Multi-Family

Commercial RRP Expansion – Significant Changes Ahead – Comments Requested

A&K Painting Co. Commercial RRP Infographic

Significant changes are ahead for maintenance and up-fit/remodel work on pre-1978 Commercial and Public buildings.  The EPA is working to expand the existing Residential & Child Care – Lead Safe Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule to include Commercial and Public Buildings.

Go to our Commercial RRP Infographic

The expansion of RRP Rules to Commercial and Public buildings will increase owner’s risk and liability, increase costs for maintenance and up-fit work in pre-1978 buildings.  There is no question that we all want to protect our children from the hazards or exposure to lead paint dust.  For Public Building and Commercial Buildings that are not child occupied, the EPA has yet to provide scientific proof that there is a hazard.  This expansion or RRP Rules would impact every building in the United States that was built prior to 1978.  State managed RRP programs, such as those in North Carolina eleven other States will be required to adopt these changes.

As reported in our January 5th blog post announcing the EPA’s comment period and request for comments from interested parties, we are interested in activating building owners and managers, facility managers and contractors to participate by adding their comments either directly or through engaging and participating with their industry association to submit comments.

Your comments are needed.  To help the EPA determine if there is a health hazard in none child occupied commercial buildings when renovation is completed, submit your comments before April 1st, 2013. Learn more and submit your comments to the EPA

Learn more about existing Residential – Child Care related RRP Rules and the expansion of RRP to Commercial & Public Buildings.

 

NC Liens: Changes are happening. How will this affect you?

StateCapitol

If you are a prime contractor, first-tier subcontractor or even a remote subcontractor/ supplier, the changes happening in the lien world will affect you.  North Carolina legislature has changed the process of perfecting a lien.  One of the purposes of doing this is to reduce the number of hidden liens filed in the state.  The result:  Gone are the days where you do not need to serve the project owner the claim of lien.

According to Greg Shelton in an article in the Charlotte Business Journal, “Under current law, the lien must be filed with the clerk of court within 120 days of last furnishing, and the lien-enforcement lawsuit must be filed within 180 days of last furnishing. Starting Jan. 1, [2013] claimants also must serve a lien on the property owner”.  Basically this means if you are a prime contractor, you will have to serve the owner of the property that you are improving.  If you are a subcontractor, you will need to serve the owner and the prime contractor with the subrogated lien rights.  While this law may seem like a paperwork nightmare, if done correctly, there is a higher probability of you being paid in full before closing.

So, what are the consequences if you don’t follow the new lien laws?  If you fail to serve the claim of lien correctly, you may lose your lien rights.  Since this is such a new change, it may be best to contact a construction lawyer for details.

 

 

EPA Opens Comment Period On Commercial RRP

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For all those involved in Commercial Real Estate, Facility Maintenance and Commercial Construction, the long awaited ‘other shoe’ has dropped.  The EPA’s intent to add private and public commercial buildings to the renovation, repair and painting program took another step forward last week.  See the EPA’s Proposed Rule Information.

Renovations of homes and child-occupied facilities built prior to 1978 must be performed by certified contractors using lead-safe work practices. EPA is currently in the process of determining whether renovation, repair, and painting activities on public and commercial buildings might also create lead-based paint hazards. For those activities that do create lead-based paint hazards, EPA intends to develop certification, training, and work practice requirements as directed by the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

EPA has opened a comment period to allow for additional data and other information to be submitted by the public and interested stakeholders. This comment period runs through April 1, 2013. More information on this request for public comment, including instructions for providing your comments, can be found in the Federal Register notice.

In addition, EPA plans to hold a public meeting on renovations in and on public and commercial buildings on June 26, 2013. EPA will publish more details on this public meeting in the Federal Register in the spring of 2013.

A&K Painting Company will continue to monitor and report on the EPA’s actions for Commercial RRP.

Kicking Off Nineteenth Anniversary for A&K Painting Company

A&K Painting Welcomes Mark Schlereth

We celebrate our customers and our team as we kick off the celebration of our nineteenth year in business.  January 10, 2013 is the official celebration party. We  invite you to party with us at our Operations Training Showroom (OTS) and meet special guest, former NFL All Pro Guard Mark Schlereth.  As the leading Charlotte  painting contractor, we’re proud of our heritage and very honored and blessed by the relationships built over the years.

We look forward to welcoming Mark Schlereth.  Mark serves as an NFL analyst on ESPN. Since joining ESPN in 2001, Mark has frequently appeared as an analyst on NFL Live, First Take, SportsCenter and ESPNews. He also appears regularly on ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike in the Morning.  Mark is also an entrepreneur and operates Mark Schlereth’s Stinking Good Green Chili that can be found in 300 grocery stores nationwide.

Come celebrate A&K Painting Company’s 19th Anniversary – Thursday, January 10th – 6 PM to 8 PM at the OTS.  Zebra Restaurant will be serving heavy hors d’oeuvres.  Beer, wine and soft drinks will be available.

Reserve your place now.

Charlotte Apartment Rent Growth #3 in Nation

Charlotte Multifamily Painting Experts A&K PaintingLast week, MPF Research released their preliminary numbers for the apartment market in the United States for the second quarter of 2012. They described Charlotte as a true rock star during the first quarter and reported that demand held at a healthy level, occupancy registered a nice bump, and the metro ranked among the country’s leaders for rent growth.

According to a Property Management Insider article by Michael Cunningman, of PropertyManagementInsider.com, “Charlotte is a metro that has been charging up the list of the country’s rent growth leaders during the past few quarters. The 6.8 percent annual increase in prices seen as of the second quarter was the nation’s third-biggest jump.”  The Raleigh-Durham also made the top ten list of rent growth leaders for the second quarter of 2012 with an annual rent growth of 5.4 percent.

A&K Painting Company is the preferred multifamily Charlotte painting contractor, Apartment Owners and Managers and HOAs rely on to complete their repairs and maintenance painting projects.  Contact Barry Williams, our Multifamily Pro, at 704-247-8583 for a comprehensive and competitive quote on all of your upcoming projects.