Toledo, OH New Lead Rental Ordinance

As the Lucas County Health Department (LCHD) has added a new time ticker countdown to the deadline of the Toledo Lead Paint Ordinance compliance date, there are 4 vital reasons why landlords need to get their rental in Tier 1 inspected as soon as possible.

1. Financial Sense:
As of right now, most of the Toledo Lead Inspectors are not as busy with prices range around $300 per inspection. However, with more than 12,000 units to inspect these prices will go up as soon as 2018 comes around. By then, landlords have no choice but to rush into a feeding frenzy to avoid the $50 per day penalty as of July 1 2018.

Make sure you contact a lead inspector today!

2. The Experience Factor:
There are about 100 Toledo lead inspectors registered with LCHD today and the vast majority of them are part time. This translates to actual 40-45 full time lead inspectors. Most of these inspectors have not done any inspections at all and they have no experience in the field. The longer you wait, the most likely you'll have to accept the first lead inspector who answers the phone with no experience.

Always ask for references and experience.

3. Inspection Process Probing:
The correct way to inspect a unit takes about 1-4 weeks of planning especially when it's occupied. First, the pre-inspection consultation to point out any lead hazards that will fail the inspection. Second, fixing the lead hazards to pass the visual inspection such as scraping and painting windows. Third, the final cleaning on inspection day. All of these steps have to be coordinated with tenants in mind which takes time.

Talk with your tenants to coordinate lead inspection ASAP.

4. Enforcement:
I hear landlords on a daily basis stating that the city doesn't have the resources to enforce the law. LCHD and Department of Neighborhoods have taken 4 landlords in the last few months to court in regards to lead paint problems.

Fact: Department of Neighborhoods is the only sector in Toledo that makes money due to fines.

Adam Atassi