The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued guidance on how to identify the presence of metal corrosion, as well as other indicators of problem drywall in homes. The guidance takes into account visual signs of metal corrosion, evidence of drywall installation in the relevant time period, and the identification of other corroborating evidence or characteristics.
HUD and CPSC’s two-step guidance requires a visual inspection that must show blackening of copper electrical wiring and/or air conditioning evaporator coils; and the installation of new drywall (for new construction or renovations) between 2001 and 2008.
Since metal corrosion can occur for other reasons, the guidance also describes corroborating evidence. For example, homes with new drywall installed between 2005 and 2008 must meet at least two additional criteria based on the chemical analysis of metal corrosion in the home; elemental markers in the drywall; markings on the drywall; or specific chemical emissions from the drywall. Homes with new drywall installed between 2001 and 2004 must meet at least four of those criteria. Collecting evidence of corroborating conditions may require professional assistance and analysis.
“Families have the right to know if their homes contain problem drywall so they can begin the process of doing needed repairs,” says Jon Gant, Director of HUD’s Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control. “This guidance offers homeowners, contractors, and state and local authorities a course of action (so they know) if they’re dealing with problem drywall or not.”
The Federal Interagency Task Force on Problem Drywall developed the preliminary identification guidance. Additional analysis will continue to validate these methods and HUD says the identification guidance may be modified as necessary.
FHA-insured families experiencing problems associated with problem drywall may be eligible for assistance to help them rehabilitate their properties. HUD’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program may also be a resource to help local communities.
Homeowners who believe they may have problem drywall should report to CPSC by calling (800) 638-2772 (800) 638-2772 or logging on to www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/drywall.aspx. Hearing- or speech-challenged individuals may access the phone number through TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Relay Service at
(800) 877-8339.
© 2010 Florida Realtors®
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment