Today we are talking about two subjects that are oldies but goodies; lead paint and mold. Knowing how to handle situations where there might be lead paint or mold in your property will help you minimize the exposure and harm that they can do to your tenants or to your home.
When you are dealing with rental property, sooner or later you will come across lead based paint issues. It has been around for decades, but the Lead Based Paint Disclosure Act did not get passed until 1996.
Understanding this Disclosure Act is very important if you are a landlord or a property manager. You must disclose the presence of this type of paint and provide a pamphlet to your tenants in any property that was built prior to 1978. Failure to do this can result in a pretty hefty fine. The purpose of the pamphlet is to inform the tenants about the risks that may be associated with lead based paint. Your disclosure will minimize their exposure to it. Subsequent to the Lead Based Paint Disclosure Act, we have seen the RRP, which is the Renovation and Repair Paint Act. This involves maintenance and repairs that may be done on a property that was built before 1978 and may contain lead based paint. Disturbing the lead paint surfaces during a remodel, a repair, replacement or upgrade can cause major problems and become hazardous. For this reason, certain repairs to the property must be handled by a contractor who is specifically licensed and certified to handle lead based paint.
Protecting your tenants is the very important goal here. You also want to minimize any damage to your property. Therefore, if you are doing repairs or maintenance to a home that was built before 1978, you have to take specific precautions. If you are working on an interior surface that disturbs more than six square feet or on an exterior surface that disturbs more than 20 square feet, a lead paint specialist is required to do the job.
Make sure you keep proper and updated records so you can prove you have been adhering to the laws and regulations surrounding lead based paint. Mold is another concern that can impact the health of your tenants and the value of your property. While there is no federal law requiring that you disclose any mold that may be in your property, you must understand the different types of mold that can exist and recognize the effects of mold and how to minimize the problems it can cause.
If you would like more information about mold or lead based paint, please contact us at RP Management. We have lots of experience in this area, and we’d be happy to help you.
