Plumbing and Black Mold?
Theresa asked:
I have been living in a house that I rent for about 3 months. We were told by the landlord that the house has been vacant for a year. When we moved in we had to lay our own carpet. Money was taken off of the rent so that was fine with us. Then little by little everything that needed done he asked us to do, with no rent taken off. It was small things like putting doors on and light-switch plates up. Now, its a bigger issue. About 3 weeks ago our plumbing went hay wire. Water from the tub, toilet, and sink are going into my basement flooding it and ruining a lot of my things. This was late at night and the person I rent off of has an office. So I called directly the next morning. I left a message. I called later in the day, left a message. The next day I called and left a message. The day after, they finally called me back in the evening. They came the next day and did some things and didn’t fix it. The next day, nothing. The day after they came back. They didn’t fix it. They said they’d be in contact. That was a week ago. Still nothing, I have called and nothing. My house smells like raw sewage. Also we were told there was black mold in the house and that’s the reason the person before left and its been vacant for a year. What should I do about plumbing and should I be concerned for black mold??
Black Mold
I have been living in a house that I rent for about 3 months. We were told by the landlord that the house has been vacant for a year. When we moved in we had to lay our own carpet. Money was taken off of the rent so that was fine with us. Then little by little everything that needed done he asked us to do, with no rent taken off. It was small things like putting doors on and light-switch plates up. Now, its a bigger issue. About 3 weeks ago our plumbing went hay wire. Water from the tub, toilet, and sink are going into my basement flooding it and ruining a lot of my things. This was late at night and the person I rent off of has an office. So I called directly the next morning. I left a message. I called later in the day, left a message. The next day I called and left a message. The day after, they finally called me back in the evening. They came the next day and did some things and didn’t fix it. The next day, nothing. The day after they came back. They didn’t fix it. They said they’d be in contact. That was a week ago. Still nothing, I have called and nothing. My house smells like raw sewage. Also we were told there was black mold in the house and that’s the reason the person before left and its been vacant for a year. What should I do about plumbing and should I be concerned for black mold??
Black Mold
Related posts:
- Plumbing and Black Mold?
- What can I do about moldy plumbing fixtures?
- Can toxic black mold grow inside of plumbing especially the water supply pipes?
- What are the dangers of black mold that is growing on a painted wall? And how do i remove this safely?
- How can I make my landlord clean up black mold without being evicted?
Black Mold
The plumbing needs to be fixed immediately. The basement needs to be dried out by professionals. (remediation people) And you need to get out now!! Black mold is extremely dangerous. And it probably has gotten into everything that is fabric, paper or porous: especially in the basement. Throw out anything suspisicous. Clean everything at you keep before it goes into your next place. Clean your vacuum cleaner. Mold does not die. It’s spores may go dormant, until the next bit of humidity, then they send more spores off to wreck your new stuff. Get out, get out, get out. And possibly contact a lawyer.
Black Mold
Google Black Mold! It’s TOXIC! Get out! Contact your local housing authorities! I know here in Colorado its ILLEAGL for these problems to be ingored! Move out and sue the Landlord for your lost money and property
Black Mold
Yes, Black mold is very dangerous and people have won millions in lawsuits from landlords being neglectful in treating the black mold.
The thing is it really can not be treated it needs to be removed properly by a Licensed Mold Re mediator. Failure to do this correctly will result in mold spores being let out into the air you breath and the damage that can be done to your respiratory system is very severe.
If you do not get this resolved in a few days I would certainly call Code Enforcement for your area and ask them to come out and view the damage. In addition you could go to Landlord Tenant Court place your rent in escrow and file a claim for poor maintenance against him.
What ever you do do not withhold rent without placing it in the court escrow.
Black Mold
It depends on who told you there was mold. Harmful mold is very rare, most people have no idea what it looks like, where it grows, etc and get mildew confused with mold all of the time.
Call the city, or whoever handles the sewer pipes. They will come in and determine if the problem is theirs or the home owners. They will also tell you what needs to be done (tree roots are the usual problem).
The landlord pays for this, if it is not a city sewer issue, and needs to handle it right away. If he does not call Environmental Health.