When a home or an apartment unit is repainted in preparation for a new tenant, is the painting activity always considered a “renovation” for purposes of the pre-renovation education requirements even if no surface preparation activity is performed prior to painting?

No. The primary determinant of whether a given activity constitutes a “renovation” under the RRP Rule is whether that activity disturbs a painted surface. The practice of recoating painted surfaces in preparation for new tenants would not constitute “renovation” unless accompanied by activities that disturb the painted surface and create paint dust such as sanding, scraping, or other surface preparation activities. Minor “spot” scraping or sanding can be considered “minor repair and maintenance activities” if no more than 6 square feet of paint is disturbed in any room or no more than 20 square feet of paint on any exterior to be painted, and the work does not involve practices prohibited by the Rule, such as power sanding without a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter attachment. Washing walls or other components prior to painting likely would not result in a disturbance of painted surface.