As of April 2010, owners of all properties built before 1978, including market-rate properties, will have to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) lead safety regulations.
Under these regulations, if renovation or repair work undertaken on a covered property disturbs more than six square feet of surface area for interior work or 20 square feet for exterior work, the work must be carried out by certified renovator.
Residents must be notified and provided with a copy of an EPA pamphlet, and there are recordkeeping requirements for owners. The rules also create additional compliance obligations for properties that receive federal assistance, including Section 8 vouchers, beyond the existing Lead Safe Housing regulations.
To help you understand your obligations, NMHC announces a new white paper, Complying with Federal Lead-Based Paint Renovation, Repair and Painting Regulations for Pre-1978 Properties.
This guidance outlines property owners’ compliance obligations and clarifies important issues for federally assisted properties. It also outlines a number of unanswered questions posed to the regulatory agencies by NMHC. It is available at www.nmhc.org/goto/RRP.