Mold in rental duplex (apartment, motel, lawyer)

[Rice78]

I have mold coming through the pain and tiles in my bathroom and the only thing holding the wall up is the tiles. A few fell off and the dry wall is no more it's just mold. My room mate is highly allergic to mold. I called my land lord and she sent the maintains man to look at it. He wants to just cover it up with a bathroom wall board. I've fixed these kine of problems my self before and offered to do it right, but she doesn't want to pay for parts and labor. (I asked for half off next rent $175 for about 16 hours of work and it cost about $180 for all parts) What should I do. We have no money to move any were else.

[santos]

Call the Health Department--see if the landlord can be forced to fix this properly. I have mold allergy too, and this is a serious health risk.

[Rice78]

I don't want to make here mad either. I have know were to go if she kicks me out. But I do know some one personally that works for the health Department I'll give him a call.

[jasony]

I would suggest you contact a lawyer. This may be something that you feel is uncomfortable now, but over time things can come up that you don't forsee and those things can be health related or financially troublesome.

[visualevo]

you need to get this fixed correctly. The landlord doesn't have a choice in this matter. Mold can cause serious, including fatal, health issues.

Contact a lawyer about this. No if's and's or but's about it.

[GreenGeek]

I'd say the attorney is probably the best approach too. I hate that we have such a litigious society today but not covering the bases now will definitely hurt you later. I'm fairly new to Missouri so don't know if the state generally tends to favor individuals or businesses but in most of the places I've lived the individual usually loses when they go it alone in a battle with a business. Landlords get their share of crap tenants, for sure, so they either learn all the tricks needed to come out on top or they don't stay in business for long. If you have a low-life for a landlord the fight be that much more under-handed. Good luck.

[linicx]

Untreated mold is a killer. It is caused by water exposed to oxygen. I'll give you 10-1 there's a house full and what you see now is just the tip of the iceberg. High thee outta there while you still have good lungs. NO. I am not kidding. If you decide to do it on your won - which is foolish, open a window, turn on fans and wear a mask with a good filter. And do not sleep in there intil its fixed.

You need the lawyer and the health department. In fact, a good lawyer will have the slumlord paying your motel and food bills until you find a place. The optinum word is GOOD.

[GreenGeek]

I suppose this is a little off-topic but couldn't help mentioning it ... I currently live in an apartment and a few days ago I made a post in this forum about mold. A few days later (today, in fact) I come home from work to find a tag on my door stating the maintenance person had visited my apartment checking for mold!! Is it pure coincidence, and is January really the best time to check for mold? I've been here since April 08 and I don't recall any visits to check for mold in the humid summer months. This place does offer free wifi internet and it is definitely possible for them to monitor my internet traffic. Y'know this doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling. :-)

[jasony]

GreenGeek, find out what the person doing the inspection credentails are. A lot of the do-it-yourself test kits do not take volume samples adequately and may provide results that aren't helpful when trying to determining infestation of mold and extent of damage. It is a legal conflict of interest for a remediator to test and verify their own work also. So, if the complex is looking to do the clean up themselves (which they very well could be qualified to do - I don't know) it is recommended by most organizations in our industry (contact the IICRC - www.iicrc.org for more information) not to do both inspection and remediation. As far as inspecting it in January, if the person doing the analyses and testing knows what they are doing then they can inspect the building and develop a scope of work to remedy any potential situation that may be there. For more information on how to find professionals or indoor air pollutants see www.SolutionsIEC.com. I hope it all turns out well for you.

[jasony]

With a name like GreenGeek I thought you might enjoy this website too: www.seeimgreen.com. The guy that started this site is an instructor in the indoor air quality industry. He just released it a month or so ago. Kinda fun site.