Multifamily apartment complex aerial view

Apartments · Condos · BTR · Senior Multifamily

Multifamily Radon Testing in Georgia

Buildings test high in Georgia. Tenants ask. Buyers ask. A defensible building test runs without disrupting residents and produces a report ready for a buyer, an HOA, or counsel.

Request a quote(404) 905-3197

Multifamily radon, plain English

Garden-style apartments, mid-rise and high-rise rentals, condos, build-to-rent communities, and senior-multifamily share a common radon profile: large slab footprint, ground-floor units in direct contact with soil gas, and occupied buildings where testing and mitigation have to happen around residents.

The sections below cover why testing comes up in multifamily, how the loan-financing landscape interacts with radon, how a defensible building test is designed, what mitigation looks like in occupied buildings, what drives cost, and how disclosure works under Georgia lease law.

Why multifamily testing comes up

Four situations cover almost every multifamily radon inquiry. None of them require panic. All of them have a defensible answer that ends with a documented test and, if needed, a working mitigation system.

A tenant or HOA asked

A resident wrote in asking about radon, or an HOA board put it on the agenda. Once that happens, the building owner is on notice. A documented test is the defensible response, even if the lease and state law are silent.

Acquisition or refinance

You are buying a property and your environmental consultant added radon to the Phase I user-defined scope, or your lender wants documentation before closing. The test is scoped and executed inside the deal timeline alongside the consultant.

Sale prep or disclosure

Before listing, owners increasingly want a clean radon report in the property package. Buyers ask. Showing it up front shortens negotiations and prevents a surprise reading from a buyer-side test.

A reading came back high

A tenant ran a $20 test from the hardware store and got a number above 4.0 pCi/L. A controlled re-test confirms or contradicts the reading; mitigation follows only if confirmed. A bad short-term test is not a final answer.

Loan-Driven Testing

The HUD, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac landscape

Federal multifamily loan programs are the single biggest driver of multifamily radon testing nationally. If an acquisition or refinance is going through HUD/FHA, Fannie Mae, or Freddie Mac, the environmental consultant on the deal almost always includes radon in the scope. Here is the landscape these deals operate under.

HUD MAP Guide (FHA-insured multifamily loans)

Binding. Requires radon testing under HUD's current standards, with mitigation, when needed, following recognized commercial-building standards. Test reports must be signed by a qualified measurement professional under HUD's specific definition.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (March 2025 change)

On March 26, 2025, the Federal Housing Finance Agency rescinded its 2022 directive that had standardized radon testing. The downstream effect:

  • Fannie Mae continues to set its own radon testing requirements through its current multifamily guide, with the environmental professional now playing a larger role in whether testing is warranted on a given property.
  • Freddie Mac also continues to require radon testing when the consultant determines it is warranted, with the sampling coverage set by its current multifamily standard.

Net effect: testing volume softened post-March 2025, but consultants in higher-radon Georgia counties still recommend it on most deals, and lender internal credit policies often retain it.

In agency-financed deals, the environmental consultant or lender's preferred vendor list typically determines who runs the test. The rest of this page applies to private multifamily property. Owner-driven, tenant-driven, sale-driven, or condo-driven testing where there is no agency loan in the picture.

How testing is designed for occupied apartment buildings

Multifamily testing is not just “a few canisters and a number.” The right design covers the buildings that actually contact soil gas, samples a defensible portion of upper floors, runs under controlled conditions, and produces a report that holds up to outside review.

The unit list is built collaboratively with the property manager. Two to four days of device exposure, then lab time. Two to three weeks from kickoff to report.

Mid-rise apartment building exterior

Device placement

Devices are placed in ground-contact units and a proportional sample of upper floors. Bedrooms, living rooms, and other primary occupied spaces get priority over kitchens, bathrooms, and closets. Common areas like leasing offices, fitness rooms, and lower-level amenity space get sampled when they sit on slab.

Duration and conditions

Short-term tests run 48 to 96 hours with HVAC operating in normal mode. Doors and windows stay closed during the test window. Weather, HVAC state, and any conditions that could shift the reading are documented during the test. Long-term tests for ongoing monitoring run 90 days or longer.

Tenant notification

Residents get a short notice before the test starts: what the device is, where not to disturb it, and a contact in case of questions. A notification template using owner-friendly language comes with the test plan, ready to drop into a standard resident-notice format. Most residents appreciate the heads-up; few have questions.

