Additional FAQs about Health department role in moldy rental apartments or offices:

Recent Questions & answers about how a tenant might get help if a rental home or apartment is unsafe or un-healthy to occupy.

This article series discusses whether or not a tenant should call their local health department officials about a known or suspected health & safety concerns such as a moldy rental apartment, home, or office, how building owners and managers can be expected to react to health department involvement, and when such a call is probably justified.

FAQs #2: Help for Tenants of Unsafe or Un-Healthy Rental Units

Recently posted questions from occupants, owners, or renters renters about dealing with indoor environmental health and safety concerns - these were posted originally

at HEALTH DEPARTMENT HELP for RENTERS - topic home. Be sure to review the advice in that article.

On 2018-04-29 (mod) - my home is unsafe and nobody is helping me

Contact your health department and ask them to inspect the home for health and safety.

Look for legal aid or financial services or social services for further help.

Keep us posted.

Use the picture frame icon to post photos, one at a time (next to the Comment button) and if you feel it would be helpful identify the apartment and owner to authorities.

On 2018-04-29 Baelie

Ok I like in an apartment with no installation cracks in the walls from leakage black mold etc

I’ve told my landlord and he claims the mold is paint but it smells bad the holes in the walls are letting ants in and I have a one year old plus baby on the way with no where to go my landlord won’t fix anything what do I do?!

On 2018-04-22 Anonymous

I have a sewage line in my living room. It is covereda steel plate with a whole in it. I lifted in up and saw dirt and disgust.

When I moved in my apartment the landlord had just put down a new rug. I discovered this after I moved in.
I have since gotten headaches and nausea and just recently attributed it to this.
Im wondering what risks am I facing having a sewage line from my living room to the outside sewer?

On 2018-04-04 16:07:58.290375 (mod) -

Perhaps you should startcalling your local Health

On 2018-04-01 18:32:32.923226 Kathy keller

I neec help trying find a health inspecter for my rented unit

On 2018-03-28 05:08:26.728304 Patricia

The health department in counting county city of Plattsburgh tell you to wash it off with mildew remover. Ok fine. But I guess they don't realize it makes it spread like wild fire. In fact they will allow motels closed for unhelthy and hazardous conditions to reopen without even doing an inspection!

They will not go into an area like a basement covered in it yet they say don't worry most molds are not harmful. Ok so why do people who are otherwise very healthy become sick within a month of moving in abd become pale.

Start sleeping very long hours experience headaches when they never had the problem before. DSS tells you it's acroof over your head! Really so your going to tell us paying nearly six hundred dollars per person you put up there doesn't demand better live ng conditions if the county is paying for it.

On 2018-03-27 22:15:23.050262 Francis Bass

Inside my air conditioner in apt long panel water stains,black,green very dirty 2 screws holding panel up holes for 4 filter see dirt shafts is black what do I do told manager,maitenance.

On 2018-03-17 16:29:18.195929 (mod) -

Michelle,

Call your local 911 emergency services. This is not a problem we can fixe-text nor from a remote website.

On 2018-03-17 09:30:02.747430 Michelle jones

I need someone to contact me asap I live in a apartment and water is running thru my front door nand has damage to my house it smells like sewer and it has made me sick it's unbearable and I can't stop it I need someone to contact me at 7865313183 or 7864711863 or 3053001956 asap

I'm concerned about health issues also and I don't know where it's coming from please respond asap please asap

On 2018-03-11 17:41:06.947906 Anonymous

Jasmine

You can look for sources of moisture that can be eliminated such as taking steamy showers without using a bath vent fan or having a zillion plants getting watering indoors.

Leto

You need an on-site exterminator who will use a combination of traps or poison for rats along with closing up entry holes.

On 2018-03-11 03:52:12.343512 Jasmine's

My apartment holds alot of moisture and I was told my landlord that how it is because of the way the walls are done. Also since irma my ceiling had a linkage and nothing has been done about it. What can I do? My lease is about to run out at the end of the month. What can I do?

On 2018-03-11 00:19:14.711379 Letorious

I have rats coming out the woods into my house thru an opening behind my kitchen cabinet you can see the ground,my front door was kicked in and hasnt been fixed

and i have two broken out windows been without hot water coming in the house since october 2017 landlord wants rent but dont want to fix anything what can i do just git my water fixed like a week ago water been messed up three times

On 2018-02-28 04:40:59.440430 (mod) -

Ask your health department for help

On 2018-02-28 01:52:56.203525 Martha

I rent an apartment there's so much mold also mushrooms growing now our dresser and bed have mold I talked to the landlord but she don't do anything what can I do

On 2018-02-22 22:11:54.909685 (mod) -

You would not notice radon effects on your health over a short period.

