white window on concrete wall

A lead based paint inspection answers one narrow question: where in this building is there paint that contains lead? If you own or are buying an older property, that answer shapes your renovation plans, your disclosures to tenants or buyers, and your budget. The trouble is that the report often lands in a pile with a dozen other documents, and the line that matters gets lost.

This guide walks through what the inspection is, how it differs from related services, and how to read the results so they turn into decisions instead of a file you never open again.

Why older buildings get this question

Lead paint was banned for residential use in the United States in 1978. Buildings put up before then may still have it under newer coats, on window frames, doors, trim, railings and porches. Paint in good condition is a different situation from paint that is chipping, peeling or rubbed by a window sash every day, so the age of the building tells you to ask, and the inspection tells you what is actually there.

If your property includes housing built before 1978, federal rules generally require you to disclose known lead paint and any reports about it to buyers and tenants. That alone is a good reason to know exactly what your documents say.

Inspection versus risk assessment

People use these terms loosely, but they are not the same service.

A lead based paint inspection is a surface-by-surface survey. A certified inspector tests painted surfaces and reports which ones contain lead. It tells you where lead paint is, not whether it is causing a problem today.

A lead risk assessment goes further. The assessor looks at the condition of the paint, dust and soil, and identifies hazards that need attention, along with options to control them.

Some owners need both. If you are planning work that will disturb paint, the inspection tells you which surfaces are involved. If people live or work in the space now, a risk assessment speaks to present hazards. A certified professional in your state can tell you which one fits your situation.

What the report usually contains

Reports vary by inspector, but you can expect:

The building, the areas tested and the date
The testing method used
A list of components (walls, doors, windows, trim) with a result for each
A summary of which surfaces are positive
Notes on limits: areas that could not be reached, surfaces not tested

That last part is easy to skip and worth reading twice. A clean result on the rooms that were tested says nothing about the basement nobody could get into.

Turning the report into next steps

The report is the start of the work, not the end. Before you file it, pull out three things.

What is positive, and where. Write the specific components down. "Lead found" is not a plan. "Lead on the second-floor window sashes and the exterior porch trim" is.

What was not covered. Every area the inspector skipped is an open question. Note who could answer it: the inspector, a previous owner, a contractor who worked on the building.

What this changes elsewhere. If another document, like a property condition report or a contractor quote, mentions repainting or window replacement on the same surfaces, those two findings belong together. One real-world condition should be one item on your list, with every document that mentions it attached as evidence.

Where Deferred fits

This is exactly the kind of sorting Deferred does. You upload the documents you already have for a building, inspection reports included, and Deferred reads them and lays out what each one found, with a citation back to the page it came from. Where something is unclear or missing, it raises an open question and suggests who to ask. When the same issue shows up in several documents, it is kept as one finding with the sources attached, so you are not chasing duplicates.

Deferred does not replace a certified lead inspector or tell you how to treat a hazard. It makes sure the inspector's findings do not get buried, and that you know what is still unanswered.

If you have an older building and a stack of reports, you can read your first building free. For the wider picture, see our guide on how to read a commercial property condition report.