards.

 

He is a Partner with the law firm Davis Miles McGuire Gardner, PLLC where he serves as the chair of the Real Estate Practice Group. Mr. Charles is an Arbitrator and Mediator for the AAR regarding real estate disputes; he serves on the State Bar of Arizona’s Civil Jury Instructions Committee where he helped draft the Agency Instructions and the Residential Landlord/Tenant Eviction Jury Instructions.

 

Mr. Charles is a licensed real estate instructor and he teaches continuing education classes at the Arizona School of Real Estate and Business. For a list of upcoming speaking engagements, please visit www.davismiles.com. He can be reached at ccharles@davismiles.com

 

Christopher’s company website: www.tbl-law.com

 

 

[1] A “level one” offender is considered less of a risk than a “level-two” or “level-three” offender.

^[2]   The plaintiffs and the sellers agreed to a dual representation agreement with DMB Realty, LLC.