June 2026 C.A.R. Form Updates and Changes: What California Real Estate Agents & TC's Need to Know

C.A.R. updates its standard forms several times a year, and the release the week of June 15, 2026 is one of the more substantial ones. C.A.R. held its member training on the changes on June 18, and the message for agents is clear: several of these revisions touch the forms you use on every transaction — the Residential Purchase Agreement, the Seller Property Questionnaire, counter offers, and the buyer representation agreement — plus a full rebuild of the septic, well, and propane forms.

Below is a straight, agent-focused breakdown of what changed, pulled directly from C.A.R.'s own form revision descriptions. One note before you rely on any of it: C.A.R. can change this list without notice, and the User Protection Agreement only covers the most current version of a form. Always confirm against the official C.A.R. New Forms and Revisions page before you use a form on a live file.

The RPA Received the Biggest Changes

The California Residential Purchase Agreement (RPA) drew the most consequential revisions in this release. If you write offers, these are the ones to internalize first.

Appraisal contingency can now be based on an appraisal gap

The RPA now includes an option to base the appraisal contingency on an appraisal gap rather than the older all-or-nothing structure. The counter offer forms were updated in the same spirit, simplifying the explanation for when an appraisal gap is used. In practice, this gives buyers and agents a cleaner way to say, "my buyer will cover a shortfall up to X," which matters most when counters push the price above list. Review the contingency language carefully any time the purchase price moves.

Seller credits and payments are broader and clearer

C.A.R. modified the "Other Seller Credits/Payments" section so it can be used for items beyond closing costs or buyer-broker compensation. That gives you a cleaner place to document things like rate buydowns, HOA dues, or repair allowances without shoehorning them elsewhere in the contract.

New septic, well, and propane handling built into the RPA

The RPA now lets you allocate costs for septic systems, wells, propane tanks, or property boundaries through the new SWPI-C addendum, and it adds a dedicated disclosure for septic, well, or propane tank. For rural and semi-rural deals, this is a meaningful workflow change (more on the SWPI forms below).

FinCEN Reporting Moved Into the RPA — and the FRR-PA Is Retired

C.A.R. removed the old GTO (Geographic Targeting Order) reporting language from the RPA and replaced it with a requirement that the parties cooperate with any FinCEN reporting. This comes with a form change agents will notice: the standalone FRR-PA (Federal Reporting Requirement Purchase Addendum) — which C.A.R. released in September 2025 and temporarily bundled into the RPA package — has now been discontinued. Its job, compliance with FinCEN's residential real estate reporting rule for certain all-cash purchases through LLCs, trusts, and similar entities, is now built directly into the RPA itself. If you open a pre–June 2026 RPA you may still see the FRR-PA attached; on the current version you won't, because that language lives in the contract. Worth noting: a federal court vacated FinCEN's residential reporting rule on March 19, 2026, and FinCEN filed an appeal on May 11, so the reporting obligation is on hold for now regardless.

Insurance and deposit clarificationsTwo more RPA clarifications round out this section. C.A.R. clarified that the loan contingency cannot be used if the buyer is unable to obtain insurance — an increasingly real issue in fire- and flood-prone parts of California — so an insurance problem must be handled on its own, not as a loan-contingency escape hatch. And it clarified that the buyer's deposit should be returned, even after a Demand to Close Escrow (DCE), when the buyer is genuinely acting to satisfy a contingency.

PRBS — moved out of the RPA bundle. 

In the June 2026 release, C.A.R. retired the single combined PRBS and split it into two versions, and pulled it out of the RPA package:

• PRBS-B (Disclosure and Consent for the buyer) is now bundled with the buyer representation agreements (i.e., it travels with the BRBC).

• PRBS-S (Disclosure and Consent for the seller) is now bundled with the listing (i.e., it travels with the RLA).

So it's no longer auto-included in the RPA bundle. The disclosure now rides along with whichever representation agreement applies to your side of the deal. That's straight from C.A.R.'s own change description for this release.

The SWPI Form Is Gone — Meet SWPI-C and SWPI-Q

If your transactions involve rural or semi-rural properties, this is the change to update in your templates today. C.A.R. retired the old SWPI form and split it into two new forms:

SWPI-C — Septic, Well, Propane, and Property Boundaries Inspection and Allocation of Costs Addendum. This converts the old SWPI into a cost-allocation tool, with each category (septic, well, propane, boundaries) placed in its own grid for easier use.

SWPI-Q — Septic, Well, and Propane Tank Questionnaire. A new questionnaire capturing pertinent details on those systems, and the SPQ now references it whenever a property has a septic system, well, or propane tank.

Any template, checklist, or workflow that still references the retired SWPI needs to be updated. On a property with a private well, septic system, propane tank, or boundary questions, expect these two forms to become a standard part of the file.

