Rental Home Apartment

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Rental Home Mould, Rental House mould, Rental Apartment Mould, & Condo Rental Mould Q&A

[Sept. 24, 2003]

Q. Our basement has been leaking in our townhouse for about 6 months. Every time it rains, more water comes in and mould grows on the walls. Last time the mould grew, the manager came in and cleaned it off with bleach. I warned him that this may not be a safe way to remove it, but I wasn't touching it. After a few more leaks, the mould grew back and I let it. I got huge black spots all over the wall. I took photos and called the health dept. They tell me that I have no recourse because mould has not been 100% shown to cause health problems. I guess basically these people don't want to dig around the foundation of these townhouses because there are many units having this problem. I sent a certified letter telling them I would withhold rent if they did not answer my concerns. Today, I received a letter telling me they had drylocked my basement several times, checked the drainage, and covered my window wells. They have done what they can to minimize leaks and I should buy a dehumidifier. To me, this is laughable. I'm at the point now where I don't want to be evicted, but I'm tired of the leaking and the mould is scaring me because I don't know what kind it is. Any advice you have would be helpful. Is it always necessary to have a dehumidifier in a basement? I mean, if it weren't leaking, the dehumidifier wouldn't be necessary, correct?

       A. With the recurring water problems and incessant mould growth, your family's health can be seriously harmed if your family continues to live in your townhouse.. mould from the basement can easily grow into the floors and walls above the basement. Airborne mould spores can travel in air currents upstairs to sicken you family and to mould cross-contaminate your entire townhouse. You ought to seriously consider moving to a mould-safe place as soon as possible. Prior to moving your clothes and personal possessions, be sure to mould decontaminate your personal effects by utilizing our new book and video instructions [5 hours] Do-It-Yourself mould Prevention, Inspection, Testing, and Remediation [Mould Mart]. Otherwise, you might mould cross-contaminate where you move to. If you want to put more pressure on your landlord to take care of your mould problems, please consider sending a Tenant Notice To Landlord About mould, described at Landlord Liability to Their Tenants Health .

        [June 18, 2003]
        Q. For 1 1/2 years I've been living in an leaky apartment that the property manager kept blowing me off about fixing the roof ,toxic mould areas in wall that is in my children's bedroom and six months back into 1st moving in my children's doctor seen a pattern in there sickness runny nose upper respiratory problems and he wanted to know if there was any mould or mildew in apartment cause they had lots of symptoms of a person that has been exposed to mould, 2 yrs later the final results of this man not fixing the problem still going on fighting with him to fix the leaky roof has lead in my children having asthma there bedroom they cant even sleep, or enjoy there time in there own bedroom just being kids the wall is now breaking apart and caving in it has lots more mould on the inside of wall and I've had code enforcement out on June 11,2003.. My doctor has given me a note stating my children are sick. the landlord is still refusing to fix this leak and remove the mould because there are not enough funds to do right now. When my lease is up I'm getting a grant for a house, but for now me and my fiance and my children have no where else to go That's why we have stayed in these conditions and I've called the health department and they were suppose to come out and never showed up, I really need some advise or help with this situation because unfortunately it's to late for the landlord to fix this problem before my children get sick, he can fix his apartment but I cant fix the damage that has already been done to my children. I need some one to email me back and let me know what to do.

A. If your apartment were on fire, you would not hesitate to immediately take your family out of it. Your apartment is on fire---environmentally from airborne mould spores and mould growth. The large damage to your family health will get only get worse for your family members each day that you continue to live in the mould hell apartment. Move now!!! Don't take any of your clothing or personal possessions with you until you have mould decontaminated them in accordance with the precise instructions provided for various types of personal property in our book mould Health Book [available at Mould Mart]. If you want to pursue any legal rights you may have against your landlord for mould damage to your family health, mould damage to your personal property, and for the costs of moving, you need to get proof of the apartment mould infestation by having your apartment mould tested before your surrender possession of the apartment to your indifferent, uncaring landlord. You can use one of our Certified Mould Inspectors [ Janitorial & Sanitation or our do it yourself mould test kits with our expert mould laboratory analysis and mould identification [Mould Mart]. You should also photograph and videotape the visible mould growth and any visible water damage. If you want to find an environmental attorney in your area, please visit: Mould Lawyer

