diff --git a/yamllint/linter.py b/yamllint/linter.py
index 0fe2e0c..c4b8bf4 100644
--- a/yamllint/linter.py
+++ b/yamllint/linter.py
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ PROBLEM_LEVELS = {
 
 class LintProblem(object):
     """Represents a linting problem found by yamllint."""
-    def __init__(self, line, column, desc='<no description>', rule=None):
+    def __init__(self, line, column, desc='<no description>', rule=None, level=None):
         #: Line on which the problem was found (starting at 1)
         self.line = line
         #: Column on which the problem was found (starting at 1)
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ class LintProblem(object):
         self.desc = desc
         #: Identifier of the rule that detected the problem
         self.rule = rule
-        self.level = None
+        self.level = level
 
     @property
     def message(self):