Landlord Sentenced to Prison for Lead Paint Violations
The landlord was also charged with failing to disclose to tenants the presence of documented lead-based paint hazards.
According to the prosecuting attorney, the landlord placed children at risk for lead poisoning.
The man owns and manages approximately 175 rental housing units throughout Baltimore. All of the properties were built prior to 1978. The landlord was found individually liable despite operating as a rental company.
An EPA agent commented on the case,Americans need accurate and truthful information in order to make informed decisions about where they will live. Landlords and owners who fail to notify prospective tenants about the hazards of lead poisoning put those tenants at serious risk, as witnessed in this investigation by children with elevated blood lead levels. This sentence should serve notice that anyone who fails to comply with environmental regulations will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Reducing exposure to lead paint dust is the core of Maryland’s highly successful program to prevent lead poisoning. Landlords must follow all laws that protect children from this entirely preventable disease, said MDE Secretary Robert Summers. This criminal sentence and the repeated findings of violations and related penalties issued by the Maryland Department of the Environment puts all property owners on notice that they have a serious responsibility to protect families from the devastating effects of lead poisoning.
The landlord has been in business since 1974. The State of Maryland and the City of Baltimore have issued more than 20 Notices of Violation and compliance orders against him for lead-based paint violations, including situations in which a child with an Elevated Blood Lead Level was documented as living in a rental property. He entered into a number of Consent Decrees with the State and City of Baltimore designed to achieve compliance with applicable lead requirements.
In reaching a plea deal on the charges, the landlord admitted that he failed to disclose to tenants the presence of documented lead-based paint hazards when they rented units he owned and managed. Many of these units had a history of lead-based paint problems. Despite these findings and prior enforcement actions by the State and municipal agencies, prosecuters say the landlord did not provide tenants with the required Lead-Based Paint Notification Disclosure Form and failed to: (a) give prospective tenants an EPA-approved information pamphlet on identifying and controlling lead-based paint hazards; (b) disclose to prospective tenants any known information concerning lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards, the location of those hazards, and the condition of the relevant surfaces; (c) provide prospective tenants with any records and reports on lead-based paint and/or lead-based paint hazards; and (d) include an attachment to the lease (or to insert relevant language in the lease itself) which provides a Lead Warning Statement and confirms that the landlord has complied with all notification requirements.
With AAOA, landlords have resources at their fingertips. Check out our Landlord Forms page.
American Apartment Owners Association offers discounts on products and services for landlords related to your rental housing investment, including rental forms, tenant debt collection, tenant background checks, insurance and financing. Find out more at www.joinaaoa.org.
Accessibility