Rental owners would have to address dangerous lead before renting

Rental owners would have to remove or contain materials with dangerous levels of lead before renting or leasing their property. One requirement covers rental property generally. Another covers designated communities with above-state rates of elevated blood lead, adjusted for income and older housing. The requirements would apply whether or not a child under six lives there. Owners would have to follow the removal or containment rules referenced in section 197(b) or (c). Both requirements specify July 1, 2022, although the proposal was filed in 2025. The text gives no revised start date.

Owners and their insurers would be barred from bringing or threatening claims that blame a parent's or guardian's careless supervision for a child's lead exposure. The ban covers separate claims to share payment and claims made against parents or guardians within an existing lawsuit. Bringing a covered claim, a similar claim, or threatening one would violate chapter 93A. Owners could still bring claims to share payment under section 199C.

The proposed payment rules would cover rental property without requiring a child under six to live there. These provisions concern rental property and borrowers who pledged property for a mortgage loan. Having no child under six in the home during ownership would not, by itself, excuse the borrower from sharing a payment. Whether a payment is owed would depend on the remaining rules in section 197D.