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MASSACHUSETTS LEAD LAW
NOTIFICATION FOR RENTALS

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Tenant Lead Law Notification
What lead paint forms must owners of rental homes give to new tenants?
Before renting a home built before 1978, the property owner and the new tenant must sign two copies of this
Tenant Lead Law Notificationand Tenant Certification Form, and the property owner must give the tenant
one of the signed copies to keep. If any of the following forms exist for the unit, tenants must also be given a
copy of them: lead inspection or risk assessment report, Letter of Compliance, or Letter of Interim Control.
This form is for compliance with both Massachusetts and federal lead notification requirements.
What is lead poisoning and who is at risk of becoming lead poisoned?
Lead poisoning is a disease. It is most dangerous for children under six years old. It can cause permanent harm
to young children's brain, kidneys, nervous system and red blood cells. Even at low levels, lead in children's
bodies can slow growth and cause learning and behavior problems. Young children are more easily and more
seriously poisoned than others, but older children and adults can become lead poisoned too. Lead in the body of
a pregnant woman can hurt her baby before birth and cause problems with the pregnancy. Adults who become
lead poisoned can have problems having children, and can have high blood pressure, stomach problems, nerve
problems, memory problems and muscle and joint pain.
How do children and adults become lead poisoned?
Lead is often found in paint on the inside and outside of homes built before 1978. The lead paint in these homes
causes almost all lead poisoning in young children. The main way children get lead poisoning is from swallowing
lead paint dust and chips. Lead is so harmful that even a small amount can poison a child. Lead paint under
layers of nonleaded paint can still poison children, especially when it is disturbed, such as through normal wear
and tear and home repair work.
Lead paint dust and chips in the home most often come from peeling or chipping lead painted surfaces; lead
paint on moving parts of windows or on window parts that are rubbed by moving parts; lead paint on surfaces
that get bumped or walked on, such as floors, porches, stairs, and woodwork; and lead paint on surfaces that
stick out which a child may be able to mouth such as window sills.
Most lead poisoning is caused by children's normal behavior of putting their hands or other things in their
mouths. If their hands or these objects have touched lead dust, this may add lead to their bodies. A child can also
get lead from other sources, such as soil and water, but these rarely cause lead poisoning by themselves. Lead
can be found in soil near old, lead-painted homes. If children play in bare, leaded soil, or eat vegetables or fruits
grown in such soil, or if leaded soil is tracked into the home from outside and gets on children's hands or toys,
lead may enter their bodies. Most adult lead poisoning is caused by adults breathing in or swallowing lead dust
at work, or, if they live in older homes with lead paint, through home repairs.
How can you find out if someone is lead poisoned?
Most people who are lead poisoned do not have any special symptoms. The only way to find out if a child or
adult is lead poisoned is to have his or her blood tested. Children in Massachusetts must be tested at least once a
year from the time they are between nine months and one year old until they are four years old. Your doctor,
other health care provider or Board of Health can do this. A lead poisoned child will need medical care. A home
with lead paint must be deleaded for a lead poisoned child to get well.
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What kind of homes are more likely to have lead paint?
In 1978, the United States government banned lead from house paint. Lead paint can be found in all types of
homes built before 1978: single-family and multi-family; homes in cities, suburbs or the countryside; private
housing or state or federal public housing. The older the home, the more likely it is to have lead paint. The older
the paint, the higher its lead content is likely to be.
Can regular home repairs cause lead poisoning?
There is a danger of lead poisoning any time painted surfaces inside or outside the home are scraped for
repainting, or woodwork is stripped or removed, or windows or walls are removed. This is because lead paint is
found in almost all Massachusetts homes built before 1978, and so many of Massachusetts' homes are old.
Special care must be taken whenever home repair work is done. No one should use power sanders, open flame
torches, or heat guns to remove lead paint, since these methods create a lot of lead dust and fumes. Ask the
owner of your home if a lead inspection has been done. The inspection report will tell you which surfaces have
lead paint and need extra care in setting up for repair work, doing the repairs, and cleaning up afterwards.
