Monday, 2 January 2017

Preventing Lead Poisoning in Your Rental Unit

Some people see lead poisoning as a thing of the past, but last year’s focus on Flint, Michigan and lead-poisoned water, has reminded us to be aware of the potential for lead in rental units and the harmful effects it can have on a tenant’s health. For property management, Fort Worth managers as much as Flint managers, our responsibility is to maintain our units to be a safe living environment.

Bringing things a little closer to home for property managers, Fort Worth metals toxicologist and expert on this topic, Trey Brown, a faculty associate at the University of Texas at Arlington, said that, “childhood lead poisoning is the number one environmental contaminant-driven disease in the country, and nobody knows this.”

Here are some tips for your property management. Fort Worth rental units can be free of lead paint if you follow these steps:

1.    To remove lead paint, completely clean one room at a time as you work through the unit. Seal off doorways, vents, or other air ducts to prevent contaminating other areas. Clothes, hair coverings, and gloves that can be thrown away after the removal are best to keep your exposure to a minimum. Use goggles and respirators. And, for those without experience in lead paint removal on your team of property management, Fort Worth has skilled professionals who can ensure it is done correctly. The property managers with Specialized RPM can help oversee that paint removal is completed as safely as possible.

2.    For paint too difficult to remove, you need to completely seal the paint with a new, high-quality paint on top. By adding this layer of paint, the lead paint underneath is no longer a threat. Don’t go cheap. It’s important this paint lasts without chipping. Check for chipping during your routine maintenance inspections of the unit.

Poisoning from lead paint is a real threat to the health of your tenants. Keep your tenants safe and address your lead paint today with the help of experts at Specialized RPM. Learn more about our comprehensive list of services at http://www.specializedrpm.com/

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