I just sent the following letter to the Baltimore Sun.

Dear Editors:

Courts should strictly scrutinize landlords’ claims of being compliant with lead paint laws, the Public Justice Center recommended in a report issued last year funded by the Abell Foundation.

A significant number of landlords did not provide the required proof that they had complied with the state law requiring owners of older rentals to register their properties and provide certification that they have been inspected for reducing the risk of lead poisoning, according to a study by the Legal Aid Bureau, released this week.

These findings are not “a squishy concept” or “pretty sweeping and generalized assessments about the entire rent court system, based on a very small number of cases,” as a lobbyist for property owners told the Sun.

They are a disturbing pattern and practice of property owners’ failure to comply with the law.

Delegate Samuel I. “Sandy” Rosenberg

Don’t worry. I’m not relying on this letter alone to increase the landlords’ compliance with the law. I’m a part of a study group reviewing the issues raised by the Public Justice Center report, as is the lobbyist quoted in the Sun.

The article that prompted my letter is at http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-evictions-legal-aid-20160920-story.html