Temporarily move your family (especially children and pregnant women) out of the home while home repair
work is being done and cleaned up. If this is not possible, tape up plastic sheets to completely seal off the area
where the work is going on. No one should do repair work in older homes without learning about safe ways to
do the work to reduce the danger of lead dust. Hundreds of cases of childhood and adult lead poisoning happen
each year from home repair work.
What can you do to prevent lead poisoning?
• Talk to your child's doctor about lead.
• Have your child tested for lead at least once a year until he/she is four years old.
• Ask the owner if your home has been deleaded or call the state Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention
Program (CLPPP) at 1-800-532-9571, or your local Board of Health.
• Tell the owner if you have a new baby, or if a new child under six years old lives with you.
• If your home was deleaded, but has peeling paint, tell and write the owner. If he/she does not respond, call
CLPPP or your local Board of Health.
• Make sure only safe methods are used to paint or make repairs to your home, and to clean up afterwards.
• If your home has not been deleaded, you can do some things to temporarily reduce the chances of your child
becoming lead poisoned. You can clean your home regularly with paper towels and any household detergent
and warm water to wipe up dust and loose paint chips. Rub hard to get rid of more lead. When you are done,
put the dirty paper towels in a plastic bag and throw them out. The areas to clean most often are window
wells, sills, and floors. Wash your child's hands often (especially before eating or sleeping) and wash your
child's toys, bottles and pacifiers often. Make sure your child eats foods with lots of calcium and iron, and
avoid foods and snacks that are high in fat. If you think your soil may have lead in it, have it tested. Use a
door mat to help prevent dirt from getting into your home. Cover bare leaded dirt by planting grass or
bushes, and use mats, bark mulch or other ground covers under swings and slides. Plant gardens away from
old homes, or in pots using new soil. Remember, the only way to permanently lower the risk of your child
getting lead poisoned is to have your home deleaded if it contains lead paint.
How do you find out where lead paint hazards may be in a home?
The only way to know for sure is to have a lead inspection or risk assessment done. The lead inspector will test
the surfaces of your home and give the landlord and you a written report that tells you where there is lead in
amounts that are a hazard by state law. For interim control, a temporary way to have your home made safe from
lead hazards, a risk assessor does a lead inspection plus a risk assessment. During a risk assessment, the
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home is checked for the most serious lead hazards, which must be fixed right away. The risk assessor would
give the landlord and you a written report of the areas with too much lead and the serious lead hazards. Lead
inspectors and risk assessors have been trained, licensed by the Department of Public Health, and have
experience using the state-approved methods for testing for lead paint. These methods are use of a sodium
sulfide solution, a portable x-ray fluorescence machine or lab tests of paint samples. You can get a list of
licensed lead inspectors and risk assessors from CLPPP.
In Massachusetts, what must the owner of a home built before 1978 do if a child under six years old lives
there?
An owner of a home in Massachusetts built before 1978 must have the home inspected for lead if a child under
six years old lives there. If lead hazards are found, the home must be deleaded or brought under interim control.
Only a licensed deleader may do high-risk deleading work, such as removing lead paint or repairing chipping
and peeling lead paint.You can get a list of licensed deleaders from the state Department of Labor and
Workforce Development. Deleaders are trained to use safe methods to prepare to work, do the deleading, and
clean up. Either a deleader, the owner or someone who works for the owner who is not a licensed deleader can
do certain other deleading and interim control work. Owners and workers must have special training to perform
the deleading tasks they may do. After the work is done, the lead inspector or risk assessor checks the home. He
or she may take dust samples to test for lead, to make sure the home has been properly cleaned up. If everything
is fine, he or she gives the owner a Letter of Compliance or Letter of Interim Control. After getting one of these
letters, the owner must take care of the home and make sure there is no peeling paint.
