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RI Real Estate Investor Agrees to Pay $11,000 to Settle Violations of Lead Disclosure Laws

Release Date: 05/24/2005
Contact Information:

Contact: Sheryl Rosner, EPA Office of Public Affairs, (617) 918-1865, [email protected]

For Immediate Release: May 24, 2005; Release # sr050504

BOSTON - Cranston-based real estate investor Norman Reisch and one of his companies, Juris Realty Associates, Inc., have agreed to pay $11,000 to settle claims by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that they violated federal lead paint disclosure rules involving three houses in Providence and Warwick.

EPA alleged that Juris violated the lead disclosure rule when it sold residential properties in Providence and Warwick in 1999 when it failed to provide warnings of potential lead paint hazards in the properties. The EPA also alleged that Reisch, acting as an agent for the sale of a residential property in Providence in 2000, violated the lead disclosure rule by failing to provide warnings of potential lead paint hazards in the properties and by failing to insure that the seller did so.

Specifically, Reisch and Juris were cited for failing to provide purchasers with lead warning statements and lead hazard information pamphlets and for failing to disclose whether they had knowledge and records or reports pertaining to potential lead-based paint hazards.

"These enforcement actions send the message that real estate investors are subject to the lead paint disclosure rule requirements." said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator of EPA's New England Office. "These requirements help to insure that buyers are aware of the potential hazards posed by lead-based paint prior to making a purchase."

The cases are among dozens of lead-related civil and criminal cases EPA's New England Office has taken since launching a region-wide effort to make sure landlords and property owners and managers are complying with federal lead disclosure laws. This effort has included hundreds of inspections around New England, as well as compliance assistance workshops.

Among the most important requirements of the lead disclosure rule is that property owners and realtors provide prospective buyers and tenants –– before they buy or rent a property –– with an EPA-approved lead hazard information pamphlet entitled, “Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home.” The pamphlet provides important information about lead exposure from paint, dust and soil. It highlights health risks that can be caused by lead exposure and it offers simple suggestions to guard against exposure and potential lead poisoning.

For more information on lead paint disclosure requirements and other issues regarding lead, visit the agency's web site at https://www.epa.gov/ne/topics/pollutants/lead.html.

Related Information:
Internet Training Course: Lead Safety for Remodeling, Repair, and Painting (EPA HQ)
Lead Poisoning, Lead Paint, etc.
Lead Paint Enforcement Program
Lead Paint Disclosure Rules