Owner and Investor 

Lead-Safe Inspections

Investing in Lead Hazard Control Order Properties in Ohio

Do you live in a home built before 1978?

Are you buying a property built before 1978?

Are you investing in a property built before 1978?

Investing in Lead Hazard Control Order Properties in Ohio.

In Ohio, before purchasing or selling an older home built before 1978 as an investment, a homeowner, or a tenant that’s finding a too-good-to-be-true deal for next to no money… 

BUYER BEWARE!!!

In Toledo, OH, a Lead Hazard Control Order is an official, legally binding directive issued by the Ohio Department of Health or the Toledo Lucas County Health Department. It is issued when testing confirms that lead hazards in a property have contributed to a child’s lead poisoning. 

The order requires property owners to take SPECIFIC, CORRECTIVE actions:

• Mandatory Fixes: Owners must eliminate specific lead hazards by a lead abatement contractor (such as deteriorated paint or contaminated dust) by a set deadline, typically within 90 days.

• Vacancy of Occupants: The health director can require tenants and occupants to vacate the home for their safety while lead abatement or hazard control work is being done.

• Placarding Unsafe Properties: Properties subject to these orders are often posted with warning signs or placarded as "unsafe for human habitation" until the hazards are resolved.

Section 3742.37 in the Ohio Laws and Administrative Rules explains this in detail. 

Let’s go through the process of finding properties with Lead Hazard Control Orders.

1. Go to the Toledo Lucas County Health Department’s website: lucascountyhealth.com

2. You have three ways to find the Lead Prevention web page.

a. On the home page in the top right corner, there’s a search box where you can type lead. In the search results, pick “Lead Prevention”

b. Currently, the easiest way to find the Lead Prevention web page is by clicking “Lead Prevention” on the home page. 

c. You can also go directly to the web page: lucascountyhealth.com/lead-prevention-2/

d. Once there, scroll down the page. 

Now, before purchasing or selling a home:

• Check the history of the property… especially for Lead Hazard Control Orders.

• Consider getting a risk assessment for lead performed along with the home inspection.

• DO NOT sell your home with known lead hazards without disclosing this to potential buyers. This act is illegal.

• YES… DO reach out to your local health department’s lead program if you need guidance on a property under Lead Hazard Control Orders.

Considering Purchasing or Renting?

If you are currently considering purchasing an older home built before 1978, you should first check to see if it has any known lead hazards. If a homeowner has not complied with a health department order to control lead hazards, the property must remain vacant until the order is lifted. 

This can only happen if:

• The lead work is performed by a licensed lead abatement contractor, and…

• The property passes a clearance inspection by a lead inspector or lead risk assessor.

We’re going to skip over the next sentence and come back to it. 

The Toledo-Lucas County Health Department maintains a list of rental properties with Lead Hazard Control Orders. Click the “+” sign, Lucas County Properties (Click to Open), which opens the list of rental properties with orders. 

The list is in numerical order, and you can scroll through the whole list and see if a rental property you're about to purchase has a Lead Hazard Control Order. 

To check the status of a property in Lucas County, follow this link… What’s this link?

This link opens up a new window and a map on the Ohio Department of Health’s web page of all properties in Ohio, rentals and owners, with Lead Hazard Control Orders. 

Use the navigation on the top left of the map. Over on the right, you can set filters for city, like unclick all, then go down the list and just pick specifically Toledo. Down below is a list of properties in Toledo that all have Lead Hazard Control Orders. You can also pick by property address. Now you can see: if you click all, you can go back to the map and see all of Ohio’s Lead Hazard Control Orders.

Before you invest… Do yourself a favor, do some research, and find out if the property you're investing in has a Lead Hazard Control Order.

BUYER BEWARE!!!

1978 is a very important date when you’re talking about lead paint.

Whether you’re purchasing a home for yourself or as an investment, you need to know if there’s a lead paint hazard before you purchase your home. Lead poisoning is preventable and it’s critical for the health of your home, for your family, and any visitors.

I’m Anthony Weaver… a Lead Risk Assessor with the LeadpaintDetectives.com based in Toledo, OH. It’s worth noting that lead paint is still manufactured and utilized in commercial and industrial usage. However, in 1978 lead paint was banned for residential use, schools, and daycares. Properties built before 1978 have a high likelihood that lead paint is present. The older the home is, the more likelihood lead paint was used.

The Lead Paint Detectives are here to help you understand what lead paint hazards there might be. A simple brochure, when you purchase the home that says there may be lead paint, isn’t enough information to go by and what the hazards might actually be. You want to know if lead paint will be a huge issue in that home.

The Lead Paint Detectives will help you understand what the problems are, what needs to be corrected, and how to keep your investment healthy and Lead-Safe. It’s important to know now, before you make your purchase and help stop lead poisoning.

Just as you would get a home inspection, you should get a Lead-Safe Visual Pre-Inspection from the Lead Paint Detectives. This inspection comes with a report that shows you the items that need to be addressed. The Visual Inspection includes the exterior and interior of a home, and the exterior of outbuildings, like garages, sheds, and including fences.

During the inspection, I’ll help you understand if you need interim controls or abatement on that home.

The Lead Paint Detectives Lead-Safe Visual Pre-Inspection is an inexpensive way to find out the costs you could incur to fix the issues.

Investors, parents, and anyone who wants to know if they have lead paint issues should contact me. I’ve personally been on lead poisoning cases all over Northwest Ohio including Perrysburg, Maumee, Whitehouse, Toledo, and more. Contact the Lead Paint Detectives. For our website LeadPaintDetectives.com. You can find us on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or you can call or email.

We’re here to help.