On 2018-02-22 20:55:52.157185 Jean

I moved into an upstairs apartment in a house about 50 years old, in May of 2017. I noticed black mold on the bathroom wall that butts up to the side of tub. This house is old... the basement is damp and at times has a small pool of standing water. I use the w/d in basement.

The small window above the w/d also leaks when it downpours. From what I see down in basement could be black mold.

I'm also concerned about radon. I notice when I'm at work and outside generally, I feel ok. When I get back home, my chest gets heavy, I'm coughing, wheezing, and my voice gets horsey. I just don't feel good and I've noticed the difference. I have not contacted the landlord yet, (they live next door) for fear of retribution. I can't afford a home kit to test for mold and radon. I'm scared.

On 2018-02-14 14:26:24.541954 (mod) - file a health or safety complaint with your heath department or other authority about what you believe are health or safety concerns

Barbara

If you file a health or safety complaint with your heath department or other authority about what you believe are health or safety concerns regarding a building where you rent an apartment, no action can possibly be taken without the authority then contacting the owner.

Whether or not you as the filer can remain anonymous almost certainly depends on the local rules and laws and your specific situation. For example if the concern is in your apartment keeping that secret won't help anyone.

Finlly, in my opinion if you believe there are health/safety concerns in your rental, the very first person you should notify (after occupants) is the building owner/management, orally and in writing.

On 2018-02-14 05:59:14.122699 Barbara

Would the owner be notified if I filed a complaint about mold ?

On 2018-02-02 10:52:37.794538 boogy01052011

Trying to find out who I need to contact about my landlord single mother with no working stove since November, holes in the walls, water damage from raw sewige backing up the drains ,mold not sure it's black mold or not please help im trying to move but hard to save money having to either eat lunchmeat or take out I did get behind in rent

On 2018-01-29 00:18:16.941935 Anonymous

I'd like to report my old landlord her name is Jacqueline Wilkerson she owns the property at 9522 Bessemer Avenue single home for 40103

I have lived there for about two and a half years almost 3 I was running the property no water and no lights no oh no gas I had got the lights on in my name but they hit other problems with the lights cuz my light bill was always outrageous also the sewer was backed up and I complained about it and complain about it she did not touch she laughed at me I don't think it was right I was homeless at the time didn't have nowhere to go I had just got on Social Security

and I did apply for a low income apartment but anyway the house here bugs mice rats squirrels and I had to get rid of them so I finally got calm down I tried to make the house a home livable kitchen floor was a mess I don't have the before pictures but I have the after pictures of all the work that I had done

I still have some receipts the kind of old but I still have them I'm also I put downtown on the kitchen floor the bathroom floor I painted the bathroom painted the kitchen ceiling it

she said she was going to reimburse me for everything I've done she didn't do it also put a door going up to the upstairs the windows was broke out so I had to use the windows were broke out so I tried to salvage and fine and do what I had to do to stay warm also I had to run down the street with the go get water from neighbor's house she couldn't get the water turned on because she had an outrageous water bill so finally I got that turned on it was just problems out the problems with this house

then it was bed bugs she did not told her about that she didn't come over and take care of that she gave me some type of little stuff that didn't even work it was spiders in the house haven't seen roaches and bed bugs

I had to throw away a mattress that I had brought and I spent money the sewer was backing up and I had to stay there and smell the smell of feces in human RP Downing downstairs in the basement it was terrible human waste I had to smell and

also like I said no windows I froze to Winners I complain and complain to her she did nothing she laughed at me but she wanted her $300 for rent every month I gave it to her then I feel real bad because I had nowhere else to go so I bought security doors I got security doors put on the house

like I said I got arrested

the bathtub was rusted I had to take a bath and that in the title stay clean and keep my hygiene up it was just terrible I had to live like that had to clean apartment I had to clean the house out for her she said she will pay me for that she didn't pay me for that everything I have done a pub light fixtures I have received

and I had to put carpet down I try my best to make it the house a home so I just got tired and then went to CMHA call me recently about 3-4 months ago I've been happy ever since but I've been trying to call someone to deal with her and try to get my money back because

I don't think it was right that she took advantage of a disabled person like me I don't think it was right

On 2018-01-26 00:50:43.999636 (mod) -

Olivia,

The wall I see is plaster/lath which, while not mold-proof, is less mold friendly than more-modern drywall.
If there is a visible mold contamination area of more than 30 sq.ft. of contiguous moldy material, then there is a mold problem that needs professional cleaning.

