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Practice Tip <br />It is important that code enforcement <br />officials independently determine <br />which units to sample, rather than <br />letting owners select which units are <br />to be inspected. This ensures that <br />representative units, not just the <br />best-maintained ones, are inspected. <br />17A Guide to Proactive Rental Inspection Programschangelabsolutions.org <br />LEAD HAZARD INSPECTIONS <br />While lead-based paint was banned for residential use in 1978, lead remains a health <br />hazard for those who live in housing constructed prior to 1978, particularly for children. <br />Some PRI programs specifically address lead hazards. Rochester, New York, for example, <br />requires all multi-unit buildings to undergo visual assessment for deteriorated paint and <br />bare soil violations as part of housing inspection.124 Owners of housing containing five <br />or fewer units in identified high-risk areas are responsible for having dust samples taken <br />and tested, and submitting the results to the Lead Inspection Unit.125 When enacting <br />the law, Rochester established a citizen advisory group to assist with public education <br />and implementation.126 An independent evaluation of the ordinance found that by 2010 <br />(four years after the law was enacted), the city had inspected nearly all pre-1978 rental <br />units.127 This evaluation suggests that the lead law contributed significantly to declines <br />in children’s blood lead levels.128 In addition, 94% of units passed visual inspections <br />and 89% of units tested passed dust wipe inspections – much higher rates than were <br />predicted based on prior local and national studies – indicating lead safety of rental <br />housing had improved since enactment of the law.129 Finally, while property owners had <br />concerns that the cost of complying with the law would cause widespread abandonment <br />of rental properties due to low property values and narrow profit margins in Rochester’s <br />rental housing market, that scenario did not transpire.130 <br />Washington DC’s law requires rental property owners to obtain a clearance report from a <br />licensed professional, indicating that there are no lead dust hazards or deteriorated paint <br />in any pre-1979 homes that are to be occupied by a family with a child.131