Reporting

You get a building-level report with a unit list, device serial numbers, raw data, weather conditions, narrative interpretation, and recommendation. The package is built to hand to a buyer, lender, attorney, or HOA board without follow-up questions.

Mitigation in occupied buildings

Mitigation in a 200-unit garden complex is not the same job as a single-family house with a basement. Slab area is bigger, the design has more variables, and the work has to happen around residents. The right system is sized to the building and quiet enough to be invisible to the people who live there.

Two to six weeks from approved scope to verified post-mitigation result, depending on building count and complexity.

Urban multifamily complex

Multiple suction points

A 200-unit garden-style complex on a slab is not one big house. Sub-slab depressurization for a building that size usually needs several suction points spread across the slab, not a single point at one wall. Communication testing during design dictates where they go.

Slab construction

Poured concrete on a vapor barrier, post-tension slabs, sub-membrane on a crawlspace, and structural footings all change the design. Post-tension slabs have hard limits on where you can core. Mitigation design works around what is actually there.

Riser routing and concealment

Risers go from the slab to a fan and out above the roofline. In occupied multifamily that means routing through chases, exterior walls, or stair towers. Not through finished apartments where possible. Where penetrations are unavoidable, the work is coordinated with on-site maintenance for access and timing.

Fan selection and noise

Fans are sized to the slab and the resistance of the system. Bigger is not better. An oversized fan wastes electricity and runs loud. Quiet, low-watt fans selected for noise sensitivity are standard for occupied buildings, especially when risers run near bedrooms.

What drives the cost

A 24-unit triplex cluster and a 280-unit garden complex are very different jobs. Testing is quoted as a fixed fee after a short call. Mitigation needs a site visit to count suction points, but the variables that shape price are the same every time.

Testing

  • Number of buildings in the engagementHigh impact
  • Number of ground-contact unitsHigh impact
  • Whether common areas need separate testingMedium
  • Short-term vs long-term protocolMedium
  • Turnaround requiredMedium
  • Site visits during occupied hoursLow

Mitigation

  • Slab area and number of suction pointsHigh impact
  • Slab construction (post-tension, vapor barrier, etc.)High impact
  • Riser routing (interior vs exterior)High impact
  • Number of separate buildings to mitigateHigh impact
  • Electrical capacity and panel accessMedium
  • After-hours or phased work for occupied buildingsMedium

Disclosure, leases, and what Georgia actually requires

Georgia does not require radon disclosure in residential leases. Four states do (Illinois, Florida partial, Maine, Montana). For Georgia owners, disclosure decisions are about liability management and tenant relationships, not statutory compliance.

If a test comes back at or above 4.0 pCi/L, the practical move is generally to mitigate, re-test to confirm the system is working, and disclose the situation in writing to current and incoming residents: “the building was tested, here is what we found, here is what we did.” That sequence addresses the inquiry directly and is the answer most owners default to once they have read the lease and talked to counsel. Disclosure obligations vary by jurisdiction and lease language; specific situations should be reviewed with counsel.

If the test comes back clean, the report goes in the building file. There is nothing to disclose, but having the documented test on hand is what matters when a future tenant or buyer asks the same question. Most owners re-test on a multi-year cycle to keep the file current.