A loose ceiling is a separate hazard besides a possible hidden mold reservoir: falling plaster can injure someone.

Express your concerns for the health and safety of your apartment both in writing and orally to your building management. If necessary you might need help from your health department.

On 2018-01-25 23:58:41.529070 Olivia - I have another leak that I’ve informed them for over a month and it’s progressingly getting worse.

My first apartment had rats and a leak in the ceiling so they moved us to a different apartment. This one had a water leak from the ceiling which fell on my sofa. The maintenance team stated there was black mold, although they left the area open for 3 days allowing mold exposure to air.

Once they closed it the manager said they would send someone to test air pollution. About 3 months later they sent someone and said the results were inconclusive. I have another leak that I’ve informed them for over a month and it’s progressingly getting worse.

They have sent one guy to place cocking around the top of my tub in attempts it would stop, a second guy to put a seal around my toilet. The crack is leaking far more then it use too.

The ceiling appears like it’s going to fall through which they are aware.

I am living with a son who has chronic lung disease which the dr has sent his medical diagnosis because of this, still nothing. They continuously state they will send someone tomorrow and don’t. What do I do next? I

On 2018-01-23 21:55:02.733646 (mod) -

Lorraine

Start with your doctor who can tell you if your illness is likely to be caused or aggravatedsomething in your environment that should then be checked.

On 2018-01-23 17:44:42.749410 Anonymous

@Lorraine Douthitt,
I don't know what to do I've been there for several months and been sick left and right so I know the molds probably there bringing them mites what do I do if there's anybody have any suggestions I do not want to stay there until it's taken care of

On 2018-01-23 17:42:00.019459 Lorraine Douthitt

Became infested with mites the landlord is dragging his feet about not getting in inspection believe there may be mold and they're bringing the months have it on me and my hair eating my clothes I don't know what to do whith child? I never knew it was in my hair it got down to the follicles of both of our hair I thought it was lice check for that too! I believe there is mold in the house is starting under my bed on the slots of my bed frame so I don't know actually where it may be coming from.. I don't want me and my child to stay at the apartment again call my landlord keeps telling me is to get pictures

On 2017-12-27 19:36:39.986066 Anonymous

Recently moved to these apartments in Indianapolis I noticed they had a German roach problem they did not clean well they left roach feces at every corner of the walls they painted the cabinets Brown to cover the roach feces. The dumpsters outside are always full with the trash sitting all around them . Andmy furnace I had seen where they painted the wall where the mold was. I just don't know what to do I don't want to be here anymore. I can't move my stuff into my apartment in fear of roaches infesting my things

On 2017-12-25 19:56:35.732304 Gerald Kenney

I have uncovered black mold in the house I'm renting while renovating. I also am experiencing many of the health issues associated with black mold.

On 2017-12-20 12:41:38.079940 (mod) -

You can also post photos here in a commentusing the picture frame icon next to the Comment button

On 2017-12-19 23:53:51.358152 Anonymous

I sure will do that i needed some more info thanks and i have pictures on YouTube and on phone happy holidays

On 2017-12-19 23:51:36.081966 Anonymous

@Na,
All they want to do is paint over it smells bad i got a service dog he sick not drinking water or eaten in 12hrs

On 2017-12-19 23:48:18.449337 Anonymous

Its very bad on selling walls under sinnk stove walls around me

On 2017-12-19 23:46:16.244086 Starlene Wilson

I was put in the apartment with mold and rats and mice my dog is sick i am disabled and they new the mold and such they would not move me and who can i get to take my case i live at 5025 nellis oasis apartment152 i pay my rent i been here5months now i live in las Vegas Nevada

On 2017-11-24 00:27:47.866398 (mod) -

Well there is no question that mold contamination indoors can be a health hazard. The actual degree of Hazard depends on what mold species are present - normally there's more than one - and of course how much contamination is present, and where it is

On 2017-11-23 22:05:17.269145 Anonymous

To are health

On 2017-11-23 22:05:00.688277 Tia

The Portsmouth housing authority craig Welch doesn't think mold is a hazard to see health? That was his comment for the paper when he was question about the mold

On 2017-11-23 21:59:40.315461 Na

I live in housing with my two children, two summer's ago I had apedix remove. Before that the winter of the same year I have serval sinus infections. I thought maybe it was just a bad year of the cold and flu. But my neighbors have been having issues with mold also.

