Federal probe leads to Mayor Bill De Blasio signing five bills in February that deal with New York City’s persistent lead-based paint problem with four of them targeting landlords. While many NYC landlords are complying with the cities lead paint laws according to a recent NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) audit, many are not, placing too many children at risk.
• Effective August 9, 2020, a bill requires that owners must have the building checked for lead hazards and lead-based paint inspected within five years of the effective date by an inspector certified by the Environmental Protection Agency. If a child under 6 years of age was residing in an apartment, owners will have one year to complete a full inspection of that unit.
Lead–Based paint hazards are presumed to exist in dwelling units and common areas if:
o The building was built before January 1, 1960;
o The building has three or more apartments; and
o A child under the age of six resides in the dwelling unit.