Mold in House

[AichaKandisha 0]

Yes this is waaaaaay off topic in VJ but I thought I'd throw it out here.

I have been fighting the landlord about cleaning up mold that has grown on the walls, in closets and cabinets and complaining to him about fixing leaking pipes and moisture on the walls, etc., etc. He gave me a dehumidifier and a fan to blow on the walls. He was going to re-caulk the bathroom around the shower/tub but he only came and removed it and hasn't been back to put the caulk back on. The shower has cracks in it so the water is running into the walls and with no caulk on the bathtub it is running into the walls from there too.

I have been having to clean up mold and dry out the carpets and other furniture continuously. I know that to stop the mold you have to stop the moisture. I told him that the gutters needed to be cleaned out and he got angry with me because I let them get so bad and I should have told him about it right away (I don't frequent the roof to know if they need to be cleaned-isn't that his job??). When I complained that I was tired of cleaning up the mold he brought me some mold cleaner and some rags.

I've been living in this rental house since June, 2006. My child has had unexplained fevers and stomach aches since then and I began having abdominal pain and unexplained fevers since September, 2006. I have taken my child to several doctors and none can figure out what is wrong. I have been tested in EVERY way possible (you name it - multiple CT scans, endoscopies, x-rays, blood work, cultures, colonoscopy, etc.).

Normally I am a healthy person and so is my child. I am usually full of energy and very proactive. It takes nearly every bit of energy I have to get out of bed now.

Could these symptoms be caused by mold???? Anyone else gone through something like this or know of someone that has gone through something like this? What are my rights as a tenant to get the landlord to do something? I have 3 months left on my lease.

[Kez/JWolf 6]

When I was 32 years old I moved into a rented house and found out a few months later that it had mold.... I very soon after moving developed Asthma... I never had Asthma as a child or even any problems with my chest.... I lived in that house for 4 years and was in and out of hospital with one Asthma attack afer another.... 6 months after I moved to a new house my Asthma started to settle... I am now 44 years old and I have not had an asthma attack for many years and the doctors here can find no evidence of any asthma remaining just some scarring from all the attacks I had.... was it the mold that caused it? Most Likely....

Move if you can...

Kez

[Niels Bohr 72]

You need to get that situation resolved immediately. It can damage your sinus cavities and may cause an infection so severe that it may cause death.

It's not good. The mold colonies can travel by air, and into you sinus cavities. It then clings on to your membrane and eat you up, slowly killing you. You must get it RESOLVED. It's RED LIGHT issue.

[Mags 112]

Agreed. Move. I've just Googled "mold poisoning" and loads came up. Too much to list here.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Yes this is waaaaaay off topic in VJ but I thought I'd throw it out here.

I have been fighting the landlord about cleaning up mold that has grown on the walls, in closets and cabinets and complaining to him about fixing leaking pipes and moisture on the walls, etc., etc. He gave me a dehumidifier and a fan to blow on the walls. He was going to re-caulk the bathroom around the shower/tub but he only came and removed it and hasn't been back to put the caulk back on. The shower has cracks in it so the water is running into the walls and with no caulk on the bathtub it is running into the walls from there too.

I have been having to clean up mold and dry out the carpets and other furniture continuously. I know that to stop the mold you have to stop the moisture. I told him that the gutters needed to be cleaned out and he got angry with me because I let them get so bad and I should have told him about it right away (I don't frequent the roof to know if they need to be cleaned-isn't that his job??). When I complained that I was tired of cleaning up the mold he brought me some mold cleaner and some rags.

I would suggest you move giving MINIMAL-as-possible notice.

I've been living in this rental house since June, 2006. My child has had unexplained fevers and stomach aches since then and I began having abdominal pain and unexplained fevers since September, 2006. I have taken my child to several doctors and none can figure out what is wrong. I have been tested in EVERY way possible (you name it - multiple CT scans, endoscopies, x-rays, blood work, cultures, colonoscopy, etc.).

Normally I am a healthy person and so is my child. I am usually full of energy and very proactive. It takes nearly every bit of energy I have to get out of bed now.

Could these symptoms be caused by mold???? Anyone else gone through something like this or know of someone that has gone through something like this? What are my rights as a tenant to get the landlord to do something? I have 3 months left on my lease.

Yes, and highly likely. The contract would state how much notice you need to give. If you are penalised to pay the full amount of rent (there are quite a few CF landlords who use such rental clauses--I ran into two such when searching for temporary places in Balto; needless to say, they didn't get my business), then you may want to wait till exactly the notice period before expiry. Start searching YESTERDAY!

[Emancipation 2]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2001/06/18/mo...mes_010618.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2002/12/18/mo...nce_021218.html

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-isl...ld20040520.html

Just a couple of links of families who's lives have been severly affected by mold in homes and schools, and the health problems it can cause.. It is a VERY serious issue, and you should have mold testing done immediately to see if you should even be LIVING there as some molds are very dangerous and can cause permant damage to your health.

