Friedman and Ranzenhofer, PC Law Blog, Landlord Tenant

NY Landlords Fined $12.8 Million For Lead Paint Safety Violations

NY Landlords Fined $12.8 Million For Lead Paint Safety Violations

Lead is a highly toxic metal that can cause serious and irreversible health problems, particularly for children under the age of six. Even low levels of lead in blood can affect brain development, causing learning disabilities, attention deficits, and long-term harm. Buffalo, NY has one of the highest rates of childhood lead poisoning in the nation, with children of color and those living in low-income neighborhoods disproportionately affected.

As the result of New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ (“NYSAG) efforts to hold Buffalo, Syracuse and NYC landlords and property managers accountable for violating New York lead poisoning prevention laws and to protect children and families from dangerous lead poisoning in their homes, New York landlords have been compelled to pay over $12.8 million in the following  six cases:

  1. $515,000 :from Buffalo landlord Farhad Raiszadeh and his associated companies (Raiszadeh Group) for failing to properly address lead-based paint hazards. An agreement, filed on September 5, 2025 in Erie County New York Supreme Court, requires the Raiszadeh Group (“RG”) to correct unsafe and deteriorating conditions at rental properties they own in Buffalo, which  primarily were rented to low-income families of color many of which are located in low-income neighborhoods. RG failed for years to properly address peeling and deteriorating lead paint, despite persistent warnings and citations from the City of Buffalo and Erie County. These violations, documented in hundreds of city and county inspections since 2008, contributed to the lead poisoning of 14 children living in RG’s properties between 2017 and 2025. 75% of 78 properties which RG owned and managed were cited by inspectors for conditions conducive to lead poisoning, and all of its buildings were presumed to contain some lead paint.

NYSAG requires RG to:

  • Pay $70,000 to fund a tenant relief fund, which will be disbursed to families of children poisoned by lead in his properties.
  • Spend at least $445,000 on certified hazard inspections and remediation work.
  • Hire an EPA-certified risk assessor to evaluate properties within 30 days.
  • Have a third-party monitor oversee all work.
  • Submit quarterly progress reports to NYSAG, Erie County, and the City of Buffalo.
  • All existing city and county housing code violations related to lead must be corrected within 60 days, and all lead remediation work must be completed within 18 months.
  • If remediation work requires tenants to temporarily relocate, the landlords must provide safe, nearby accommodations at no cost or offer compensation to end their lease
  • Sale of any identified properties are prohibited until they have been certified lead-safe,
  • Annual third-party inspections of all New York rental properties owned by RG for the next four years.
  • Every tenant must receive an EPA-approved lead hazard disclosure form, a lead safety information pamphlet, and copies of any inspection reports for their home.
  • If RG fails to comply with the settlement terms, an additional suspended penalty of up to $445,000 plus interest.
  1. $6.5 million from Lilmor Management, one of New York City’s worst landlords, for persistent violations of lead paint, mold, and housing maintenance laws (December 2024).
  2.   $175,000 settlement with Syracuse landlord Todd Hobbs for failing to address lead-based paint hazards at his rental properties, where most tenants were low-income families.Shuts Down Landlord Who Exposed Children to Lead Poisoning
  3. $310,000 settlement with Syracuse landlord William D’Angelo for repeated and persistent violations of lead safety laws at 22 rental properties. (February 2024)
  4. $215,000 to prevent the exposure of children to lead paint within the City of Syracuse or Onondaga County, and/or to provide assistance to the families affected by lead poisoning. NYSAG shut down Syracuse landlord John Kiggins and his company, Endzone Properties, Inc., for repeatedly violating lead paint laws and failing to address lead paint hazards, which resulted in the lead poisoning of 18 children living in Endzone properties in Syracuse Down Shuts Down Landlord Who Exposed Children to Lead Poisoning (June 2022).
  5. $5.1 million judgment in restitution and penalties to fund ongoing childhood lead poisoning prevention programs administered by the City of Buffalo and Erie County, as a result of a  lawsuit against a group of individuals and companies in the Buffalo region for illegally allowing lead paint-related hazards to proliferate in their rental properties. (November 2022).

Call or text Buffalo Landlord Premises Liability  Attorneys Justin R. Friedman and Robert Friedman at 716-543-3764 for advice on lead paint poisoning.

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