Fortunately, there areĀ laws in place to protect rentersĀ from unsafe premises. The United States banned the use of lead-based paints in 1978. Now, landlords areĀ required by federal law to discloseĀ the presence of lead paint in their properties. This gives renters the information they need to make an informed decision about whether they want to rent the property.
If a landlord fails to disclose this information and someone gets sick from exposure to lead paint, he or she can be held responsible for this negligence. In our tenure assisting Chicago residents, we have seen both the hazards of lead paint and successful legal actions taken against responsible parties. Even theĀ Illinois Attorney General became more involvedĀ last year when she filed a premises liability lawsuit against a property owner.