A home near West Becher Street and South 13th Street on Milwaukee’s south side. There were more than 200 children that tested positive for lead poisoning in this area in 2016.
Tenants who are worried about lead exposure in their homes will now be protected from the possibility of being evicted by their landlords, thanks to an ordinance passed by the Milwaukee Common Council Tuesday.
The Council passed the ordinance which said “This ordinance provides that no landlord can constructively evict a tenant for seeking city services to address lead-poisoning nuisances in rented domiciles, or cooperating with the city to investigate or abate lead-poisoning nuisances.”
Landlords are also prohibited from evicting a tenant or retaliating against them by the "reduction or removal of heat, water or electricity to the dwelling unit, in retaliation against a tenant for lead investigations,” according to a press release.
“Prolonged exposure to lead can have extremely dangerous health consequences, especially for children,” said Ald. Jose Pérez, the resolution's sponsor. “Milwaukee residents should not be unfairly punished or evicted by their landlord for investigating the lead levels in their home, whether through the city or an outside service. In fact, they should be commended for taking steps to keep their family and themselves as safe as possible.”
This comes after advocate groups started to pressure the city on lead issues last year, after problems regarding the Health Department’s lead prevention program led to former health commissioner Bevan Baker’s resignation.
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There are currently approximately 77,000 properties in the city that have lead service lines. The city says that “lead is often present in drinking water because the service line connecting the cast iron water main to the property meter and interior plumbing may contain lead.”
If the Landlord does violate this ordinance, they will be liable upon conviction to a Class J penalty under s. 61-16.
You can read the entire press release here, by Ald. Jose Perez, here.
The Common Council on Tuesday, July 9 approved an ordinance protecting tenants living in a residence being investigated for lead-exposure levels from retaliation by their landlord.
Common Council File #181759, sponsored by Alderman José G. Pérez and cosponsored by the entire Common Council, would protect tenants against retaliation or eviction from landlords for a variety of activities related to lead-exposure investigations in rented residences. These activities include seeking advice or services to guard household members from exposure to suspected lead-based nuisances, cooperating with city representatives investigating or removing lead sources, or arranging the removal of known lead sources.
“Prolonged exposure to lead can have extremely dangerous health consequences, especially for children,” said Ald. Pérez. “Milwaukee residents should not be unfairly punished or evicted by their landlord for investigating the lead levels in their home, whether through the city or an outside service. In fact, they should be commended for taking steps to keep their family and themselves as safe as possible.”
Under the ordinance, landlords are prohibited from terminating a tenancy or evicting a tenant by any means, including the reduction or removal of heat, water or electricity to the dwelling unit, in retaliation against a tenant for lead investigations. Any person that violates this section will be liable upon conviction to a Class J penalty under s. 61-16. Each and every violation of the ordinance would constitute a separate offense.
