LEAD FAQ

Lead is a heavy metal which is highly toxic (poisonous).It was used for many years in products found in and around the home. It is mostly found in paint products.

Lead is typically found in paint. If a home was built before 1978, chances are very good it contains lead-based paint. The federal government banned the use of lead-based paint from housing in 1978. Although some states stopped using it even earlier, lead can still be typically found:

• In homes in the city, country, or suburbs.
• In apartments, single-family homes, and both private and public housing.
• Inside and outside of the house.
• In the soil around a home. (Soil picks up lead from exterior paint and other sources like past use of leaded gas in cars)
• In household dust. (Dust can pick up lead from deteriorating lead-based paint or from soil tracked into a home)
• In drinking water. If your home was built before 1987 it might have plumbing with lead or lead solder. Call your local health department or water supplier to find out about testing your water. You cannot see, smell, or taste lead, and boiling your water will not get rid of lead. If you think your plumbing might have lead in it:
  • Use only cold water for drinking and cooking.
  • Run water for 15 to 30 seconds before drinking it, especially if you have not used your water for a few hours.
• On the job. If you work with lead, you could bring it home on your hands or clothes. Try to always shower and change clothes before coming home. Be sure to launder your work clothes separately from the rest of your family's clothes.
• On old painted toys and furniture.
• In food and liquids stored in lead crystal or lead-glazed pottery or porcelain.
• Lead smelters or other industries that release lead into the air.
• Hobbies that use lead, such as making pottery, stained glass or refinishing furniture.
• In folk remedies that contain lead such as "greta" and "azarcon" used to treat an upset stomach.

Lead-based paint is paint that has lead mixed in it at the factory where it was made or had lead mixed in it by someone like a painter before applying it to a surface. The Federal definition is any paint or surface coatings that contain lead equal to or in excess of 1.0 milligram per square centimeter or more than 0.5 percent by weight.

A lead-based paint hazard is any condition that causes human exposure to lead from deteriorated lead-based paint, lead in household dust or lead in soil.  Typical causes in the home are windows and doors that open and close often or painted floors that are high-traffic areas.

Yes. Properties where a child was found with an elevated blood lead level, or which received a state order of lead hazard reduction, will receive highest enrollment priority. Properties where no children under age 6 live should call to inquire about program status before completing the entire program application. Owner-occupied units must have children under age 6 living in or visiting the home to qualify.

Our program only funds repairs for properties located in Manchester, New Hampshire. There are other programs located in New Hampshire:
Nashua, NH
NH Statewide - NHHFA - New Hampshire Housing

No – MHI Funds can only be used to treat lead-based paint hazards in residential dwellings. Our program is focused on providing healthy, safe housing for families.

This program is focused on single-family housing, such as multi-bedroom apartments and attached, semi-detached, and detached housing. HUD will allow studio apartments where there is a child under 6 or a pregnant woman in residence, or if there is evidence that a child or pregnant woman will move into the unit upon completion of abatement. One-bedroom apartments are included as single-family housing. To meet the criteria of single-family housing, a unit must have 1+ bedrooms and its own amenities that are not shared with other units (bathroom and kitchen). Single-family, non-rental homes can qualify for our program if there are young children living in or visiting the home, or if a resident is pregnant.

Yes. We are able to repair vacant units quickly, as long as electricity, heat and water are turned on in the unit. After construction is complete, you will certify during annual compliance that you are renting the repaired units to target-demographic families at or below fair-market rents, as defined by HUD. Please review our application materials for current rates.

Property owners must provide a minimum of 10% cash contribution to the project, in the form of a cashier's check made out to the City of Manchester. The contribution will be based on the winning construction bid. Properties with significant lead hazards may cost more than $13,500/unit to repair, which would require additional owner contribution above 10%. Properties with non-compliant units due to rent level or tenant income may require additional owner contribution to participate. Non-compliant units within a larger building can sometimes be paid for directly by the owner as a side project with the same abatement contractor; please inquire for further details. There is no owner cash match required for assessment costs. The cost of assessments for non-compliant units are typically borne by the owner.