One of my neighbor just had her kitchen and upstairs bathroom done. Due to mold. The property manager wants to keep quit, bc when I saw the crew and her letting them in? I ask if They were here due to mold. She sad it's for construction. Can I call a health inspector to come here?

On 2017-10-19 03:01:52.453501 (mod) -

Miss

You will need to confirm the terms of your lease with an attorney, but generally a landlord is expected to provide safe, habitable housing

So if there is a mold problem for which you wants to end your lease, you will need to have a competent expert document that there is a significant rather than a trivial mold or other health problem in your apartment. You might ask your health department for help.

On 2017-10-19 01:34:02.852040 Missbuddafly

We have lived in an apartment for 5 years now. We just found some mold. We kept smelling it, so i tore apart our room and found it on the wall bebind a small night stand. Now, we contact maintenance every winter for problems with our wall ac unit leaking/dripping inside the apartment. There was mold growing around tbe wall around the ac unit, they came bleached ut and painted over the mold.

Then it kept dripping. The came put a cover on the ac unit on the inside but it still dripped. Then we found the other mold on the wall. They are saying it is our fault for the mold because the humidity is to high in the apartment.

We never knew to check the humidity or have a gauge to check it. We call all the time about the dripping ac unit as well. No one told us to watch the humidity in the apartment, get a dehumidifier or anything. We rent, we are supposed to contact maintenance to fix things. I dont see how this our fault if we didnt know or weren't told. The maintenance guy came and cut the drywall out where the mold was behind the night stand.

Behind the drywall there was some very small spots in mold on the insulation. They also took out the old ac unit, when they did there was mold and a puddle of water in the box the have to slide the ac unit into. To me it seems like the ac unit isnt and wasnt angled right fir the water to drain out and thats where the dripping came from thus creating the mold. Now we fear the mold will come back.We want to move, but our lease doesnt end until feb.

Can we call the health dept to help us to be able to get out? We can break our lease but then they are saying we will still have to pay rent until feb even if we move. What can we do? Myself, husband and son who is 8 all have been having lots of colds and respiratory issues for a while now with itchy skin.

We dont know what kind of mokd it is and no one came to check air quality or anything. I need some advice as to what we can do in this situation. Because it is not good. Please help. Thank you.

On 2017-09-29 16:05:55.709750 (mod) -

Anon: check with the rental authority in the city where you live. Some cities have a municipal authority as well as laws governing what landlords are required to provide. Most rental contracts require a landlord to provide safe habitable housing.

On 2017-09-28 23:23:10.568467 Anonymous

Is their any legal entity.Oversight to govern gross mismanagement? Please call and advise at (843)422-3229, because enough is enough!

Rental companies who run an honest opearation can make a freat living. Why do our laws not protect tenants who have clearly been disserved?

On 2017-09-28 23:17:41.935656 Anonymous

Mary Vaughan - I had a certified mold laboratory measure mold levels in 57 Stable Gate, in Moss Creek Plantation, and unfortunately, were highly hypoallergenic mold Penicilliam Aspergisllis. Miller Rental company said that their "Mold Expert" Microclean simply found high levels of bacillis, but were unwilling to release their report as we did. My physician said my levels of baccillus levels were double the normal level.

I became the most sick after microclean did their "Remediation" with both me and my dog present in the house. I asked ansley cohen when it was time for us to leave, and he did all the scrubbing of air vents with us in the house, two days later I couldn't breathe, my sinuses were on fire, and my throat swelled up. I also had a tempurature of 102 degrees.

This is when I decided to go to the treatment center in charleston.

Shouldn't mold testing be part of a routine inspection in coasteal areas to prevent this kind of illness, loss of health, and resources?! Os ignorance, or simply plain denial of mold a valid reason for rental companies to contnue to prosper with no consequences?

On 2017-09-28 23:03:13.671296 Mary Vaughan

I signed a lease for a property in a nice area on Hilton Head Island (post Hurricance Matthew) with a company named Miller Long Term Rentals.

I called he day preceding my move-in date, but was disallowed a walk-thru opportunity , and was greetedthe carpet cleaners I met on the premises the next morning of my move-in that they "had extracted a lot of water from the master bedroom and bathroom area".

I developed unwell symptoms within one months time, was toldMiller Long /term's new owner, Henri Kirsten "that the mold problem was simply in my head".

After major symptoms were increasing, and almost being hospitalized for not being able to breathe, I went to a mold treatment center in Charleston, and was ordered out of the housethe attending physicain, Bettina Herbert.

The rental company is being represented a well-connected former judge in the AREA named Terry Finger. Three attorneys, and fees later, I am told "not to call the attorney, or he will drop the case":

He last went to Las Vegas for continuing education. I have been living in a hotel, living on credit, have stayed with friends for months, am paying rent (in escorw),and all of my property is in storage. My insurance company wishes to know when/where they can deliver my property, yet I havent been advised to the status of my lease. or settlement.

On 2017-09-27 22:34:01.255376 (mod) -

Sylvia,

Certainly it sounds as if you should absolutely not be in a mold-contaminated area. Ask your doctor but most likely she'll agree.

Often a rental contract requires a landlord to provide "safe, habitable housing" - mold contaminated is not "safe habitable" unless the mold is trivial in amount and can simply be removed using normal household cleaners. (More than 30 sq.ft. of contiguous moldy area requires professional cleanup).

Frankly if I were vulnerable as you describe yourself and if I were convinced my home were unhealthy, I would ask for emergency housing assistance from my local aid associations. I would not stay in a moldy home arguing with an uncooperative landlord, even after the health department told the landlord that repairs were required.

On 2017-09-27 19:28:50.106166 sylvia hicks

Have found mold in my house and landlord will not help my husband and I arw both disable and can not afford to move I have heary and lung disese and has gotten 100% worse sense I have been here. I have heart and lung diseases and the owner will not help.

On 2017-09-26 01:27:31.008708 Alex

I'll do that but how do I contact them? Would they cost? How do I find one near me?

On 2017-09-23 16:14:46.371129 (mod) -

Alex,

as we suggest in the article above, in this situation you probably have no choice but to ask for assistance from your health department. let us know what happens and perhaps we can make some other suggestion.

On 2017-09-23 01:29:44.195807 Alex

I'm also having mold problems in my house which my mom and I both live in and rent. And our landlord won't do anything even though I told him about it.

On 2017-09-20 18:50:02.454019 (mod) -

Shelly it sounds as if you need help from your health department.

If mold is growing on indoor surfaces following plumbing leaks then there is no need to identify the mold nor to test it since that information would not change the cleanup that's needed. All of the moldy material needs to be removed, remaining surfaces cleaned and possibly sanitized (if there is a bacterial hazard from the toilet trouble), and the leaks need to be fixed or the mold will, just as you report, happen again.

If there is already a health department order that was ignored, bring that information to the health department.

On 2017-09-04 23:12:39.944122 Shelly

I have had a difficult time getting my manager to fix the mold growth and ceiling from last May. He came to inspect after the plummers told me it was from the apartment upstairs toilet when they flushed.

They fixed the leak, I asked the manager if it is dangerous he said once it dries it will be fine. I believed him, until I became very sick and a friend came over and the smell was so strong he asked where the moldy smell was coming from.

I think the bathroom and that's when he told me that when it dries the more dangerous it is. I continued to email my manager and never got a reply. I called the health department and they issued a violation to the owners. They refused to fix it per the health department orders.

They just patched the hole. Now it's leaking again in the same spot. They refuse to fix it until I vacate. The health department is coming back tomorrow. I need help identifying the type of mold but can't afford the price. Does anyone know if there is a company that can help identify the mold that don't cost too much.

...

Continue reading at HEALTH DEPARTMENT HELP for RENTERS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Rental Unit Health & Safety Article Series

• RENTERS & TENANTS ADVICE for UNSAFE or UNHEALTHY HOME
  • HEALTH DEPARTMENT HELP for RENTERS
  • HIDDEN MOLD RISKS for RENTERS
  • HOUSING, EMERGENCY & TEMPORARY
  • LEGAL AID ATTORNEY HELP SOURCES
  • MOLD ACTION ADVICE for RENTERS
  • MOLD CONTAMINATION CAUSES
  • MOLD HEALTH RISKS for TENANTS
  • MOLD SAFETY ADVICE for TENANTS
  • MOLD ADVICE for BUILDING MANAGERS
  • TENANT HELP for MOLDY RENTAL
  • TENANT LANDLORD MOLD DISPUTE
  • UNSAFE ENVIRONMENT, CAN'T LEAVE - what if you have to continue to live in a moldy apartment or rental home?

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