Mold safety advice for renters: before doing anything about an actual or suspected mold problem in a rental apartment, home, or office, there are a few things that the tenant should do.

This document discusses the steps that a tenant in a rental apartment or rental home can take to look for and test for mold, how to inform building management of a mold problem, what to expect the rental property managers to do if they are going to address a mold problem properly, and what the rental apartment tenant needs to watch out for during a mold investigation and mold remediation of their home.

An easy-to-print PDF version of this article is HERE.

Immediate Safety Advice for Tenants Complaining of Moldy Apartments

1. Before Testing for Mold, Check for carbon monoxide - a potentially fatal problem: First, some complaints I've heard, such as headache and nausea, have been traced to very dangerous exposure to carbon monoxide, not mold. So particularly if a building has gas-fired appliances or heat, it is important to rule out other non-mold but very dangerous conditions.
   
   Be sure that there is a working smoke detector and working carbon monoxide detector installed in appropriate locations such as in and outside of bedrooms.
   
   Remember that CO itself is odorless, but if carbon monoxide is being released by unsafe heating system exhaust you might smell other combustion products that are also in the exhaust.


2. Warning to high-health-risk building occupants: Second, people with severe asthma, compromised immune systems, elderly, infant, or otherwise at extra high risk of mold or other illnesses should be quicker to exit questionable areas and to avoid unnecessary exposure to respiratory or other irritants such as mold or moldy dust or demolition dust and debris.


3. Do not permit incompetent mold demolition work: Third, before you and the building management have a clear idea of what work is needed and what health risks, if any, are involved, do not permit a work crew to come into the apartment and simply start demolition.
   
   The risk is that mold-contaminated materials are indeed present and that without proper containment, the workers can make problems worse, exposing both apartment occupants and their belongings to moldy dust and debris.


4. Check with your doctor: to see if s/he has specific warnings or advice about your complaint, medical condition, and environment.

Questions & Answers about the risk of mold exposure in rental apartments or rental homes

Question: What is this bathroom floor mold that grew overnight in our apartment? Is it a hazard?

The attached photo (at left) shows a fungus that grew overnight [on our bathroom floor]. I am very aware about what your website says about getting rid of mold & fungus.

Unfortunately, as I said before, we are in a rental situation & it would take literally a war & a nervous break down on my part to have this bathroom gutted. We are moving in 2 months.

We are also keeping our local doctor informed. Are you able to identify this species from the picture? - G.P., Australia

Reply: Focus on the important issues: hidden mold, mold cause, and clean your belongings when moving out of your apartment

I don't recognize this fungus but it resembles an early growth stage of several Stemonitis sp. family members. A mycologist can probably identify this fungus, or even a common field guide to Australian mushrooms might contain a recognizable photo of this very fungus.

More about this brown pipe cleaner-like Stemonitis sp. mold in bathrooms can be read

at BROWN HAIRY BATHROOM MOLD

and we provide photographs of this fungus growing on OSB subflooring in a New York bathroom

at BROWN MOLD PHOTOS.

Or maybe not. Your photograph is of the fruiting body of a mature but small fungus. But fungi may produce different-looking fruiting bodies when growing on different food sources. We find that cultured mold growths, given the proper culture media, may form a textbook-perfect growth structure. But growing in the wild on various food-source materials fungi sometimes take on different forms. And it's a safe bet that in nature this fungus grows on something other than resilient vinyl bathroom flooring.

It also looks as if it is growing on the surface of resilient vinyl flooring though I understand growth could be coming through flooring if it is damaged.

But the total area of moldy surface in your photo is trivial, just a few square inches, and unlikely to be the real mold hazard in a home. Clean the surface with any household cleaner, and make sure that you are not responsible for leaving leaks or water on apartment surfaces.

Follow-Up on Bathroom Mold - Confirming Stemonitis sp.

Reader: Attached is one more photo. I'd covered the structures with a plastic bowl so I could take a shower - I left the bowl for about 4 hours & this is how it looked.

Comment: Now your bathroom floor fungus certainly looks like Stemonitis. But your earlier photo showing the white slimy clustered stalks portray Stemonitis sp. in a stage I've not seen - nice going!

I've done a bit of work with this fungus and have found it in a number of buildings on OSB subfloor as well as on vinyl bathroom floors over wet OSB or possibly other subflooring materials.

Perhaps your species is Stemonitis fusca or Stemonitis splendens. AKA chocolate tube slime. Some texts [1] also describe this mold family as "pipe cleaner slime" because its individual stalks resemble brown pipecleaners.

Stemonitis sp. is a member of the Myxomycota or slime mold family, and it can be slimy when new and wet. But when this fungus is dry if you just touch it gently you'll see that it produces plenty of loose brown spores. The spores are held to a central stalk by a sort of "hair net" that ruptures on touch to release a cascade of spores. As I speculated earlier, the hazard is not this fungus, it is that wet conditions may be producing other more harmful molds like Aspergillus.

