We are starting to see property managers and owners of pre 1978 rental housing sign up for our RRP trainings. The main focus for RRP training has been the residential contracting industry, with little promotion to individual property owners. It appears that property owners are starting to hear about the law. Property owners who own rental property built before 1978 must distribute the Renovate Right Brochure to their tenants. They must also use RRP lead safe practices if they disturb 6 square feet on the interior or 20 square feet on the exterior.
Are there enough trainers to train contractors and property owners?
The EPA estimates for the amount of companies to be trained nationally does not appear to include individual property owners who own pre 1978 rental housing. In the EPA Final Rule document they estimate that 211,000 companies will need to become certified. Already it is abundantly clear that the 211,000 number is woefully low. An article written in 2000 by Walt Stoeppelwerth, estimated that there were 800,000 contractors in America. This was before the boom and growth of the past decade. When you count contractors, trades, munincipal workers and the underground it is not hard to fathom that our industry has many more that need to be trained than reported. Now throw in property owners who own pre 1978 rental properties. The total count needing EPA RRP training may be potentially 2 million, 3 million, 4 million, 5 million, more?
Do you think there are enough accredited trainers to do the job?
If you are a property owner and have questions about EPA RRP training please contact me or view our RRP Training page.
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Information for Property Owners of Rental Housing, Child-Occupied Facilities from the EPA Website
Property owners who renovate, repair, or prepare surfaces for painting in pre-1978 rental housing or space rented by child-care facilities must, before beginning work, provide tenants with a copy of EPA's lead hazard information pamphlet Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools (PDF) (11 pp, 1.1MB) | en español (PDF) (11 pp, 2.4MB). Owners of these rental properties must document compliance with this requirement; EPA's sample pre-renovation disclosure form (PDF) (1 pp, 53K) may be used for this purpose.
After April 22, 2010, property owners who perform these projects in pre-1978 rental housing or space rented by child-care facilities must be certified and must follow the lead-safe work practices required by EPA's Renovation, Repair and Remodeling rule. To become certified, property owners must submit an application for firm certification (PDF) (9 pp, 642K) and fee payment to EPA. EPA began processing applications on October 22, 2009. The Agency has up to 90 days after receiving a complete request for certification to approve or disapprove the application.
Property owners who perform renovation, repairs, and painting jobs in rental property should also:
- Take training to learn how to perform lead-safe work practices.
- Learn the lead laws that apply to you regarding certification and lead-safe work practices beginning April 22, 2010.
- Keep records to demonstrate that you and your workers have been trained in lead-safe work practices and that you follow lead-safe work practices on the job. To make record keeping easier, you may use the sample recordkeeping checklist (PDF) (1 pg, 83K) that EPA has developed to help contractors comply with the renovation record keeping requirements that took effect April 22, 2010.
- Read about how to comply with EPA's rule in the EPA Small Entity Compliance Guide to Renovate Right (PDF) (32 pp, 5.5MB) | en español (PDF) (34 pp, 1.3MB).
- Read about how to use lead-safe work practices in EPA's Steps to Lead Safe Renovation, Repair and Painting (PDF) (36 pp, 878K) | en español (PDF) (36 pp, 1.5MB).