SPQ and TDS: More Detail, More Documentation

The Seller Property Questionnaire (SPQ) was expanded. It now references a unit number so it is easier to use on multi-unit properties, reformats the document paragraph, points to the new SWPI-Q when there is a septic system, well, or propane tank, and adds a requirement to provide photographs when the seller indicates the property is tenant-occupied. The Transfer Disclosure Statement (TDS) also picked up the unit-number reference for multi-unit use.

The theme here is documentation. Sellers frequently hold inspection reports, prior disclosures, and records from previous owners, and the updated questionnaires push for more complete disclosure. For agents, that raises the bar on organization — collecting and delivering documents on time is what keeps a file out of trouble later in escrow. These changes sit alongside the broader compliance shifts we covered in our rundown of the new California real estate laws for 2026.

Counter Offers, Assignments, and Buyer Representation

A few more revisions round out the release. The buyer, seller, and multiple counter offer forms (BCO, SCO, SMCO) clarified how to handle liquidated damages and arbitration when not all parties initialed in the offer, added the ability to attach form LDAA, and boxed the late-acceptance language to emphasize it is separate from the rest of the form. The Buyer Representation and Broker Compensation Agreement (BRBC) clarified that compensation is earned if the buyer assigns the purchase agreement, and the Assignment of Agreement Addendum now defaults to the broker continuing as the agent for the remainder of the transaction. C.A.R. also introduced PRBS-B and PRBS-S so the multiple-representation disclosure can be bundled with the representation agreement and listing rather than the RPA.

What Agents Should Do Now

You don't need to memorize all of this, but you do need to act on it. First, confirm you are using the most current C.A.R. forms — the User Protection Agreement only covers the latest version. Second, review any pending or upcoming transactions involving septic systems, wells, propane tanks, or boundary questions, since those now require SWPI-C and SWPI-Q. Third, update every template, checklist, and saved workflow that still references the retired SWPI or older RPA language. And when a specific situation is unclear, loop in your broker rather than guessing. You can verify everything against C.A.R.'s official list of standard forms.

How AIDE TC Services Keeps You Current

Forms updates land several times a year, and keeping every workflow current while you're managing clients, showings, and negotiations is a real burden. That's exactly where a transaction coordinator earns their keep. If you've never delegated this work, our guide on what a transaction coordinator actually does walks through the full scope.

AIDE is a California-based transaction coordination service built for agents and teams. We track required disclosures, monitor deadlines, organize and review files for completeness, and coordinate communication between parties from contract to close — and we stay on top of C.A.R. form releases like this one so you don't have to. When the forms change, we adjust. You stay focused on serving clients and writing your next deal.

Ready for Help With Your Transactions?

The June 2026 forms release brings real changes to appraisal contingencies, seller credits, disclosures, and the septic/well/propane forms. Handled well, they're simply part of a clean file. Handled late, they become surprises in escrow. Learn about AIDE TC Services, or start a file with us, and let a team that lives inside these forms keep your transactions organized, compliant, and on track.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did the June 2026 C.A.R. forms release take effect?

C.A.R. scheduled the new and revised standard forms for release the week of June 15, 2026, and held member training on the changes on June 18, 2026. Because C.A.R. can revise the list without notice, always confirm the current version on the official C.A.R. New Forms and Revisions page.

What happened to the SWPI, PRBS and FRR-PA forms?

All three were restructured in the June 2026 release. The single SWPI form was retired and split into two: SWPI-C, the Septic, Well, Propane, and Property Boundaries Inspection and Allocation of Costs Addendum, and SWPI-Q, the Septic, Well, and Propane Tank Questionnaire. The PRBS (Possible Representation of More Than One Buyer or Seller) was pulled out of the RPA bundle and split into PRBS-B, now bundled with the buyer representation agreements, and PRBS-S, now bundled with the listing. And the FRR-PA (Federal Reporting Requirement Purchase Addendum) was discontinued, with its FinCEN reporting language folded directly into the RPA itself; separately, the underlying FinCEN reporting rule was vacated by a federal court in March 2026 and is under appeal. If any of your templates or workflows still reference the old SWPI, PRBS, or FRR-PA, update them to the current forms.

What is the biggest change to the RPA in June 2026?

The most impactful RPA change is the new option to base the appraisal contingency on an appraisal gap. The RPA also broadened the Other Seller Credits/Payments section, added septic/well/propane cost allocation via SWPI-C, replaced GTO reporting with a FinCEN cooperation requirement, and clarified insurance and deposit-return language.

Do these form changes increase risk for agents?

They can. Using an outdated form version voids the C.A.R. User Protection Agreement, and missed disclosures create exposure for the agent and broker. Confirming current forms and complete documentation on every file is the simplest way to stay protected — and a transaction coordinator can manage that for you.

Sources (direct from C.A.R.):

C.A.R. New Forms and Revisions

C.A.R. List of Standard Forms