If you are selling a house built before 1978, you must comply with a federal law called the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992 (U.S. Code § 4852d), also known as Title X. You must:

• disclose all known lead-based paint and hazards in the house
• give buyers a pamphlet prepared by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) called Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home
• include certain warning language in the contract as well as signed statements from all parties verifying that all requirements were completed
• keep signed acknowledgements for three years as proof of compliance, and
• give buyers a ten-day opportunity to test the house for lead.

If you fail to comply with Title X requirements, the buyer can sue you for triple the amount of damages actually suffered. For more information on lead hazards, prevention, and disclosures, contact the National Lead Information Center -- by phone at 800-424-LEAD, or check their website at http://www.epa.gov/lead.