Is it illegal for landlords to not inform tenants of asbestos on the property?
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Is it illegal for landlords to not inform tenants of asbestos on the property?
I have been living in my apartment building for a year now. Never knew that the roof here was asbestos, until a few days ago. That was when the roofers appeared to take it down. The landlord did not inform any of the tenants that this would be going on or that the roof was asbestos. Is it legal for the landlord to start the removal process without informing the residents or even letting them know that there was this poison on the property? If I knew the roof was asbestos, I wouldn’t have even moved in.
Asked on November 17, 2011 under Real Estate Law, Iowa
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
Although asbestos is well known to cause cancer (asbestsos) by asbestos particles being trapped in one's lungs, the landlord is not required to advise his or her tenants that the roof on the apartment building is made of asbestos and is a health issue unless the landlord has been advised that the roof has "hot" or active asbestos particles that could cause danger to humans.
Typically asbestos that is on a home's exterior is not a health issue because the dangerous particles that can get inhaled by humans are swept away by the elements and are not in concentrated amounts outside.
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