With the new law, “Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule both Realtors and clients will be affected. I believe one such affect; will be the falling value of homes built before 1978.

Here are my reasons …

First, the law requires that Lead Safe Certified Firms (certified contractors) basically do any work that disturbs a painted/stained surface. This dramatically increases the cost of repairs and renovations.

Secondly, insurance companies realize that they will have to pay higher hourly rates to these Lead Safe Certified Firms. This means that they will increase premiums on homes built before 1978.

Thirdly, Lead Safe Certified Firms use Certified Renovators. Many of the Certified Renovators are testing for lead based paint before work begins. Test results are then given to the homeowner, who must disclose them at time of sale … possibly showing that lead based paint exist.

Fourthly, the law recent was changed to where Lead Safe Certified Firms are required to give paperwork of their work practices to the homeowner. This paperwork will need to be given to the potential buyer along with the lead disclosure. Potential buyer sees this paperwork and it make them nervous.

Fifthly, the law is planning to change next year. Clearance testing will be required on certain renovation projects. Clearance is basically dust sampling. Many of these dust samplings will show that lead based paint does exist.

While many new home buyers are willing to purchase a home where no lead based paint is known (but could be there) … with the things mentioned above … many homebuyers won’t be interested in buying homes that actually have known lead based paint (and possible lead hazards) in the home. Thus, the price of homes will go dramatically down in the near future.

Dean
Lead Inspector

Lead/schmed. Educate your buyers and then a little lead paint won't be an issue, considering the greater risk when they step outside:

“California has led the nation in fighting pollution yet we still face enormous challenges to improve our air quality,” Jane Warner, president and chief executive officer of the American Lung Association in California. “More Californians die each year from air pollution than die in car accidents. We can and must do more to protect the health of the people of this great state,” Warner continued.

Air pollution takes a considerable toll on California, not only in lives but in major health care costs. Annually, the state’s dirty air causes 19,000 premature deaths, 9,400 hospitalizations and more than 300,000 respiratory illnesses including asthma and acute bronchitis.

source: http://www.turlockjournal.com/news/archive/4041/

19,000 / 365 = 52 dead Californians PER DAY

Not all structures prior to 1978 have lead paint.The new rule allows for testing.If the structure comes out negative for sampling then you do not need remediation.

I can already see testing companies falsifying test results so that rehabbers don't have to do expensive remediation.The investor just slips them some coin an doff you go.

What will probably happen is eventually the EPA will get wise to these workarounds and close the loops.

You can still do work your self as long as you are not disturbing a large area.I have know about this since last year.
This also applies to apartment buildings as well in most instances.

So forget a house what about rehabbing a 100 unit apartment building ?

The burn methods and other cheap rehab to get rid of lead paint are no longer allowed.I tell my investors to offer really low to compensate for increased costs of lead remediation on the rehab.

The rule does not apply to owners either, as I understand it.

From Artiste "Lead/schmed. Educate your buyers and then a little lead paint won't be an issue, considering the greater risk when they step outside"

Air pollution is an important issue, but Realtors won't get sued from air pollution. Pre-April 22, 2010 it would be Lead/schmed. Post April 22, 2010 it is a very different game as far as Realtors realize.

You are correct, in that not all structures have lead based paint. Some estimate that 75% do. The older the home, the more likely it does and the more likely the concentration of lead is heavier.

Investors/flippers actually need to become a Lead Certified Firm in many cases. So they can get fined on that alone.

A homeowner can do work themselves and not follow the RRP. However, when it comes to selling the home ... they will begin having problems with lead hazards, since no precautions were made and most likely lead dust is everywhere.

And the carrots will kill you too these days. It is a FACT that nearly every dead person consumed carrots at some point leading up to their demise. Many consumed them on the SAME DAY as their deaths occured, but more ate them within 1 WEEK of their deaths, and even more ate them within 1 MONTH.

How come you never here anyone talk about this? All of the evidence is out there. But do we have the courage to confront the carrot growers lobby? NO. The Big Carrot Industry must be dealt with and brought to justice. Where is Obama on this?

I bet you have not even heard him mention it. Does not suprise me. NO ADMININISTRATION has had the courage to.

Not trying to argue and not trying to argue if lead poisoning is or is not a problem.

If it is or is not a problem won't help a Realtor in a civil lawsuit or EPA fine for non-compliance. All of us may think lead poisoning is not happening, but that has nothing to do with fines/lawsuits for going against the law.

Maybe if we published the names of 52 dead-from-air-pollution people every day on the front page of the newspaper; we'd know to care and do something about it.

In the meantime, while people are dropping dead from pollution and we shouldn't even offer our clients a glass of water anymore, I'll be sure to tell them that lead paint is going to kill them/cost them some extra money.

Does this also mean that the dust from lead pencils could kill us too??????

It would; but "lead" pencils are made of graphite, which is a natural carbon . . . . so you can eat them or chew on them to your heart's content. It must be an ancient Urban Myth that they were made of lead. Lead doesn't leave nearly as dark or lustrous an impression.

I'd hate to tell you what some people do with them besides writing dirty smudgey words.

Air pollution is acceptable in moderation. 52 people per day given the population of California is not excessive, given the great benefits that exist for all due to industrialization.

Native Americans didn't have to worry about air pollution. Just dying at 35 years old from all manner of savagery. Everyone has to die of something, and the life expectacy of Californians is not appreciably lower than anywhere else.

In any case, the green movement doesn't care about human deaths or a clean planet. The true goal is to stop industry, achievement, progress, and liberty. They hate quality and they hate people who are effective. Why? Envy. Because they are ineffective and jealous of those who achieve great wealth and bring prosperity to the people they are trying to control. Their goal is always to pass a law to STOP something rather than worry about building anything. Really a horrible bunch of losers I think.

I do not have a sensitivity to these claims of deaths by the minute. I view them with heightened skepticism. Commonly it is a tactic of using an emotional lasso to garner support for something controling and costly, but cloaked as something benevolant.

My favorite example is the bicycle helmet. Were our parents and grandparents that dumb or just that lucky they managed to survive life without our wisdom and foresight to put a helmet on to ride the bike down the street? Or could it be they were risk takers and we are scaredy cats.

Well, I don't think the point of the thread is to discuss the validity of the dangers of lead paint but rather how these new laws/regulations/rules are going to affect us in a practical sense.

I agree with Perky