Handyman · Northville, MI · Member since 2019 · 23 posts · 7 votes
Hey Everybody, after finding a potential fix and flip, I noticed mold and asbestos. That got me thinking about lead based paint. This is a house build in 1930 in Garden City, MI. What are the chances this house is covered in lead based paint? Should I be getting any property built before 1978 tested for lead? I feel like this is something not talked about that much, but something that terrifies me as either a fix and flipper or landlord! Any body have an input on this subject? Thanks for your time!
Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2018 · 6k+ posts · 9k+ votes
7y
Chill out . all my buildings probably had lead at one time or another . Around here it’s not a big deal it is just assumed and you simply have tenants sign a disclosure about it that it hasn’t been tested but may contain lead . If you have a lot of chipped paint around the unit scrape it off and repaint it is all . No sense in tearing the place apart or paying big money to fix it .
Specialist · Pelham, NH · Member since 2013 · 544 posts · 269 votes
7y
Check your state laws, do not take anyone's advice on this thread. At best, they only have knowledge of their state's laws, which can cause you serious legal problems. I'm licensed in MA, so I don't know the laws in MI and would never try to tell you what you need to do there.
However, I can tell you MA state law says that you can't rent to families with kids under 6 unless the property has been made lead safe and there's a Lead Certificate on file. If you do, you can be sued... and landlords are losing millions of dollars.
Also, if the property has an inspection on file and it was never abated and you renovate, you are performing Unauthorized Deleading (UD) and you will never be able to get a lead certificate on that property. The best you can hope for would be a letter of environmental compliance. Once the property has a lead inspection done, it MUST be deleaded by a licensed deleader. If the property has never been inspected, you're free to renovate using RRP guidelines. However, if you do things to specifically try to delead, you are going to get flagged for UD. So I'd suggest you not try to encapsulate the paint yourself. Also, there are different laws on what we can encapsulate and what needs to be replaced, covered, or scraped and who's allowed to do which.
Also, in MA, if you buy a property that has not been deleaded, and you don't start the deleading process within 90 days, you will be held liable for previous tenants that may file suit. Even if they were there 5 years before you owned the property, you are liable. If you start the deleading within 90 days of closing on the property, you are no longer liable for past tenants. It's a way MA is trying to get all units lead safe.
I'd suggest looking through this site if you want to learn about lead at the Federal level: https://www.epa.gov/lead You might be able to find something on there that points you to your state specific laws.