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DESCRIPTION OF THE STRATEGY
Tenant turnover presents an excellent opportunity for deteriorated paint and other potential lead hazards to be identified and corrected because the safety and convenience of occupants are not an issue in a vacant unit. Rental property owners can be required to assess and control any lead hazards after the departing tenant leaves but before the new tenant occupies the unit.
BENEFITS
Immediate/Direct
Results:
Regular maintenance to correct or prevent lead-based paint hazards reduces the risk of child exposure to lead.
Public Health
Benefits:
Triggering corrective action by landlords at the time of vacancy institutionalizes lead safety and primary prevention.
Other
Indirect/Collateral Benefits:
The overall quality of rental housing is improved. Property owners that perform turnover treatments may avoid the high cost of lead abatement that may be required if a child is poisoned and benefit from increased liability protection and lower insurance premiums.
Scope of Potential Impact
Statewide City - or - County - Wide
PRIMARY ACTOR(S)
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KEY PARTNER(S)
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Inspection, Code, or Building Agency
Property Owners
| Tenants
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CRITICAL ELEMENTS
Staff
requirements:
The number of staff needed depends on the size of the jurisdiction and number of rental units.
Other resource requirements:
A database of rental housing must exist or be created. Some enforcement presence is needed to monitor and enforce compliance.
Institutional
capacity required:
Statute, ordinance, or code that requires assessment and control at the time of or prior to tenant turnover; statutory authority to enforce such requirements; and enough code inspectors to implement it.
Cost
considerations:
Costs associated with creating and maintaining a rental property database; salary and other costs related to monitoring and enforcement.
Timing issues:
None.
Feasibility of
Implementation:
Variable. For jurisdictions with an existing rental property database and an active code enforcement program, this strategy has the potential to generate profound change with little cost. Jurisdictions with weak code enforcement programs will find this strategy difficult to implement.
Potential Obstacles/Barriers
Since it is impossible for code inspectors to know when rental property is turning over, this strategy’s success depends on substantial voluntary property owner compliance as well as an educated renter population. Also, turnover treatment may be difficult in tight rental markets where new tenants need to occupy units quickly—such as “on the first of the month” because the leases on their previous homes expired the day before.
Additional Resources
1. | R.I. Gen. Laws §42-128.1-4(5) |
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