New Lead Law Form Means New Paperwork at Every Lease Signing

New Lead Law Form Means New Paperwork at Every Lease Signing

Massachusetts just made its first change to the Tenant Lead Law Notification requirement in 20 years, and it applies to nearly every multifamily building in Greater Boston.

If your property was built before 1978, you already know the drill: hand new tenants the lead paint disclosure before they sign. That part hasn't changed. What's new is the certification form itself. As of this year, both landlord and tenant have to sign a certification confirming the tenant received the required lead information, and confirming that you checked the state's Lead Safe Homes database for any existing inspection reports on the property, not just handed over a generic packet.

The update came out of an April 2026 meeting of the Governor's Advisory Committee for the Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, the group's first meeting in years. It was published without a notice and comment period, so plenty of landlords and property managers haven't caught it yet.

A few things worth doing before your next lease signing:

Swap out the old form

The new Tenant Lead Law Notification and Certification Form is ten pages and covers testing, deleading methods, and the difference between a Letter of Compliance and a Letter of Interim Control. Grab the current version before your next signing so you're not using an outdated copy.

Check the Lead Safe Homes database first

Before you sign, confirm whether an inspection report, Letter of Compliance, or Letter of Interim Control already exists for the property. If it does, it needs to accompany the form. If you're attesting you have no knowledge of lead in the unit, you now have to affirmatively state you checked the database, not just assume.

Build it into your turnover checklist

This pairs naturally with the smoke and CO detector check and fire department inspection many cities already require at change of occupancy. One more line item, same workflow.

Keep both signed copies on file

One for the tenant, one for your records. If a tenant later refuses to sign, you can note that on the form instead, but the documentation trail still needs to exist.

None of this changes what triggers deleading obligations if a child under six lives in the unit. It changes how you document the conversation you're already required to have, and it's an easy one to fall behind on simply because most people haven't heard about it yet.

BILDER Group builds lead law compliance into onboarding for every pre-1978 property it manages, database check included, so owners aren't tracking form updates on their own. If you're not sure whether your current paperwork reflects the new requirement, that's worth a quick look before your next tenant signs.