(a) The General Assembly finds that in municipalities throughout the Commonwealth many owners of properties are using such properties in violation of the zoning ordinances and regulations of such municipalities, and are maintaining such properties in violation of housing, building, safety, and fire ordinances and regulations, and are offering such properties for sale without revealing such illegal use or the receipt of notice of the existence of housing, building, safety and fire violations. Many innocent purchasers of such properties are not aware of the illegal use or the existence of the nature of violations until they have entered into agreements of sale or have consummated the purchase.

(b) In order to prevent undue hardships and losses imposed on such innocent purchasers by owners who have failed to reveal the illegal use of the property being conveyed or who have made misrepresentations in that regard, the General Assembly finds and declares that in cities of the first class, cities of the second class and in cities of the second class A, cities of the third class, boroughs, towns, townships of the first class and townships of the second class adopting the provisions of this act, all sellers of property shall be required to advise the purchaser of the legal use of such property, and to deliver to the purchaser not later than at the settlement held for such property a use registration permit showing the legal use and zoning classification for such property.

(c) In order to prevent undue hardship and losses imposed on an innocent purchaser by an owner who has failed to disclose to a prospective purchaser of property that a notice has been received that such property is in violation of housing, building, safety or fire ordinances or regulations, the General Assembly finds and declares that all sellers of property shall be required to advise purchasers of any notice received by the owners of any violation of any housing, building, safety or fire ordinance or regulation with respect to the property to be sold.

(d) The provisions of this act may apply to cities of the second class A, cities of the third class, boroughs, towns, townships of the first class and townships of the second class only if the governing bodies of such municipalities so elect.