Boston Real Estate and Relocation

Interim control is a set of temporary measures that property owners can take to correct urgent lead hazards, especially peeling or chipping lead paint and lead dust. These steps protect residents from lead poisoning until the home is fully deleaded. Homes in good condition may need little or no work to get interim control status. Owners then have up to two years before they have to fully delead the home. For that period, they are free from strict liability under the state Lead Law should a child become lead poisoned in the home. In addition to the repair of peeling and chipping lead paint and the cleaning of lead dust, other work may be necessary for interim control. This includes fixing water leaks or other damage that makes lead paint peel and chip; making window wells smooth and easy to clean; making windows work properly and deleading any badly chipping and peeling lead-painted surfaces.

Property owners interested in interim control must hire a licensed risk assessor . He or she will then decide what work, if any, needs to be done to get a Letter of Interim Control. The original Letter of Interim Control is good for one year. The property owner can have the home reinspected before the end of that year, and if all conditions are met, the home can be recertified for another year. By the end of the second year, the home must be deleaded, if a child under six still lives there, for the owner to remain free of strict liability.