Hi,
I've been doing a lot of research online, but can't find anybody who could help me, so I thought I might as well ask you guys.
The neigbour living upstairs soaked our bathroom 4 times in two years, and the water did result in mold growth in the drywall. I don't know how much, I don't know how dangerous is that particular mold, but neither does my landlord, and he refuses to have it investigated (all sources say a drywall usually needs to be changed if mold grows in it. He wants me to spray bleech on it -from the outside. When the stuff is clearly in the inside.) Mold can be really dangerous. I know, I'm a Biologist. What I don't know is how to asses the situation. I don't now if the drywall needs to be changed, and I don't know if my girlfriend and I are living in a place that has considerable health risk. There's no smell, though, and some discolorations can be seen on the ceiling. There are black cracks where the wall meets the ceiling; you can push a blade in there with no effort: it's rotting. But it's nothing like a huge patch of fungi in plain sight.

Anyway, I need two things: how do I get expert opinion on how dangerous the situation is? All the Health Department, and other goverment agencies claim they can't help, and Florida does not have any mold-related regulation. (Go figure.)
The other thing is how to make my landlord to perform his duties and maintain the apartman, to investigate the problem and if needed, change the drywall?


(Another issue is the A/C. It smells damp, and smells of cats (the previous tenant's parting gift), and he hasn't done any maintance on it in the 3 years I've been living there. Everywhere I read it said the central A/C should be checked in every 1-2 years. And cleaned.)

I tried to talk to him, but he doesn't even listen to me.

Andras,

Move. You need to find another place to live. I am afraid that is the most viable option you have - even if it means breaking your lease.

That would mean him keeping the security deposit.
I found an apartman which would be great, but I'd have to move in in the next two weeks...

The thing is he does not want to be bothered with these things.

I know it would, but it sounds like you have already tried to voice your concerns and your landlord wasn't interested. I'm sorry that this is happening to you.

1)Get him to refuse to address the issue in front of a witness or in writing then
move out and sue him in small claims court for your deposit.
2) I believe if you inform him of the problem in writing (registered letter) if he
doesn't address it in a certain amount of time you could get your deposit back if
this is the reason that you are moving out
3) there must be some kind of Renters Aid group in Florida that can advise you.
4) A Legal Aid group could advise you of what your rights are in this case.

Best of luck,
Charles

I

Andras,
A security deposit might be a small price to pay against the possibility of medical bills resulting from living in a "mold" tainted environment.
Mold related illnesses can be very debilitating.
You really should consider moving as soon as possible from the sound of the conditions you're faced with.
Good luck,
Gary

The only way to solve the problem is to remove the drywall and replace it. Spraying bleach will not do anything to the mold growing on the inside surface of the drywall. As for the mold you can see, spraying a 10:1 water/bleach solution on it will kill it. Then you can clean off the residue with soap and water.

As for the a/c system, if the duct is internally insulated, then getting rid of the mold is going to be almost impossible. Replacment of the ductwork is probably the only effective way of completely removing it. If the duct isn't internally insulated, then the chances of mold growth are pretty slim. The mold will feed on the insulation, but if there is none, there is nothing to eat. Most duct cleaning companies use the mold issue to scare people into spending their money. But in most residential installations, there is no internal insulation. Now for people that have allergies to dust, cat dander, etc., duct cleaning is probably a good idea. But in my opinion, it's a waste of money in most cases.

If you want to spend a few dollars, you could always contact an air quality company to come out and test for mold. Check the phone book and I'm sure you'll find several that specialize in this service. Just look under "air quality" in the yellow pages. They'll be able to tell you within a couple of weeks if there is mold and what type it is.

How do I know this? I'm an HVAC engineer responsible for a 700,000 sqauer foot office building. I've had to learn more about mold and it's remediation over the past five years than I ever thought I would. Personally I think it's a problem magnified only by the lawyers who are litigating their cases on it.