If you own multi-family buildings and rent to low-to-moderate income populations, your property will likely qualify. If only some of your units qualify under our program standards (for example, if only some of the units are rented to low-income families) you may still be able to participate; please give us a call. If your property is luxury or high-end apartments or condominiums, or is single family homes that rent to middle- or upper-income residents, your property would probably not meet our income or rent requirements, as set annually by HUD. Please download our application to verify those requirements. If you do not meet our program requirements and still need to have lead abatement services completed for your property, please visit the State of New Hampshire Health and Human Services Department to identify an NH licensed lead abatement contractor.

Typically, no. Lead hazards are usually found building-wide, our assessors need to evaluate an entire property, including all of the units, common areas, exteriors and bare soil, as applicable. Units which have already earned a lead-safe certificate may not need to be assessed again. Units which may have had some lead hazard repairs but do not have a current lead-safe certificate will need to be assessed again by our program. If only some of your units qualify under program guidelines, please give us a call to discuss options; you may still be able to participate in the program. Please always call us to discuss your situation before submitting a partial application to the program. (603) 792-6726

No. HUD issued guidance in 2017 stating that there can be no overlap in the ownership of the building and reimbursable work product (construction, assessment, other). This is true for any cost or reimbursement.

Public health and income verification information is kept confidential. If a tenant has questions, or prefers to provide information directly to program staff, please have them give us a call at (603) 792-6726

We prioritize applications as they come in, and properties under an active state lead order are a high priority for our program. However, any property where children under the age of 6 live or visit may qualify.

If you comply with program guidelines, this interest-free loan is forgiven in its entirety after 3 years. Please contact the program for the letter which will lift the lien on the property. Please review application materials for more information.

If you participated in a lead hazard reduction program prior to 2012, your loan may be repayable. You can elect to pay the City directly for the cost of the loan, and we can then lift the lien, or when you sell your property, the title company will send a check to the City for the amount of the lien. Please contact program staff with any questions.

Yes. Properties that have been maintained are more likely to fall within the reasonable funding range, per HUD guidelines. Properties that have not been maintained, or have significant costs such as rotted wooden decks or siding, failing asbestos exteriors, or old windows with chipped paint, may have costs that exceed HUD's funding thresholds for our program. Additional funding thresholds: $80,000 per property, and $160,000 per owner per year, if enrolling multiple properties. The lead program is concerned with lead hazards which may cause a child to become poisoned; these hazards are most often found within unit interiors. We have some ability to fund exterior work, but it is not the primary purpose of the program. If your property has significant exterior work that needs to be completed, please contact us before submitting an application.

It is typically easiest and best for tenants to stay with family or friends. If that is not an option, the property owner may use an empty unit for temporary housing, or provide alternate housing. Empty apartments used for temporary relocation must not be under an active lead order.

If the owner is unable to find a relocation solution for tenants, the program can help coordinate temporary housing for tenants with the property owner. Because an active construction site can have lead hazards, it is important that tenants understand that they cannot access their homes during construction. Pets must be relocated as well; property owners must ensure pets are not on site. The program does not reimburse for pet relocation. Please contact us with any questions about temporary housing during lead construction.

Owner-occupied housing units should plan to manage their own rehousing needs during construction.

If you are seeking information on emergency housing unrelated to the lead program, please dial 2-1-1 on your phone.

You may request a lead screening test from your primary care physician. Or, you may contact the Manchester Health Department to discuss a free lead screening appointment. Call Health at (603) 624-6466 or visit their web site.

