www.charlesjeromeware.com "Here to make a Difference."
The premier Maryland-based, nationally-respected law firm of Charles Jerome Ware, LLC is widely known for its successful legal representation of landlords in lead paint poisoning cases for an initial courtesy consultation, contact the firm at (410) 720-6129 of (410) 730-5016; or email, charlesjeromeware@msn.com, or fax (410) 730-7603. We can help you if you are a landlord who has been sued for lead paint damages.
Although residential landlords and tenants should strive to work together in their contractual housing relationships, it frequently does not work out that way. That's why there are laws, contracts, rules and procedures to guide and help both sides along the way.
Lead poisoning is a very serious matter that is taken very seriously in Maryland. Lead is toxic to the human body, especially in children. Therefore, there are numerous laws and regulations concerning protections afforded residential tenants in avoiding lead poisoning. The 1992 Federal Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act, commonly known as TITLE X (Title 10), was passed in an attempt to reduce the number of lead poisoning victims in the United States. Title 10 is enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and it enforces regulations related to rental property buildings that were constructed before 1978. Actually, in 1951 Baltimore banned the use of lead pigment in interior paint in Baltimore city public housing --- the first such restriction in the United States. Further, in 1978 the Federal government (via the Consumer Product Safety Commission) banned all consumer uses of lead paint. In order to be in compliance with EPA regulations, landlords must disclose any known lead-based paint or lead hazards on the rental property to tenants before signing a lease or renewing a lease. In addition to this disclosure, and an EPA-approved document verifying the disclosure, landlords must also provide tenants with the EPA pamphlet, Protect Your Family From Lead In Your Home, or another Maryland state-approved pamphlet.
Good maintenance of rental properties by landlords is a must, adequate notice to tenants is necessary, and good record-keeping/documentation is paramount to the successful avoidance of, and prevailing in, lead paint claims and lawsuits in Baltimore.
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