What the numbers mean for Center City landlords
The new towers don’t change the basic picture: 86% of Center City’s licensed rentals are in buildings put up before 1978, so they need a lead-safe certificate. A larger share is registered exempt than across the city, 14% against 9% citywide, because more of Center City’s buildings went up after 1978.
2027 is a busy renewal year here: 405 Center City certificates expire, against 235 the year after. Rittenhouse Square, Logan Square and Fitler Square (19103) have the most, 174. Book a few weeks ahead of your expiry date, especially if your building needs time to approve a contractor.
345 licensed rentals in Center City show an expired lead-safe certificate in the City’s records. A new lease, a lease renewal or a rental license renewal all need a current certificate, so if yours has lapsed, test before your next one.
What a test involves here
Center City rentals come in every shape: a unit in a high-rise or mid-rise condo or apartment building, an apartment in a converted rowhouse or brownstone, or a floor of an older walk-up. The test is the same in each. For every unit we wipe one floor and one windowsill in every bedroom and in one common room, plus a blank control. A 1-bedroom condo is 5 samples; a 2-bedroom is 7. Testing two or more units in one visit, like the apartments in a converted rowhouse, takes 20% off every unit, and buildings with 6 or more units get a custom quote.
In a condo or apartment building, check the building’s rules before you book. Many ask for a certificate of insurance from anyone working in a unit, and some need the elevator reserved or limit work to set hours. Ask your management office what they need, then call or text us so we can tell you up front whether it works.
Old wood windows and painted sills are the usual reason a unit fails the 2026 limits (floors 5, sills 40, troughs 100 µg/ft²), and that’s common in the older rowhouses and walk-ups. Recent work matters too: renovation dust that looks clean can still fail. The prep checklist covers what to do, and what to expect walks through the visit.
After you pass
You get the certificate and lab report by email, with the exact steps for filing on the City’s lead certification portal. The certificate is good for four years (here’s how to check when yours expires). Not sure your unit needs one? See who needs a certificate.