Can a tenant sue a landlord after 15 years?

[Elaine Stamatatos]

Hello,

Can a tenant sue an ex landlord after 15 years for lead paint?
What can the ex landlord do at this point?
Please help!

Thank you

[OHlandlord]

After 15 years???

Do you mean after the tenant has resided there for 15 years, or 15 years after the tenant had vacated? If the tenant still resides in the unit and has been affected by lead, lead testing will need to be done to see where the lead is coming from. (Its not necessarily from the unit the tenant lives in - it could be from a place of work, a relative's place the tenant visits, or some other place the tenant frequents.) If testing shows it is from your unit, the tenant could file a suit against you for abatement of the problem, and for damages.

If you mean can the tenant sue 15 years after they have vacated, I seriously doubt that suit would go anywhere. That period would probably be well beyond any statute of limitation on it. Also, after that long of a time, how could the tenant prove that the lead had come from your unit and not from any other place she has been in the last 15 years?

Did you do a lead statement and hand out the Lead Pamphlet as required by most states when you signed the lease with the tenant?