Frequently asked questions

Is radon testing required for apartments in Georgia?▾
Georgia does not have a state-level requirement for multifamily radon testing. Federal multifamily loan programs (HUD/FHA, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac) often require it as a closing condition, but the federal framework changed in March 2025 when the FHFA rescinded the directive that had standardized testing across Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Each now follows its own current guide, and your environmental consultant on the deal usually plays a larger role in whether testing is required. Outside of agency-financed deals, testing is voluntary but increasingly expected.
A tenant asked about radon in my building. What now?▾
Once a tenant has asked in writing, the most defensible response is generally to test. A documented test addresses the inquiry directly. Ignoring the question or telling the tenant to run their own test does not address it. Failing to act once an owner is on notice may complicate later defense if a claim is ever brought. A defensible building test typically closes the inquiry within two to three weeks. Specific legal exposure should be reviewed with counsel.
Do I have to disclose results to my tenants?▾
Georgia does not require radon disclosure in residential leases. Four states (Illinois, Florida partial, Maine, Montana) do. That said: if the test came back elevated, current and future tenants have a reasonable expectation of being told, and most owners disclose voluntarily after mitigation as a goodwill move and a liability limiter. Disclosure language tied to the test results and any mitigation performed is part of the report package.
How many units do I actually have to test?▾
Outside of HUD/GSE loan requirements, testing scope is your call. Industry practice for a defensible private test is: every ground-contact unit and a proportional sample (typically 10%) of upper floors. Common areas on slab (leasing offices, fitness rooms, lower-level amenity space) get sampled when they exist. The unit list is designed collaboratively with the property manager.
Who pays, landlord or tenant?▾
In standard residential leases the landlord owns the building envelope and is responsible for environmental conditions like radon. Cost cannot generally be passed through as an operating expense on a residential lease. Some commercial-style net leases on mixed-use multifamily handle this differently, but for typical apartments the answer is the landlord pays.
Will testing disrupt residents?▾
Almost not at all. The device is a small disc or canister that sits on a counter or shelf for two to four days. Residents continue normal life. They get a short notice in advance with simple instructions: do not move the device, do not open windows for long periods during the test. A notification template comes with the test plan, ready to drop into the standard resident-notice format.
How disruptive is mitigation in an occupied building?▾
More than testing, but less than tenants think. Most of the work happens at the slab and on exterior walls. Interior work (coring through a slab, running a riser through a chase) is scheduled during normal business hours with notice. Electrical, fan installation, and any after-hours activity is staged so units are not affected at night. A typical multifamily mitigation runs two to six weeks from approved scope to verified result.
My building tested high in one unit. Do I have to mitigate the whole building?▾
Usually yes, but not always. If one ground-contact unit reads high, units around it almost always read similarly because the soil gas source is the slab, not the unit. Mitigation is designed at the building level, not the unit level. The exception is a freestanding garden building with isolated readings. That one building gets mitigated, the others next door may not need it.
A tenant ran a $20 hardware store test and got 7 pCi/L. What do I do?▾
Take it seriously and re-test under controlled conditions. Cheap consumer tests are often accurate but the test conditions usually are not. Windows open, device on a sunny windowsill, HVAC off. The defensible response is a re-test of the same unit and surrounding units under documented conditions. If the controlled test confirms the elevated reading, mitigation is the next step. If it does not, the documented re-test is the defensible record showing the original number was an outlier.
Will mitigation hurt the building cosmetically?▾
For exterior risers in colors matched to the building skin, the visual impact is small. Interior risers go through chases and behind built-ins where possible. Roof penetrations are flashed and sealed like any other roof penetration. Owners worry about this more than residents do. A well-executed multifamily mitigation reads as building infrastructure, not as something added on.
Can the cost be passed through to tenants as an operating expense?▾
In standard residential leases the answer is generally no. The landlord owns the building envelope, and environmental testing or mitigation of the structure itself is treated as a capital or owner-borne expense, not a pass-through operating cost. Some commercial-style net leases on mixed-use properties handle this differently, but for typical apartments the landlord absorbs the cost. The tradeoff is straightforward: a documented test and, if needed, a working mitigation system are far cheaper than the alternative of an uninsured premises-liability claim later.
What happens if I do nothing?▾
Honest answer: probably nothing, in the short term. Radon does not damage the building. Residents do not get sick the next day. The risk is long-term. Chronic exposure raises lung cancer probability, which is why EPA flags it as the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. There is also a litigation risk: once an owner is on notice (a tenant asked, a test came back high, a buyer flagged it during due diligence) and chooses not to act, that inaction is the typical framing in later claims. Most owners test once they know there is a question on the table. Specific exposure should be reviewed with counsel.

Related

Commercial overviewProperty managementPhase I ESA & radon

Information on this page is general guidance about multifamily radon testing, mitigation, lease law, and the federal multifamily loan landscape. It is not legal, financial, or engineering advice. Specific decisions about a property, lease, transaction, or disclosure obligation should be made with qualified counsel and a site-specific evaluation.

Request a multifamily quote

Tell us how many buildings, rough unit count, and what is driving the test (tenant question, sale prep, condo board, recent reading). We will reply with a fixed-fee testing quote and a clear next step.

Multifamily inquiry

We respond within 24 hours
1
2
Your Information