Finding a Lead Safe Home
This information is current as of February 19, 2024. If you find a broken link or you have trouble getting information from these sources, please let CLASH know ASAP. Things change fast!
Before you sign a rental agreement or give money…
Do a visual inspection for chipping, peeling, deteriorated paint surfaces or bare soil. All of these may be signs of lead hazards.
Ask for a written disclosure of known lead hazards. It’s the law. Federal, State and local laws require owners of properties built before 1978 to disclose IN WRITING any known lead hazards. In Cleveland, a nonprofit organization can file a complaint against a landlord who fails to disclose known lead hazards. Ask CLASH for more information
Does the property have a Lead Safe Certificate? In Cleveland, call the Department of Building and Housing at 216.664.2274 or email to LeadCertCLE@clevelandohio.gov to find out if there's a Lead Safe Certificate for your property. Ask how you can get a copy.
Later this year, the City of Cleveland hopes to have this information online.
Later this year the City of Cleveland Heights will be issuing Lead Safe Certificates.
Is there a Lead Hazard Control Order on your property? Ask the City of Cleveland Department of Health at 216-664-2929.
If there is an outstanding Lead Hazard Control Order (LHCO) on the property. State law requires local government to put a placard the property. Unfortunately property owners sometimes tear down the placards and re-rent the unit. Check before you get stuck.
If you live outside the City of Cleveland, call the Cuyahoga County Board of Health at 216.201.2000 ext 1244 and ask if there is an outstanding Lead Hazard Control Order on the property.
Also, check the registry at the State of Ohio Hazardous Properties to see if there is an outstanding Lead Hazard Control Order. If you have trouble using this database, contact CLASH and one of our volunteers will help. (our contact info is at the bottom of this page.)
After you move in…
Keep your home dust free. The EPA manual Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home has suggestions for keeping your home safe. Owners of properties built before 1978 are required to give tenants a copy of this brochure. You can also find copies online or at CLASH events.
Monitor the conditions in your home: Watch for chipping, peeling and deteriorated paint inside and outdoors. Doors, windows, and porches are places to check. Watch for bare soil around the property. Water leaks and harsh weather conditions can expose lead hazards.
Monitor conditions around your home. Vacant abandoned houses, vacant lots with junk cars, uncontrolled demolitions, and smoke or fluids from nearby industries can all be lead hazards. When reporting on neighborhood hazards a few simple principles can help get action
Organize with your neighbors to file complaints. Social media posts can help rally support against local environmental hazards
Reach out to your elected officials as well as city agencies
Don't forget the power of the media to get action when citizen voices are not enough.
Report these conditions to your landlord in writing and keep a copy of your report. Ohio Landlord Tenant Law permits a tenant to give the landlord a written notice of conditions which the tenant believes are a violation of the housing code. If landlord fails to correct the conditions in 30 days and if the tenant is current in rent, the tenant may put the next rent payment in escrow with the Clerk of Courts. For more information check with a Housing Court Specialist at Cleveland Municipal Court. (216) 664-4295 or visit The Clinic operates on the first floor of the Justice Center from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. A Spanish speaking specialist is available Monday (9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) and Friday (12:30 to 3:30 p.m.)
In Cleveland landlord should give seven day notice before making repairs to correct a lead hazard CITE. Maintenance and contract workers must be RRP certified before performing maintenance work in pre-1978 properties. need a link to codified ordinance
If landlord fails to address these your written notice, file a complaint with your city’s department of building and housing and ask for an inspection. In Cleveland, there seems to be two options for filing a complaint:
Code Enforcement 216.420.8416 tvanover@clevelandohio.gov or
Complaints 216.664.3789 311@clevelandohio.gov
Be sure that your children are tested for lead exposure. In Ohio, children must be tested at the first and second year Well Baby check ups. But you can ask your doctor anytime if you suspect a lead hazard.
Too often health care providers skip the lead test. TELL YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER you want a lead test!
Renovate Right
Before you or your landlord make any modifications to your home, learn about lead safe practices. The EPA manual Renovate Right can help
Don’t permit your landlord to do any work on the rental unit or the common areas until a Lead Risk Assessment is completed. Under City Ordinance 240.08, owner must give 7 days written notice to the tenant and any other occupants in the same structure of plans to do lead abatement activities.
Unapproved maintenance like scraping, sanding, or painting could make a lead hazard worse.
Require that your landlord, contractors and workers are RRP certified by US EPA before beginning any remodeling of your rental home.
Federally Assisted Properties are required to comply with the Lead Safe Housing Rule.
If you use a Housing Choice Voucher home…
Before you make a rental agreement, request a copy of the Housing Quality Standard (HQS) Inspection Report from the housing authority, including any report of clearance testing done on the rental unit before the property was in compliance with the HQS standards.
If you receive information that your child has an Elevated Blood Lead Level, provide written evidence (doctor’s report or a contact from Department of Public Health) to CMHA. The PHA has a duty to verify the medical information and arrange for a Lead Risk Assessment.
If a child living in a CMHA multifamily property is found to have an elevated blood lead level, the CMHA is required to notify the other tenants in the building and to coduct a lead risk assessment of the surrounding rental units.
If you live in a public or subsidized property.
If you receive information that your child has an Elevated Blood Lead Level, provide written evidence (doctor’s report or a contact from Department of Public Health) to CMHA. The PHA has a duty to verify the medical information and arrange for a Lead Risk Assessment.
If a child living in a CMHA multifamily property is found to have an elevated blood lead level, the CMHA is required to notify the other tenants in the building and to coduct a lead risk assessment of the surrounding rental units.