LEAD TESTING FOR REAL ESTATE SALES/PURCHASES

The standard New Jersey Real Estate Agreement of Sale as used by the members of the New Jersey Association of Realtors provides in the section “BUYERS DUE DILIGENCE” the following clause:

Lead-Based Paint Hazards (For Properties built prior to 1978 only) Before Buyer is obligated to purchase a residential dwelling built prior to 1978, Buyer has the option to conduct a risk assessment and/or inspection of the Property for the presence of lead-based paint and/or lead-based paint hazards.

Remove: Regardless of whether this inspection is elected or waived, the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act requires a seller of property built prior to 1978 to provide the Buyer with an EPA-approved lead hazards information pamphlet titled “Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home,” along with a separate form, attached to this Agreement, disclosing Seller’s knowledge of lead-based paint hazards and any lead-based paint records regarding the Property.

As such, Lead Testing Services will perform this testing on behalf of either the buyer or seller as part of a real estate transaction.

This is a “lead safe” test, meaning that we are testing to ensure that the amount of lead, if found, is within the EPA ranges. 

It does not mean that we will determine if there is NO presence of lead.  This can be completed (for paint) using an XRF device (like a radar gun); we do not perform this type of testing.

Lead Safe Certification - Paint

  • This test consists of “swabbing” each of the bedrooms’ floors, the windowsills, or any part of the property that you wish.  You will need to designate what surfaces you wish to have sampled. 

    • We recommend any rooms that children can access.

  • After our sampling, we will submit each of the samples to our 3rd party laboratory for a detailed test of each sample (they used an acid test protocol).  The lab takes approximately 7 business days to provide results (but can be sooner if you want to pay for expedited service).

  • Once the laboratory completes your analysis, our service will provide you with the EPA Laboratory Report summarizing the amount of lead in the property.

If lead is detected above the EPA ranges, and once the property is remediated, we recommend that you perform another full test (at an additional charge).

Pricing

The cost for this service is as follows:

Standard Test - $450 (first 8 samples)

$80 for each additional sample