Where are the real mold hazards in a moldy apartment?

Hidden mold reservoirs, if large and allergenic or toxic, can be a problem: Because of the wet conditions and leaks that probably produced this growth, the hazard from this particular fungus could be less significant than other molds that you cannot see.

At BROWN HAIRY BATHROOM MOLD we discuss this warning to watch out for other leaks and hidden mold.

Some advice on mold in rental apartments begins

at RENTERS & TENANTS ADVICE for UNSAFE or UNHEALTHY HOME

Moldy rental home contents can import a problem to your new home: Note that if your contents have been exposed to damp moldy conditions they may need to be cleaned before moving them into a new home. Otherwise, even if the new apartment or rental home is dry and clean, you could be importing enough moldy dust to be a problem for some people, both occupants and sensitive visitors to your new home.

See ACTION GUIDE - WHAT TO DO ABOUT INDOOR MOLD

Is it Necessary to Move Out of a Moldy Rental Apartment or Home

The short answer is ... it depends: on the amount of harmful mold and the health fragility of occupants. For most people, if the total size of an indoor mold reservoir or area of contamination is small, say less than 10 square meters of contiguous moldy material, then the cleanup is within the scope of a handyman or a healthy not-at-personal-risk occupant, using ordinary cleaning methods. (Additional steps may be needed to address the cause of mold growth.)

And for the occasional case of Cosmetic Mold on framing lumber that has been in place since the time of original construction, there may be no health risk involved.

But for large mold contamination problems, more than 10 meters or 30 sq.ft., most experts call for professional cleaning or mold remediation. In addition, extra steps may be needed to clean contents and possessions like clothing and bedding.

Watch out: people who are at extra risk of mold-related illness or respiratory illness such as the elderly, infants, immune-impaired, or asthmatics should avoid exposure to moldy environments and may need to exclude themselves from even small mold cleanup jobs. And such occupants should generally not be in a building that is being remediated because there is at least some risk of a dust containment failure that could put such occupants in danger.

Reader Question: I need advice about my moldy apartment in Sydenham, Victoria Australia

I'm in Sydenham Victoria and urgently need this house inspected. My baby and I are sick and have all mentioned problems in / by the articles [read at InspectApedia.com]. The ceiling exhaust of [...] is growing mold and its barely breathable. Please help. Thank you.

Reply: how to decide if it's safe to remain in a mold-suspect or visibly moldy rental home

I'm sorry to read of the illness and mold problems you and your family are facing. You need to call a local surveyor or your local health department. Onsite inspections are not something we can offer and unfortunately I don't have listings for Australia (where I take it you are located).

Indeed if there is more than ten square meters of moldy material in your home, you certainly do not need an inspection to determine that the environment is unsafe and needs professional cleaning and mold remediation. And if you have reason to believe the environment is making you or your baby sick you should not be there. I understand that it is far too easy for a stranger to send an email saying that the safe thing to do is move out, and that it's far more costly and disruptive to you.

Check with your doctor

Start with a visit to the pediatrician and to your own doctor for advice. If they agree that your home is at high risk of making you ill you need to find temporary, even emergency quarters. Continued exposure to harmful mold not only is a health risk, it can increase individual sensitivity, thus risk increases over time. Especially I'd be worried for a baby, an elderly person, an asthmatic, or someone who is for other reasons of fragile health in the first place, but even a person in normal health can be at risk.

If you are renting, see RENTERS & TENANTS: MOLD ADVICE - where we give advice for renters on dealing with a moldy rental home.

How to check with your health department

To contact your local health officials or health ministry you can find contact information from your telephone book, online, or from any local government office.

For Sydenham Victoria where you are located, your ministry of health can be contacted at

• Victoria (VIC) Department of Human Services
• You can contact the Victoria state emergency services help line at 132-5500.
  [The state's website includes a Flood/Storm emergency web page but that address is not functional]
• To speak with a housing and support worker, if you are homeless or at risk of homelessness in Victoria, call 1800 825 955
• If you may need emergency shelter in Victoria, more information on emergency shelter is at Homelessness Services-Victoria AU website.

[Ed. This reader question and our reply are also posted at SAFETY & HEALTH IN RENTAL UNITS]

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Continue reading at MOLD HEALTH RISKS for TENANTS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see

Rental Unit & Tenants Guide to Mold & Indoor Environmental Hazards

• 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?
• MOLD: A COMPLETE GUIDE - home

Suggested citation for this web page

MOLD SAFETY ADVICE for TENANTS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to BUILDING ENVIRONMENT

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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to MOLD CONTAMINATION & REMEDIATION

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