Cleveland Proposes Updates to Lead Safe Laws to Enhance Compliance and Tenant Protection
Cleveland City Hall has introduced new legislation to update its lead safe laws, initially passed in 2019. The proposed changes aim to shift the focus from universal compliance to 'harm reduction,' targeting the riskiest properties and incentivizing landlords to make significant lead hazard improvements. Currently, only about 30% of Cleveland's rental properties built before 1978, which are required to pass lead hazard inspections, have the necessary certificates. The city's Senior Advisor for Lead Accountability, Rebecca Maurer, noted that the existing system has led to a cycle of renewals for compliant landlords while leaving a large portion of rentals uninspected. The new legislation, introduced on October 12, seeks to streamline the process by extending lead-safe certificate renewal periods for compliant landlords, especially those who replace high-risk components like lead-painted windows and doors. It also introduces local licensing requirements for lead risk assessors to combat fraudulent inspection...