When we were looking for a new apartment our manager in our building said that moving out of a unit because of health concerns is grounds for breaking a lease and we would not be held for the lease if we had to break it cause I was affected (I'm asthmatic) by the other tenants on our floor who smoked. I wasn't willing to take that risk and we never looked into it further, but she would not put it in writing either. It may be worth a call to the rental board in your area to see what your rights are. If you have testing done that states what kinds of molds are there and that you shouldn't be living in TOXIC mold I can't imagine your landlord would have a leg to stand on.

[VetsWife328 7]

YES! I lived in a house that was full of it (between the wall and the wallpaper so we didn't even know at first) when I was a teenager.

I got Asthma and had up to 7 (!!) attacks within 4 days.Also my mother got sick with Asthma back then.I moved out of there in 94 and never had an attack again.

It was definitley the mold in that house.It's extremly dangerous.

Nat

[MHandMB 0]

Yes, mold can cause all of those problems! I know someone who is involved in a lawsuit right now which concerns toxic mold. They've had asthma problems, allergies, multiple miscarriages, and a premature baby. It's quite serious! Please see what you can do about getting out of there until the problem is fixed. Spreading some caulk around is not going to fix the problem. If it's bad enough, it will require a treatment of the entire house, and you won't be able to live there while it's being treated.

Good luck, and please take care of yourself!

[Jasman0717 9]

Black mold, nasty stuff.

http://www.toxic-black-mold-info.com/

[irishgirl73 0]

we live in an apt that I swear has mold.................ever since we moved in there we have both been suffering with bad sinus problems. We had a leak in the kitchen & the slumlord hasn't fixed it in over 2 years......we have been looking for another place but that deposit will kill us

mold is NO joke-

jasman thanks for that link

[KarenCee 3]

When I was 32 years old I moved into a rented house and found out a few months later that it had mold.... I very soon after moving developed Asthma... I never had Asthma as a child or even any problems with my chest.... I lived in that house for 4 years and was in and out of hospital with one Asthma attack afer another.... 6 months after I moved to a new house my Asthma started to settle... I am now 44 years old and I have not had an asthma attack for many years and the doctors here can find no evidence of any asthma remaining just some scarring from all the attacks I had.... was it the mold that caused it? Most Likely....

Move if you can...

Kez

I think this also explains why my asthma has worsened over the last few months, to the point that I was in hospital for a week in October and have had problems ever since. I was diagnosed only two years ago and I moved into this rental just a few months prior to my diagnosis. Now I am on two meds daily and two meds as needed for this bloody condition. The landlady won't fix a darn thing...there's a large room under the house that is concrete walls and floor, except on one side. This past summer there was standing water in that room. Not to mention the things I heard scratching inside the walls (mice perhaps?). My husband and I are working as hard as we can on finding a new house...preferably one of our own. Thankfully there is only a verbal agreement with this lady...no contract was signed.

My asthma specialist is in full agreement with this theory that it is the house making me sick. My daughter sneezes all the time...and now my husband is experiencing allergy symptoms. God, the list of things wrong with this house goes on and on....and when we move out we're considering calling either the department of health or the EPA...or both. This woman shouldn't be allowed to rent this house to anyone else until she's had all these things fixed...especially that room under the house. *sigh*

[AichaKandisha 0]

Thank you all for your replies. I made several calls today and where I live there is a County Building Inspector that will check for mold and other problems in rental properties. I also found out that if I can show that there is mold in the house, I can take the legal route to try and recover medical costs and loss of work pay from my landlord. In March I was in the hospital for an unexplained infection and I haven't been able to work since because of continuous pain and fatigue.

I'm sorry to hear about those that have had their health affected by mold in their house as well. It is pretty scary to think that your own home is making you sick.

Hopefully tomorrow I will know more information and get an inspection scheduled ASAP.

[KarenCee 3]

Not trying to hijack this thread but...since we're on the subject of rentals and such I have a question...maybe someone can help? BTW, I am googling information so I'm not just relying on y'all to do the work for me.

If you haven't a signed contract, only a verbal agreement with your landlord or landlady, what are your obligations as far as moving out? What are her obligations about fixing things? I've contacted her and her son about the things needing fixed in this house but neither one has offered to do anything. The one time I did something on my own and sent her the bill was when the bathroom heater caught fire. The service guy from the gas co. refused to fix it saying it was too old and out of code. He replaced it, after I told him to go ahead with it, and then I sent her the bill telling her why I did so. The response I got was a letter curtly telling me NOT to do anything like that again and then she raised the rent (again) and upped the due date with a threat of a $25 late fee if not paid by the date listed. *sigh* The refrigerator quit working...she never bothered to replace it...just told me to put it outside someone would come collect it. I asked her if she would replace it and she never answered. The stove did the same thing....same response. I bought a new fridge and a friend from work gave me an old stove. There are electrical issues and then there's that possible mold issue as well.

Hopefully Joel and I are only a few weeks...six to eight at best...away from being in our own home.

[Emancipation 2]

Karen - did you put down a security deposit ?

[lynny 0]

We had exact same problem and I was very sick and hospitlized just before xmas with Asthma, My hubby actually called the health inspector and she took a look at the problem and told the landlord to let us out of our lease, we were also able to get our last months rent back, 4months later and that apartment is still vacant

lynny