Is there a Landlord Teneants act in place there? If there is it should outline his and your duties and responsibilities.If not, id go with Mr readings advice. Go with a registared letter and a rfusal in front of a witness and get out. The A/C is probably full of mold as well.. if its never been serviced I can see the drain being plugged and water backing up into the evaporater... Good luck


Dave

Andras, after speaking with your landlord and not recieving the proper responses to your problem, he will probably try and screw you for your security anyway, slumlord. Has he offered to repair the damages ... I mean it is his building ?
If you were to accidently drop some chicken wings and legs behind the electric and phone wall plates .... then move, this may at the least ease the pain of lost security and ...... something about revenge is a dish best served cold ..... is that how it goes ?
Mind you I'm not suggesting this but it dosen't seem your landlord gives a rats as* about your situation, I've been there and your best bet is to cut your losses [ minus some Perdue parts ] and leave.
Cheyenne

Andras,
Here is a good site for reference...
http://www.cleanwaterpartners.org/mold/legal-aspects.html

Open your phone book and find the local housing authority...should be one in your town...next tell them what's going on and that your concerned about your safety and your landlords lack of concern. In our town all landlords have to be registered and one can complain about he/she to the housing authority. This generates a check of the trouble and possible fines if it's deemed as needing fixed and it isn't. The landlord will return the favor to you somewhere along the line though...if his only recourse is to replace the drywall, he'll have you move out possibly while keeping the lease in tact claiming he's only trying to fix the probelm for you to make you happy...however long it takes! He wouldn't be breaking the lease that way.
Grab that other place and go...are you waiting for him to not bother taking care of any other problems for you? He won't, and the more he feels nagged the less he'll want to do for you...I'd say cut your losses and go, but do get the needed witness or whatever is legally needed to get your deposit returned...but don't expect he'll give in easily or not drag his feet...see where this all seems to be leading...sorry!
No-one has thought of suing the neighbor too for the trouble they caused and the landlord won't fix?

Check the State laws on security deposits....... that's why some states call them "Last months rent" I've always lived mine out as i knoew damn well I;'d never see it......

Your city, county, state does have agencies who deal with these complaints -- don't expect the landlord to tell you about them. There are procedures and rules to make the complaint formal, so it can be tracked, and the agencies can apply leverage. Usually step one is that you notify the landlord in writing of the deficiency and ask for repair.

Another option is to check your local TV stations for one of those "5 on your side" features where the young news bimbo in training tries to get a mike & camera shoved in the guys face ... Sometimes that works ... Some newspapers have the same thing ...

Black mold kills. Replacement of the drywall AND scrubbing down of all the studs in the vicinity are necessary. The upstairs floor, under the toilet, has to be replaced also ...

John

Water damage in general is bad news. We had plumbers soak dry wall in our house and our insurance company pretty much told us if we filed a water damage claim they would pay it and cancel our insurance. They were that worried about the future liabilty from mold.

I would live the last month on the deposit and skate.

Shaun

Get out....Move....it will be cheaper and better for your health both physically and mentally than going through all this legal bull. You most likely will lose.
Put it behind you and start fresh...just be sure to check out the next place you land very carefully for potential problems.

Notify the local health dept in your city. If it is black mold it is very dangerous. This will be very deadly to you and anyone else in the building. The landlords insurance would help (if he has insurance)to clean up the problem. We have had this problem with a few houses in our are and they wee condemned and torn down. Two of them were brand new and never lived in. The bleach will not help get rid of the mold entirely.

Thank you all for the answers.
I'm looking for new apartmants.
(You know when we first rented this place he gave us 50 off from the monthly rent, then made us pay 40 for insurance... and ever since all I hear how good he was to us, how little have we been paying for the apartman, whenever I try to make him fix something. It really angers me, that he feels betrayed by some ungrateful people he was so good to, while all I want from him is to investigate the problem. And the most beautiful part is that the neighbour is responsible!! He is the one who would have to pay for all this.)


One more question: there is an awsome apartman avaliable from next week. How should I proceed without loosing my security? (I'm willing to go to small claims court if he tries to deny it). Usually there's a 15 day notification period for breaking the lease in case of monthly payments, right? (The landlord was talking about 60 days, and there's no mention of it in the lease. So it must be what the law says, not what the landlord.) Shoud I just tell the other guy to hold the apartman for me for two weeks, give him some money, and send a registered letter to my landlord, or how? Can I ask him to wait with the security deposit for a few month until I get some money?

Notify him that you're moving and ask for your security deposit back.
If he balks..tell him you'll turn him into the heath department for the moldy, hazardous conditions that you're forced to live in because he refuses to repair the problem. Most likely he'll take the cheaper way out and give you back the money rather than face problems with city officials.

Take any pictures of the area documenting mold and water damage. In Michigan the renter must provide a copy of the insurance ceritifation upon signing a lease and/or upon demand. Get that copy if you can and contact his insurance company about the issue. Every time you call a department or agency get the name and contact number of the person you called. You can call a water repair company on your own and have them give you a professioal opinion.

Bottom line is to make sure you have a history of everything you did to rectify the situation.