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Title 15 — Commerce and TradeRelease 119-73

§1709 Civil liabilities

Title 15 › Chapter CHAPTER 42— - INTERSTATE LAND SALES › § 1709

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Allows a buyer or renter to sue a developer, seller, or landlord if the sale or lease broke the rules in an earlier part of the law. A court can award money, order the deal to be carried out, or give other fair relief. When deciding relief, the court can look at the contract price, what the buyer actually paid, improvement costs, and the lot’s market value now and when it was bought. The amount recovered can also include interest, court costs, reasonable lawyer fees, appraiser fees, and travel to the lot. Anyone who pays under these rules can ask others who were also liable to share the cost.

Full Legal Text

Title 15, §1709

Commerce and Trade — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)A purchaser or lessee may bring an action at law or in equity against a developer or agent if the sale or lease was made in violation of section 1703(a) of this title. In a suit authorized by this subsection, the court may order damages, specific performance, or such other relief as the court deems fair, just, and equitable. In determining such relief the court may take into account, but not be limited to, the following factors: the contract price of the lot or leasehold; the amount the purchaser or lessee actually paid; the cost of any improvements to the lot; the fair market value of the lot or leasehold at the time relief is determined; and the fair market value of the lot or leasehold at the time such lot was purchased or leased.
(b)A purchaser or lessee may bring an action at law or in equity against the seller or lessor (or successor thereof) to enforce any right under subsection (b), (c), (d), or (e) of section 1703 of this title.
(c)The amount recoverable in a suit authorized by this section may include, in addition to matters specified in subsections (a) and (b), interest, court costs, and reasonable amounts for attorneys’ fees, independent appraisers’ fees, and travel to and from the lot.
(d)Every person who becomes liable to make any payment under this section may recover contribution as in cases of contract from any person who, if sued separately, would have been liable to make the same payment.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1979—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 96–153 substituted provisions relating to violations of section 1703(a) of this title and scope of relief authorized in suits brought against such violations, for provisions relating to suits for untrue statements or omissions to state material fact in statement of record. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 96–153 substituted provisions relating to

Enforcement

of rights by the purchaser or lessee against the seller or lessor, for provisions relating to suits by the purchaser against the developer or agent. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 96–153 substituted provisions authorizing interest, court costs, etc., to be recoverable in suits under this section, for provisions relating to enumeration of damages recoverable in suits under this section. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 96–153 reenacted provisions without change. Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 96–153 struck out subsec. (e) which set forth limitation on amount recoverable under this section.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1979 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 96–153 effective on

Effective Date

of

Regulations

implementing such amendment, but in no case later than six months following Dec. 21, 1979, see section 410 of Pub. L. 96–153, set out as a note under section 1701 of this title.

Effective Date

Section effective upon the expiration of two hundred and seventy days after Aug. 1, 1968, see section 1423 of Pub. L. 90–448, set out as a note under section 1701 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

15 U.S.C. § 1709

Title 15 — Commerce and Trade

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73