City Launches Lead Paint Ad Campaign to Educate Landlords

HPD, in partnership with LeadFreeNYC, recently launched an outreach and education campaign to remind property owners of their responsibilities under the law when it comes to identifying lead-based paint hazards and remediating those hazards safely. LeadFreeNYC is an interagency comprehensive plan to end childhood lead exposure. Through the initiative, the city will increase resources and support for children, parents, and healthcare providers to make sure every child under 3 is tested for lead exposure – and any child who does test positive gets the services he or she needs.

The ad campaign also informs property owners about grants and other available resources that can help fulfill these obligations. Under the city’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act (Local Law 1 of 2004), rental property owners of multiple dwellings are responsible for both identifying lead-based paint hazards and using certified lead paint contractors and safe work practices to remediate conditions.

In a recent Crain’s New York op-ed, AnnMarie Santiago, the deputy commissioner for Enforcement and Neighborhood Services at HPD, wrote, “Our message to landlords is simple: be proactive about spotting hazardous conditions and hire the right professionals to fix them. . . . The city will not tolerate landlords who choose to shirk their responsibilities. We are going to be doing more to identify those landlords and properties, and we will seek civil penalties to bring them into compliance.”