As you know from our rental registration checklist, lead clearance is required by the city of Detroit. As the first step in making your property lead-compliant, you need to decide between a pre-inspection and a full inspection depending on your needs and preference.

If you’re wondering which type of inspection is the best fit for you, here are a few tips:

• If you’re not sure whether to sell your property or go through with full-fledged lead abatement, get a pre-inspection.Once you have a full lead inspection done and the city has received the report, you can’t legally rent it until you’ve cleared the hazards.

• If you want to stay in the market, you should get a full inspection. The best timing is when the lease expires and the tenants are moving out. The lowest amount of exposure is when your property is vacant, so we recommend doing it during the property turn.

• If you know you’re going to sell your property within the year, you don’t need an inspection. If you plan on selling, you have to provide a disclosure to the new buyer if you get a full inspection, which hurts the value of the house.

Castle is happy to connect you with one of our trusted lead inspectors if you would like further consultation on the subject.