Lead poisoning can be prevented – as long as landlords and tenants know how to reduce or eliminate exposure to lead dust and deteriorated lead paint and what danger signs to look for.
Ways to Keep Your Rental Property Lead Safe
Keep the paint in your apartment in good condition.
- Take care of any water leaks or moisture problems in your apartment. Moisture can cause paint to break down faster.
- Cover areas with peeling paint or plaster with duct tape or contact paper until it can be repaired by a lead-safe certified contractor.
- Hire only lead-safe certified contractors. It is the law. The EPA’s Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) rule requires contractors who work on homes built before 1978 to be trained and certified in using lead-safe work practices.
Identify potential sources of lead in and around your apartment.
- Lead can be found in many places in your apartment, such as in peeling and chipping lead paint, dust from lead paint, soil around the building, tap water from lead pipes or lead solder.
- If you see chipping or peeling paint inside an apartment, cover areas peeling paint or plaster with duct tape or contact paper until it can be repaired by lead-safe certified contractor. Wet clean using lead-safe techniques to avoid spreading lead in the apartment. Lead dust cannot safely be cleaned up by traditional cleaning methods, such as sweeping or vacuuming with an ordinary vacuum cleaner.
Renovating, Repairing, or Painting Your Home or Property
In 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) rule went into effect. The EPA’s RRP rule requires contractors who work on homes built before 1978 to be trained and certified in using lead-safe work practices. If painting and home improvement activities disturb lead paint, they can create a lead hazard by producing pain dust, chips, or fumes which can poison family members, visitors, and neighbors. Lead dust cannot safely be cleaned up by traditional cleaning methods, such as sweeping or vacuuming with an ordinary vacuum cleaner.
Repairs that create even a small amount of lead dust are enough to harm children. To protect your tenants and their families renting an apartment that was built before 1978, make sure you hire a contractor who is Lead-Safe Certified. It is the law! Visit the EPA’s website to find a Lead-Safe Certified Contractor in your area or call 800-424-LEAD-FREE.
Protect Your Family – Look for the Lead Safe Logo!
Testing Your Home or Property for Lead Hazards
There are several options for testing your home for lead hazards.
- Household Lead Test Kit: You can buy kits, such as 3M’s LeadCheck Swabs ®, at a hardware store. However, these kits will not tell you if there is lead paint covered by a layer of non-leaded paint.
- Send paint samples to a certified laboratory.
- Lead Dust Tests: Simple and quick kits can identify if there is a lead dust problem in your building.
- Soil Tests: You may want to test areas near your building where children play.
- Water Tests: Public water supplies are tested for lead. You can contact them to find out the test results. You can also get the water in your properties tested for lead on you own, which is especially important if your water comes from a private well.
- Professional Lead Inspectors: You can hire a professional lead inspector to test your property. A professional inspector will be able to measure lead in paint, even if it is covered. They can also test your soil, dust, and water for lead.
Learn more about testing for lead hazards.
Eliminating Lead Hazards in Your Property
There are several methods that can be used to eliminate lead hazards in your rental properties. Repainting is not a permanent solution, but may reduce lead exposure. In addition, lead-painted objects can be replaced with lead-free replacements (e.g., doors, window casings, moldings, and trim). Consider permanently covering surfaces that cannot be replaced. For example, floors and walls can be covered with a permanent covering such as sheetrock, paneling, or floor tiles. If you want to remove lead paint permanently from your home or property, you can hire a lead abatement expert.
Selling or Renting a Property
Federal law requires sellers and landlords to provide an EPA-approved information pamphlet about identifying and controlling lead-based paint hazards, any known information about the presence of lead-based paint hazards, and language in the contract indicating that the seller has complied with the notification requirements. In addition, sellers must allow a 10-day period to conduct a paint inspection or risk assessment for lead-based paint. Learn more about the EPA’s requirements for sellers and landlords.
Resources for Landlords
- Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Renovate Right brochure (English and Spanish)
- Housing of Urban Development’s (HUD’s) Lead Paint Safety brochure
- EPA’s Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home
- EPA’s Reducing Lead Hazards When Remodeling Your Home
- Find a Lead-Safe Certified Contractor in your area
- For state-specific information, check out the resources below:
- Connecticut’s Lead Poisoning Prevention and Control Program
- Maine’s Lead Hazard Prevention Program
- Massachusetts’ Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program and Department of Labor Standards
- New Hampshire’s Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
- Rhode Island’s Lead Poisoning Information
- Vermont’s Lead Information for Property Owners