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Code Inspection for Healthier Homes

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Agenda

Making the Connections American Housing Survey Property Maintenance Codes Code Enforcement Strategies Landlord-Tenant Law Handling Special Issues Wrap-Up and Review

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The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of

the home.

Confucius

Home is the place where, when you have to go there, They have to take you in.

Robert Frost

One of our deepest needs is to be at home.

Timothy Radcliffe

He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

It may be frail; its roof may shake; the wind may blow through it; the storms

may enter; the rain may enter – but the King of England cannot enter; all his

forces dare not cross the threshold of the ruined tenement.

William Pitt

Where thou art, that is home.

Emily Dickinson

Home is where the heart is.

Pliny There’s no place like home.

Dorothy, Wizard of Oz

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A. Making the ConnectionsBetween Health and Housing

“The connection between health and the dwelling of the population is one of the most important that exists”.

Florence Nightingale

Cited in Lowry, S. BMJ, 1991, 303, 838-840

Institute of Medicine - 2000

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Institute of Medicine - 2004

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Childhood Asthma1980 to 2005

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Adult Asthma - 2006

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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need

Self-Actualization

Ego

Belonging

Safety and Security

Physiological Needs

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Why Do We Care About Healthy Homes?

Housing affects healthboth directly andindirectly:

— Physical, chemical, biological exposures

— Psychological

Young children spend about 70% of the time in their home.

Exercise #1

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Healthy Housing is Designed, Constructed, Maintained, and Rehabilitated

in a manner that isconducive to goodoccupant health.

What is Healthy Housing?

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Moisture / Water Intrusion

Mold

Asthma Exacerbation

Why a Holistic Approach?

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Structural Damage

Moisture / Water Intrusion

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Structural Damage

Pests

Lead Poisoning

Fire

Injuries

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Asthma and Allergy

Exacerbation

Pests

Pesticide

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Pesticide

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Moisture

Mold

Structural Damage

Structural Damage

MoldMold

Asthma Exacerbation

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Healthy Homes Principles

Keep It:1. Dry

2. Clean

3. Ventilated

4. Pest-Free

5. Safe

6. Contaminant-Free

7. Maintained

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B. American Housing SurveySnapshots of the Problem

Conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau Funded by HUD Conducted:

Every two years since the 1980s Periodically for 46 metropolitan statistical

areas Consistent set of homes Phone survey since 1997

AHS National - 2007

Demographics 108 million homes 32% - rental 65% - single-family

detached homes 64% - built pre-1980 30% - basement

Exterior Problems 17.5% - exterior

physical problems 4.6% - missing

roofing material 10.3% - exterior

water leakage

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AHS National - 2007Interior Problems 7.9% - interior water

leakage 4.8% - open cracks or

holes 3.4% - pipes leaked 5.5% - mice 9.1% blown fuses or

breakers

Safety Devices 7.6% - no working

smoke alarm 56% - more than

two-year old fire extinguisher

67% - no carbon monoxide alarm

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AHS National - 2007Heating 63% - warm air

furnace 1.1% - room heater

without flue 0.9% - stove as main

heating equipment 8.2% - uncomfortably

cold

Physical Problems 17.5% - exterior

problems 1.6% - severe

problems 3.6% - moderate

problems

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Your Community

Healthy Homes Profiles Comparison to similarly situated housing

Interior-Exterior Relationships Likelihood in interior problem if exterior

problem is present. More Detailed Snapshot

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C. Property Maintenance Codesand Health

HUD Housing Quality Standards (HQS) International Property Maintenance

Code Housing or Health Code Construction and Rehabilitation Code Public Nuisance Law

Key Provisions

Structural Integrity Weatherproof Maintained Cracks & Holes Loose or Rotting

Materials Dampness &

Deterioration

Peeling Paint Ventilation /

Windows Infestation Sanitation & Trash Cleanability Clothes Dryer Space Heater

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Exercise #2

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D. Code Enforcement Strategies

Complaint-Based Enforcement Systematic Code Enforcement

Neighborhood Survey of Exteriors Health-Based Investigations

Lead Asthma Fires

Getting Inside Homes

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No Place Like Home!

Resident Overall Opinion of StructureAmerican Housing Survey – National 2007

Worst Best

Type of Resident 1 2 to 4 5 to 7 8 9 10

All 0.5% 1.9% 23% 28% 16% 27%

Renters 1.2% 4.1% 34% 27% 12% 18%

Severe Problems 4.1% 8.7% 36% 25% 11% 17%

Below Poverty 1.6% 4.8% 23% 24% 12% 25%

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E. Landlord-Tenant Law

Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA) “Comply with requirements of applicable

building and housing codes materially affecting health and safety.”

Landlord Obligations Tenant Obligations

F. Handling Special Issues

Lead-Based Paint Carbon Monoxide Mold Radon

Cockroaches Rats/Mice Sewer Gas Bedbugs

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EPA Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule

Effective April 22, 2010 Applies to pre-1978:

— Target Housing (same as disclosure rule)— Child-occupied facilities

Triggers:— Compensation— Paint disturbance (a/k/a renovation)

40 CFR 745.80 to 745.91 April 22, 2008 Federal Register

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Impacts of RRP Rule

8.4 million renovation events annually—Impact may drop to 4.4 million events

Requires certification of:—210,000 renovation firms by EPA after

October 22, 2009—235,000 individuals by accredited trainers

after April 22, 2009 Estimated by EPA to add $35 per job

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Why Now?

Final major rule from the Residential Lead-based Hazard Reduction Act of 1992

Congress required rule to be finalized in 1996 Still to come:

— Public buildings built before 1978— Commercial buildings that create lead-based paint

hazards

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Lead-Based Paint RulesEPA Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Rule – 2010

Renovation of target housing or child-occupied facility

EPA/HUD Lead Disclosure Rule – 1996

Sale or lease of target housing

Hazard Standards – 2001

Lead in paint, dust, and soil

Lead-based Paint Activities Rule – 1996

Standards for: • Abatement• Risk assessment• Lead inspection

EPA Pre-renovation Education Rule –

1999 and 2008

OSHA Construction Standard - 1992

HUD Lead-safe Housing Rule –

1999

Federally-assisted Housing

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EPA Resources

www.epa.gov/lead www.epa.gov/lead/

pubs/renovation.htm

Also www.hud.gov/lead

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So What Will Change? “Certified Renovation Firm” Disturbs Paint

— EPA or State Certification (after 10/22/09)— Fees and five-year renewal

“Certified Renovators” Supervise Work— One-day training (after 4/22/09)— Five-year renewal

Mandatory Work Practices— Isolate work area— Contain dust— Thoroughly clean-up work area for debris and dust

Post-renovation Cleaning Verification Documentation!

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Only for Leases and Sales of Target Housing

A New BookletFor Renovations in Target

Housing and Child-occupied Facilities

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How clean is clean?

Clearance testing for lead 40 micrograms of lead per square foot on

floors 250 micrograms of lead per square foot on

window sills. Standards for allergens? Standards for dust?

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G. Wrap-up and Review

Questions?

Some Examples

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