Properties that are currently on the market cannot participate in the program until after ownership has changed hands. It is common for home owners to look into lead abatement services when preparing to sell a property. Because our program relies on an agreement between the property owner and the city which lasts a minimum of three (3) years, any agreement to participate in the program must be made between the new property owner and the city. If you are looking to purchase a property which has lead hazards, or is under state order, you may reach out to our program before you purchase the property to discuss options. Please note that new property owners will not be able to contract with the city for any grant funds from the lead hazard reduction program until after they have taken ownership of the property.

To ensure that we are working with property owners who will be able to meet our three-year commitment to renting to under-income families, the lead program will verify that payments related to the property are up to date. Please review the program application to verify all of the types of documentation we require from the property owner. All program documentation is confidential, and is only used to verify that a property meets program guidelines.

The City of Manchester, NH requires that all residential rental property within the City have a Certificate of Compliance in accordance with the regulations set forth in Chapter 150 Housing Code of the City of Manchester, Code of Ordinances.

Per section 150.069 on Lead Based Paint, "All interior and exterior surfaces of dwellings, dwelling units, and rooming units shall be free of loose or flaking paint. All newly applied paint must meet the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Standards as being safe in accordance with the provisions of the Board of Health Department. ('71 Code, § 13-69) (Ord. passed 4-15-80) Penalty, see § 150.999."

Please note that property owners should keep all painted surfaces intact, regardless of whether there is a known lead hazard on the property. If you personally plan to disturb possible lead-paint surfaces in your property through scraping, stripping or blasting, please review EPA RRP regulations first to ensure your renovations meet required standards.

Please review your contract materials to determine whether the property enrolled in the NHHFA or the Manchester program. If you need to locate contract materials, please email us the address you are inquiring about, and the year you believe the property enrolled in a Manchester lead hazard reduction program. Manchester has funded this type of work since 2003. Please note that the city will not have documentation on jobs that were completed privately. You should contact the lead inspector or the State DHHS office if the property was under a state order of lead reduction.

If you have a question about past Manchester contract language, please email us your query, including the project address. Programs prior to 2012 may require repayment of the loan. If you have a hardship query, you should plan to draft an explanatory letter for review by the CIP Coordinator and the Aldermanic CIP Committee.

No. HUD explicitly disallows use of LHRD funds for demolition costs.

Please reach out to program staff with 1) The address in question, 2) When you enrolled in a lead hazard control program in Manchester, and 3) The reason for the refinance request (i.e. lower rate, required repairs). Program staff will get back to you with the needed information to request subordination. Please plan to draft a letter for the Aldermen on the CIP Committee to review. This letter will be reviewed by the CIP coordinator and discussed at one of the monthly public meetings.

The State of New Hampshire DHHS licenses abatement contractors, workers, supervisors, and risk assessors. You can find currently licensed firms by following the above link. Lead abatement involves the removal or encapsulation of lead paint hazards. Please note that this is a separate certification from the EPA RRP certification, which is about not creating lead hazards during home renovations.

If you enroll your property in our lead abatement program, our program will take care of the lead inspection (LIRA, or LEHRP) for you, at no cost to you. Please note that we cannot use privately sourced inspections in our program, and we cannot reimburse owners for inspections they may have purchased directly from a private firm.

If you've lost your copy of your lead-safe certificate on a building that has been through lead abatement, call your lead inspector to ask if they can send you a new copy. They are required to keep this on file for a number of years. If you had lead abatement done privately, only your lead inspector would have a copy of this certificate. These certificates can only be issued by a state-certified lead inspector.

If you believe, or know that your building was under a state lead order, you can contact state DHHS to inquire about the status of the lead order, and whether it was cleared. Manchester does not put buildings under order - only the state can.

If you know the building received funding through a lead program run by Manchester, Nashua, or NHHFA, you can contact program staff directly to inquire. Please keep in mind that the individual programs do not keep comprehensive records on lead abatement for their area. They will only have records of properties which they funded, and may not have the certificates on file, because the certificates are generated by inspectors, and not by the programs. You should check the lead-safe housing registry for Manchester for your property before calling, to see if it is listed.