Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:1470 – Mold informational pamphlet; liability of licensees
Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:1470
- Buyer: includes a lessee. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:1431
- Commission: means the Louisiana Real Estate Commission. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:1431
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
- Licensee: means any person who has been issued a license by the commission to participate in any activity described in this Section. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:1431
- Mold: means any form of multicellular fungi that live on plant or animal matter and in indoor or outdoor environments. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:1431
- Real estate: shall mean and include condominiums and leaseholds, as well as any other interest in land, with the exceptions of oil, gas and other minerals and whether the real estate is situated in this state or elsewhere. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:1431
- Real estate transaction: means the selling, offering for sale, buying, offering to buy, soliciting for prospective purchasers, managing, offering to manage, leasing, offering to lease, renting, or offering to rent any real estate or improvements thereon, or any business or other entity whose assets include real estate or leases of real estate. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:1431
- Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
A.(1) By April 1, 2004, the commission shall, by rule, in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, approve a mold informational pamphlet, which may be distributed to buyers by licensees in connection with any real estate transaction entered into on or after July 1, 2004.
(2) If the licensee delivers the mold informational pamphlet to the buyer, he shall do so at or before the time a lease, rental agreement, or contract for sale is entered into by the parties.
B. If the licensee delivers the mold informational pamphlet to the buyer, the licensee is not required to provide any additional information concerning mold. The information contained in the mold informational pamphlet shall be deemed to be adequate to inform the buyer regarding common mold-related hazards that can affect real property.
C. The licensee shall not be held liable for any error, inaccuracy, or omission of any information contained in the mold informational pamphlet delivered pursuant to this Section, if either of the following applies:
(1) The error, inaccuracy, or omission was not within the personal knowledge of the licensee.
(2) The error, inaccuracy, or omission was based on information provided to the licensee by the commission, a public agency, or by other persons providing relevant information by delivery of a report or opinion prepared by an expert dealing with matters within the relevant scope of his professional license, and ordinary care was exercised by the licensee in obtaining and transmitting such information.
D. Nothing in this Section shall alter or affect the existing disclosure duties of any party to a real estate transaction, or their agents, including but not limited to the duty of a licensee to disclose any known material defect regarding the condition of the property.
Acts 2003, No. 1123, §1, eff. July 2, 2003.