           [Feb. 2, 2003]
           Q. I've been living with my father in POINT LOMA California. We are living in a rental unit and we have advised the management of the units of our mould problem. For the past 2 years that I've been living here nothing has been done to get rid of the mould that is growing in closets (soiling clothes shoes etc.), the bathrooms and around the windows of the units. the carpets had been soiled due to a leak in the upstairs unit and all they did was bring dryers in. I attempt to clean especially the windows at least twice a month with bleach but it doesn't go away. Twice this year I've been diagnosis with pneumonia and also various nasal/lung infections. My father has renal failure and has constant infections with fluid in his lungs. The landlord claim there is nothing it can do. I'm am trying to retain a lawyer, but I really don't know what to do. My father has been in the rental unit for over 7 years. Any help will be appreciated.
           A. You and your father need to move immediately to a mould safe rental to avoid further destruction of your health because of the toxic mould exposure. If your apartment were on fire, you and your father would not hesitate to leave the place. Your apartment is on fire----with toxic mould. The visible mould growth you have seen and tried to get rid of and the very serious health problems of you and your father are compelling evidence of the mould fire burning strongly in your rental unit. Do not move any of your clothing or personal possessions without first decontaminating them of mould spores and any mould growth. Follow the decontamination procedures explained in Phillip Fry's book Do-It-BEST-Yourself Mould Prevention, Inspection, Remediation, & Testing Guide. If you want to make a financial claim against your landlord for damage to your health and to your personal possessions and for the expenses of moving, you should also document the types and extent of mould species that have infested in your rental unit. The only way to do so [as possible legal evidence against your landlord] is to hire a Certified Mould Inspector for a thorough physical mould inspection and toxic mould test of your rental unit..   Once you have a report from the mould inspector with the toxic mould test results that prove that you have elevated levels of mould spores and/or mould growth in your apartment, then you need to locate an attorney who specializes in suing landlords over mould issues. Check with the referral section of your local bar [attorney] association, and look for environmental attorneys in your area in the reference book Martindale Hubbell Directory of Attorneys in the reference department of most larger public libraries.

          [Jan. 30, 2003]
          Q. We've been in a rented home for 4 1/2 months, and I believe there may be an existence of mould which is causing respiratory problems. In the master bedroom there is a spot on one wall (where it meets the ceiling) that continues to expand with each rainfall. I have been experiencing breathlessness for the past 3 consecutive days,
which is consistent with the most recent rainfall. In addition to the leak, there is an automatic sprinkler system that waters the foundation of the home numerous times a day, everyday. Should I be concerned that this is the cause of my sudden respiratory issues? The majority of my day is spent at home, whereas my husband and child have work and school. We've previously informed the landlords of the leak (Oct-Nov timeframe), but have yet to receive a resolution of the possible mould threat.
          A. Yes, you should be very concerned about the possible mould threat and its likely injury to your family's health.
Your first step is to air test your rented home's various rooms, attic, basement, crawl space, and hvac equipment and duct work for elevated levels of mould spores, which, if discovered, would be a good indication of a major mould infestation problem. You can hire the mould inspection and mould testing services of one of our Certified Mould Inspectors, or use our do it yourself mould test kits with our Mold Inspector Laboratory mould analysis and identification service. You need to pay these inspection and testing expenses yourself to prove to your landlord [and maybe to a judge and jury some day to win financial damages from your landlord] that a mould problem actually exists. If there is a mould contamination problem, you can then ask for: (1) immediate reimbursement of your inspection and testing fees; (2) financial damages to cover your temporary mould safe housing elsewhere while the rental home is being mould remediated; (3) financial damages to pay for removal of mould spores from all of your clothing and personal property that are exposed to mould in the moldy house; and (4) financial damages to pay for having your family thoroughly tested for mould health problems [and of course for any medical care required to treat and cure any mould medical problems discovered by your attending physician]. Most likely, your landlord will refuse to pay anything, at which point you need to move at your own expense to a mould safe place to live, disinfect all of your clothing and personal possessions of mould spores and growth prior to moving them elsewhere, and hire a good local environmental attorney to pursue whatever legal rights you may have against the landlord. You can read detailed directions on how to clean mould from all clothing and personal effects by reading Phillip Fry's book Mould Health Book.

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