(Host) The owners of 65 rental properties in downtown Winooski will be required to prove they comply with Vermont’s lead laws.
Landlords will receive letters from the Attorney General’s office and they’ll have 90 days to respond.
Assistant Attorney General Robert McDougall says it’s part of a larger effort by the office to increase compliance:
(McDougall) "It’s not our office singling out Winooski. It’s not our office saying that these are necessarily bad landlords that are not doing the right thing. Sometimes it’s just they’re not aware of the law. "
(Host) McDougall says the letter will help increase awareness among landlords and tenants. Similar letters have been sent to rental property owners in 11 counties, and that’s helped increase the compliance rate by 20 percent.
The law says landlords with houses built before 1978 must perform "essential management practices" each year and file a statement. They must also give a copy of the document to tenants. McDougall says most of those management practices boil down to maintenance:
(McDougall) "You have to repair deteriorated paint in excess of one square foot, inside or outside, you have to clean common areas you have to do a specialized cleaning at the change of tenants for each unit. Window well inserts are to be inserted in all wooden windows."
(Host) The issue is dust from lead paint, which can cause serious health problems for young children.
The Attorney General’s office says two out of every three lead-poisoned children live in rental units built before 1978. That’s the year lead paint was banned.