Protecting Tenants’ Health

Water Quality Testing, Lead in Pipes & Mold Prevention

As a landlord or property manager in New York City, protecting your tenants’ health is not just a responsibility—it’s a legal requirement. With overlapping city, state, and federal regulations governing indoor air and water quality, it’s critical to adopt a proactive, integrated approach to building maintenance.

This guide explores how water quality testing, lead pipe inspections, and mold prevention can work together to form a comprehensive health and safety strategy—while ensuring full compliance with NYC housing laws like Local Law 1, Local Law 31, and Local Law 55.

Water Quality Testing: Keeping Drinking Water Safe

While NYC boasts some of the cleanest municipal water in the country, contamination can still occur inside buildings—particularly from aging infrastructure and plumbing systems. Lead, copper, discoloration, and strange odors are common issues that tenants report and must be taken seriously.

🚩 Common Signs of Water Contamination:

Brown or rusty water
Metallic taste or odor
White or cloudy water
Skin irritation or recurring illness among tenants

🏛️ NYC Regulations:

According to the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), while the city’s water is lead-free when it leaves the reservoir, it can absorb lead from old service lines and plumbing fixtures inside the building. Landlords are responsible for internal plumbing and must resolve issues quickly when tenants complain.

NYC also offers a Free Lead in Drinking Water Test Kit, which tenants can request from DEP:
🔗 Request DEP Lead Test Kit

🛠 How Lead & Mold Detectives Helps:

Our Comprehensive Water Testing Services evaluate:

Lead, copper, and other heavy metals
pH levels and microbial contamination
Source-based testing (e.g., kitchen tap, bathroom fixtures)

We then:

Deliver a certified lab report
Recommend filtration or lead service line replacement
Support compliance with NYC and EPA standards

Did you know? The EPA action level for lead in drinking water is 15 parts per billion (0.015 mg/L). Any detection above this threshold requires immediate action.

Lead Pipe & Paint Sampling: Avoiding Hidden Dangers

Exposure to lead, especially among children, can cause irreversible neurological and developmental damage. NYC’s housing laws strictly regulate both lead paint and lead in plumbing.

Local Law 1 of 2004

Applies to buildings built before 1960, or between 1960–1978 with known lead paint:

Annual tenant disclosures must be completed
Visual inspections for lead hazards are required
All work disturbing painted surfaces >100 sq ft must be performed by EPA-certified contractors
Post-remediation dust wipe clearance tests must meet thresholds:
- Floors: 40 µg/ft²
- Window sills: 250 µg/ft²
- Window wells: 400 µg/ft²

Local Law 1 Summary (HPD)

⏳ Local Law 31 of 2020 (Deadline: August 9, 2025)

Requires:

XRF testing in all apartments and common areas of pre-1960 buildings
Must be completed by August 9, 2025, or within one year of a child under 6 moving in
Landlords must retain inspection records for 10 years

📘 XRF Testing Guide (NYC HPD)

🛠 How Lead & Mold Detectives Helps:

Conducts X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) inspections to detect lead in painted surfaces and pipes
Performs lead abatement: encapsulation, wet-scraping, removal
Handles dust wipe clearance sampling
Files paperwork with HPD and stores all reports digitally for compliance

🛡️ Our EPA-certified team ensures your building is safe, compliant, and documentation-ready.

Mold Prevention: Stay Ahead of Allergens & Violations

Mold is more than a nuisance—it’s a health hazard. NYC’s Local Law 55 of 2018 mandates that landlords inspect and eliminate indoor mold and pest infestations in buildings with three or more units.

🌡️ Common Mold Triggers:

Leaky pipes or roofs
Poor ventilation
Basement or bathroom humidity
HVAC condensation

🏛️ NYC Requirements Under Local Law 55:

Annual mold and allergen inspections are required
Landlords must fix the underlying moisture problem, not just remove visible mold
If mold covers more than 10 square feet in buildings with 10+ units, work must be done by:
- A NYS-licensed Mold Assessor
- A separate NYS-licensed Mold Remediator

📘 HPD Mold Guidelines & Requirements

🛠 How Lead & Mold Detectives Helps:

Performs detailed moisture mapping
Offers Mold Assessment Reports by NYS-licensed assessors
Conducts full-scale remediation, including:
- Containment barriers
- HEPA-filtered air scrubbers
- Safe antifungal cleaning
- Post-Remediation Verification (PRV)
Helps you close HPD mold violations with proper documentation

All-In-One Compliance Strategy for NYC Landlords

Instead of treating these issues separately, we offer an Integrated Health & Safety Program:

Service	Regulation Covered	Frequency
Water Testing	DEP Quality Enforcement	Upon complaint or every 1–2 years
XRF Lead Testing	Local Law 31 (2025 deadline)	One-time or new tenant with child <6
Annual Lead Disclosure	Local Law 1	Every January
Mold Inspection & Remediation	Local Law 55	Annually + as needed
Post-Remediation Verification	Local Law 55	After every mold remediation
HPD Filing & Violation Removal	All applicable laws	Ongoing