Black Mold

SweetAdeline asked:


I live by myself in an apartment w/ negligent landlords. Noticed a few weeks ago black mold growing on ceiling of my bathroom. It seems that upstairs tenant may have had problems w/ his toilet because the spot w/ the mold is slightly warped from wetness, and located where his toilet would be. I have called landlords twice, left messages on their machine, four days apart. They haven’t gotten back to me. I plan on sending a certified letter to them so I have proof they received it.
With 4months of my lease remaining, I worry that they will not let me out of it & I will have to pay the remaining months. Do they have to let me out of the agreement by law because it is unsafe? I have no options, no place to go when they eventually come to clean it. Should I require landlords put me up in a hotel?
What shall I do in the meantime? How much of a risk does this pose? Ive been getting headaches at night but am unsure if they are related. Should I remove all my belongings from the bathroom and keep the door closed?
How can I tell if it’s affected anything else in my apartment; if the spores can travel and spread. Do I need to get rid of anything in my apartment?

Some of the people ive spoke to dont think its a real threat, but it doesnt sit well with me.
It isnt something I can clean the surface of. It looks like the drywall needs to be cut out and replaced.
No window. I ALWAYS use the fan when showering.

Black Mold

Rich Fuller asked:




In 2001, black mold cases cost insurance companies over 1.2 billion dollars. This includes the cost of inspection and testing, remediation, attorney fees and punitive damages for builders’ neglect in dealing with the problem.

Since 2001, the number of black mold cases has steadily risen. Every year there are billions of dollars in lawsuits. Because of this, insurance companies have stopped carrying mold coverage. The new suits are brought against landlords, builders and property owners.

Unfortunately, many of these individuals do not fully understand their insurance coverage as it pertains to mold. Mold liability suits are on the rise, and you don’t want to be the next one!

So, What Can You Do?

Getting Coverage

Due to these recent mold cases, many insurance policies have included a “mold exclusion” to their insurance policies. If you are lucky enough to have an earlier policy that doesn’t have a mold exclusion, you should hang onto it.

The mold exclusion clauses are making it tough to get coverage for mold. You can often only get mold coverage as a stand-alone policy, and it carries high premiums. You can get it as an add-on to your existing policy as well, but it is often expensive.

If you live in a humid are such as the Pacific Northwest, it may be a good investment to get the extra coverage. Also, if the building property is old, you might want to be covered. Older buildings were built before there were strict guidelines for builders to deal with toxic black mold removal.

You also may be able to reduce the cost of coverage by developing an Operation & Maintenance plan for dealing with mold. Your O&M may include a plan for dealing with mold, a schedule for inspection and training for your employees in dealing with black mold remediation.

Fighting Mold

The best thing you can do is take care of mold problems when they occur and keep the mold out of your buildings. If your properties have a history of mold, you have to keep an eye on them. Talk with your tenants or employees and work on communicating with them. Make sure they understand how to check for mold, and notify you when they do.

If you are a landlord, you can revise your lease to include a section about black mold. Some landlords make their tenants fully responsible for mold cleanup, as long as it’s not a structural problem with the house. A better idea is to simply put a clause in the lease saying that it’s the tenants’ responsibility to notify the landlord of any black mold problems. This will keep you from being legally negligent.

It’s a really good idea to periodically pay for mold testing and inspection. This is expensive, but it may save you from a lawsuit. It also may save your tenants from suffering mold-related health problems.

Note that a high number of these cases have been brought in the states of Florida, Texas, California and the southwestern states. That’s because these places are prone to mold problems. If you are a landlord or developer in these areas, you need to take special care in mold prevention, inspection and removal.

Black Mold

SweetAdeline asked:


I live by myself in an apartment w/ negligent landlords. Noticed a few weeks ago black mold growing on ceiling of my bathroom. It seems that upstairs tenant may have had problems w/ his toilet because the spot w/ the mold is slightly warped from wetness, and located where his toilet would be. I have called landlords twice, left messages on their machine, four days apart. They haven’t gotten back to me. I plan on sending a certified letter to them so I have proof they received it.
With 4months of my lease remaining, I worry that they will not let me out of it & I will have to pay the remaining months. Do they have to let me out of the agreement by law because it is unsafe? I have no options, no place to go when they eventually come to clean it. Should I require landlords put me up in a hotel?
What shall I do in the meantime? How much of a risk does this pose? Ive been getting headaches at night but am unsure if they are related. Should I remove all my belongings from the bathroom and keep the door closed?
How can I tell if it’s affected anything else in my apartment; if the spores can travel and spread. Do I need to get rid of anything in my apartment?

Some of the people ive spoken to dont think its a real threat, but it doesnt sit well with me.
It isnt something I can clean the surface of. It looks like the drywall needs to be cut out and replaced. There is no window. The vent is weak, and I ALWAYS use the fan when showering.

Black Mold

Just Another One asked:


I have mold in my house about 14feet of black mold in my daugthers room before i moved in we had mold before everyone says leave but if i pay for a hotel will landlords pay me back they are closed right now no idea to know… no family to stay with, the maitence guy came over and said it was mold

Colini asked:


I just moved out of my apartment, and after moving some furniture, discovered some black mold growing on the carpet (and into the wood of my furniture which we had to just toss)…Its not a huge area, how can I clean it? The carpet is mauve, and therefore, I don’t think bleach would be a good idea…
I can’t replace the carpet…Or rather, I am not willing to do that…

Is it still the landlords’s responsibilty if it was possibly caused by a spill that wasn’t properly cleaned? I imagine that is what happened, although I have no way of knowing for sure…But it was in the area around the base of the nightstand in the bedroom…maybe someone dumped a water or something…I imagine that I am responsible for that…?

Black Mold