Federal agencies stepped up enforcement of the Rule in 2001, when they announced several high-profile enforcement actions. In addition to settling civil and administrative enforcement actions against landlords in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles in October 2001, EPA and the United States Attorney’s Office criminally prosecuted a New Hampshire man and his company later that year for violating the Disclosure Rule and obstructing justice. The defendant leased an apartment to the family of a two-year-old girl who died of lead poisoning in April 2000 and subsequently forged documents certifying that the girl’s mother and others in the building had received the required disclosure information. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison and fined $40,000. While criminal prosecutions under the Disclosure Rule are rare, they serve to send a message to property owners that blatant disregard for the law will not be tolerated.

Federal agencies also have effectively used the Rule to require large rental property owners and managers to control lead hazards in many properties around the country. In the largest disclosure settlement to date, a Denver-based company agreed with HUD and EPA in January 2002 to assess and remediate lead hazards in more than 130,000 units in 47 states and the District of Columbia and to pay a fine of $129,580. Between 2001 and 2005, other large property owners with units in Minnesota, Virginia, and Wisconsin made important repairs to lead hazards in their units under HUD- and EPA-imposed settlements.