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Editor's Notepad

Podcast: Liability and Lead-Safe Remodeling -- Insurance, Anyone?

Official Fine Homebuilding Post, editor

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In this episode we’ll finish up our series on lead paint. In the first two episodes of this three-part series we talked about tools, OSHA, and costs. In this episode we talk about liability -- documentation as well as insurance.

This final segment of the interview with remodeler Bob Hanbury brings to light how you need to change your business practices -- a culture of compliance as Bob calls it. Documentation, documentation, documentation.

Because if your docs aren't in a row, you might get bit in court. And counting on a liability insurance policy may not be the safety net you think it is. Most large insurers will not underwrite lead in their policies, so the insurance you buy may be from a small company somewhere in the Cayman Islands who is not regulated by the U.S. government. Maybe they won't have the financial reserves to fulfill all of their liability.

Visit our Lead-Safe Resource Guide to learn how to keep your remodeling projects lead-safe (and litigation-free). Videos, downloadable articles, compliance toolkit, and more.

Listen to the full three podcast episodes here:

1: Tools, equipment, and OSHA Listen now

2: The extra cost of compliance: Productivity losses Listen now

3: Liability and Lead-safe Remodeling: Insurance, Anyone? Listen now

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Podcast: The New Cost of Lead-Safe Remodeling

Comments (2)

Jazzwhit writes: Who devalued my home? When the owners/sellers of pre 1978 homes are required by skittish buyers to have lead testing done and cannot simply say "No knowledge of the presence of lead", they are going to be mad as hell. Depending on the estimated cost of remediation these folks don't know how "stuck" they are yet. Can this request for XRF testing be too far off?

Posted: 2:33 pm on June 12th

rcrowell10 writes: I applaud you for your efforts to supply assistance to our industry in regards to this law. I felt the podcast was very informative. Please keep up the good work. I feel that NAHB let us down by not being more proactive in opposing the implementation of this rule. Should have taken our case to the Amerian people whose jobs and financial well-being are severely impacted by such misguided rules.
Posted: 8:18 am on April 11th

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