What is a Letter of Compliance?
It is a legal letter under state law that says either that there are no lead paint hazards or that the home has been
deleaded. The letter is signed and dated by a licensed lead inspector.
What is a Letter of Interim Control?
It is a legal letter under state law that says work necessary to make the home temporarily safe from serious lead
hazards has been done. The letter is signed and dated by a licensed risk assessor. It is good for one year, but can
be renewed for another year. The owner must fully delead the home and get a Letter of Compliance before the
end of the second year.
Where can I learn more about lead poisoning?
Massachusetts Department of Public Health Your local lead poisoning prevention program
Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) or your local Board of Health
(For more copies of this form, as well as a full range of
information on lead poisoning prevention, tenants' rights U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
and responsibilities under the MA Lead Law, how to (Information about lead in consumer products)
clean lead dust and chips, healthy foods to protect your 1-800-638-2772
children, financial help for owners, safe deleading and
renovation work, and soil testing.) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region I
617-753-8400, 1-800-532-9571
(Information about federal laws on lead)
617-565-3420
Massachusetts Department of Labor and
Workforce Development National Lead Information Center
(List of licensed deleaders) (General lead poisoning information)
617-969-7177, 1-800-425-0004 1-800-LEAD-FYI
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Tenant Certification Form
Required Federal Lead Warning Statement
Housing built before 1978 may contain lead-based paint. Lead from paint, paint chips, and dust can pose health hazards if not
managed properly. Lead exposure is especially harmful to young children and pregnant women. Before renting pre-1978
housing, lessors must disclose the presence of known lead-based paint and/or lead-based paint hazards in the dwelling. Lessees
must also receive a federally approved pamphlet on lead poisoning prevention. The Massachusetts Tenant Lead Law
Notification and Certification Form is for compliance with state and federal lead notification requirements.
Owner's Disclosure
(a) Presence of lead-based paint and/or lead-based paint hazards (check (i) or (ii) below):
(i)
Known lead-based paint and/or lead-based paint hazards are present in the housing (explain).
(ii)
Owner/Lessor has no knowledge of lead-based paint and/or lead-based paint hazards in the housing.
(b) Records and reports available to the owner/lessor (Check (i) or (ii) below):
(i)
Owner/ Lessor has provided the tenant with all available records and reports pertaining to lead -based
paint and/or lead-based paint hazards in the housing (circle documents below).
Lead Inspection Report; Risk Assessment Report; Letter of Interim Control; Letter of Compliance
(ii)
Owner/Lessor has no reports or records pertaining to lead-based paint and/or lead-based paint hazards in the
housing.
Tenant's Acknowledgment (initial)
(c)
Tenant has received copies of all documents circled above. (d)
Tenant has received no documents listed above.
(e)
Tenant has received the Massachusetts Tenant Lead Law Notification.
Agent's Acknowledgment (initial)
(f)
Agent has informed the owner/lessor of the owner's/lessor's obligations under federal and state law for lead-based paint
disclosure and notification and is aware of his/her responsibility to ensure compliance.
Certification of Accuracy
The following parties have reviewed the information above and certify, to the best of their knowledge, that the information they
have provided is true and accurate.
Owner/Lessor
Date
Owner/Lessor
Date
Tenant
Date
Tenant
Date
Agent
Date
Agent
Date
Owner/Managing Agent Information for Tenant (Please Print):
Name
Street
Apt.
City/Town
Zip
Telephone
I (owner/managing agent) certify that I provided the Tenant Lead Law Notification/ Tenant Certification Form and any
existing Lead Law documents to the tenant, but the tenant refused to sign this certification.
The tenant gave the following reason:
The Massachusetts Lead Law prohibits rental discrimination, including refusing to rent to families with children or evicting
families with children because of lead paint.
Contact the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program for information on the availability of this form in other languages.
Tenant and owner must each keep a completed and signed copy of this form.