Lead paint removal costs -- rough idea.

[LarryCD]

I am trying to get a very rough idea of what it might cost to have lead-based paint removed from a single family home.

Here's the story. I just bought an older home as an investment and I was planning to rent it out. I obtained insurance through the same company that has my homeowner's policy. Now, my insurance agent says the insurance company wants me to provide a "lead-free certificate" because the home was built before 1978. Apparently, there are new laws about this that didn't exist when I bought properties in the past. So, now I am running around trying to figure out exactly what the insurance company needs, who I can get to do the lead testing, who issues the "lead-free certificate", etc.

Hopefully, I'll end up finding out that there is no lead paint and I can easily get the "lead-free certificate" they say I need.

But, just in case, I'm trying to get an idea of how bad of a hit I could end up taking on this. For example, what might it cost to have lead paint removed from all of the trim inside this 3-story, 4-bedroom home? Is this something that might cost a few thousand dollars, 10 thousand dollars, 20 thousand dollars?

Anybody have any experience with this that they can share?

P.S. The house is in New Jersey (Camden County).

[mark Ransley]

Get a new insurance co , If all rentals were made to remove lead you would have seen major ciities abandoned a while ago . Do you think apt owners would survive , no. In my bldgs and everywhere else you make sure there is no pealing paint , thats it. You may strip a bad sill or frame but no more. And im insured. Cost could easily be 1000 a room. maybe 2. Your place 10 to12 rooms

10 to 24000. You will never make it back. Alot of insurance companies cover bldgs with lead. shop.

[Steve]

You can do a preliminary test yourself.. Just go to a paint store or the paint dept. at Home Depot and get a paint test kit.. It's just a couple little cigarette size test swabs that look like a cigarette filter.. You break the seal on the end and rub it over the surface of the paint.. If you have several layers, then you want to scrap down to each layer and do the test to each.. Check each room since chances are they would have been painted with different paint at different intervals.

If you find evidence of lead paint and it is just trim, then you can just remove and replace the trim. It will be cheaper than stripping the paint.

There are still procedures and precautions that you must use. There have been several home improvement shows on this topic and it ain't brain surgery..

Before I retired I had a crew that refurbished compartments on navy vessels. We had to have the floor tile tested before we could remove it because of the possibility of asbestos.. For painted surfaces, we were allowed to just paint over the old stuff even if it was known to be lead paint.

As Mark suggested, you may want to look for a different insurance co. who won't ask for this certificate.

[SoCalMike]

but... but... what if a sailor brought a baby onboard, and the baby strated gnawing on a bulkhead???

think of the chiiiiiiiiiiiildrennnnnnnn!

[LarryCD]

I think you're right. I need a new insurance company -- and I need a new insurance agent. My agent left me a phone message saying the insurance company needs a photo of the back of the house (I gave a front photo when we did the insurance application). She also said I have to get a "lead-free certificate" and that I can get that from my municipality. That made no sense to me -- what municipality is going to give out a certificate saying my property is lead-free? But, I went to the municipality anyway and asked them, and they said they don't do that. So, I left my agent a phone message explaining that I don't know where to get a "lead-free certificate" and that the municipality doesn't issue them. She called back and left me a message suggesting that I try asking the municipality where I can get one, and that if I don't get one, the insurance company will drop my coverage. Meanwhile, I've been searching all over the internet trying to figure out what a "lead-free certificate" is, etc. Time to get a new agent.

Ironically, I was planning to have the whole property repainted but had to put a hold on that until I figure out this nonsense.

[LarryCD]

Thanks for the response.

I was looking for lead paint test kits last night on the Home Depot, Lowe's, True Value Hardware, and similar websites last night and couldn't find anything. I didn't try going to the stores in person yet. But, I did order a lead paint test kit online last night (I forget the website) for $29.95 plus shipping and should get it in about a week. They had kits for as low as $9.95 but I picked this one because it can do up to 100 samples -- more than I'll ever need.

I also called a testing lab a few days ago and they'll take up to 6 samples and test them for $275. But, they don't issue any kind of certificates and didn't know who did.

Anyway, it looks like I'm going to do my own testing just for my own satisfaction. I am also going to look for a different insurance company and agent.

[Tom Baker]

You might want to check with your local government. Charleston SC has an extensive lead hazard program. If there are or may be children in the rental unit, funds are available for testing and remediation.

TB

[Loose Cannon]

SoCalMike, you are a troublemaker.

[Chia Pet]

You might be surprised once you start. Everywhere the paint is a little different, you need to test. It adds up fast.

Try calling home inspectors in the area. They issue termite certificates, probably lead too.

Do it for your own liability also. Landlords around here are being sued for millions every time a retarded kid turns up who rented from them. Do it for your conscience too. For children under 7, lead reduces IQ, even at very low levels.

Of course, you could just not rent to kids (no, unfortunately federal law prohibits that option).

Test, then look around for gov. lead abatement programs locally. If nothing else, you can remove it with proper procedures. There are a variety of gov. sites with removal/risk reduction info.

[Chip C]

Hmmm...is it possible that the insurance company wants a certificate that your *water pipe* isn't lead? Now, *that* would come from the municipality, or its water utility. Lots of cities have been replacing lead water feeds, typically free but on request .

Anyhow, try a good paint store for a lead test kit. Around here you get two little vials of fluid for like C$25. Each vial is nominally single use and tests a single spot or patch.

My wife and I just bought an old house and have been doing some research into hazardous materials; most sources we've found suggest (as another poster has suggested) removing only the flaky bits of the old paint, and painting over.

Around here it's knob and tube wiring that the insurance companies freak out over (and they're unfond of oil tanks, too) - but not a murmur about lead, or the asbestos on the old boiler. Guess it's whatever was in last month's Underwriters' Horror Digest.

Chip C Toronto

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