Mold and other issues

[rebeccainak]

What is the name of your state? Alaska

We moved in to our rental house in August and it has been problem after problem****************************..

After our first month there, we suddenly had no hot water. Took the property manager 2 weeks to get someone over to fix it. Plumber comes over, and announces he can't fix it becuae it is "an illegal plumbing situation". We have in floor heating and there was no seperate water system for the floor heating water and potable water. We bought drinking water for another 2 weeks til the owners agreed to fix the potable water deal and then we got hot water and drinking water.

We thought it was a bit odd that there was no vent fan in the master bathroom, but since we keep the bathroom window cracked most of the time, it wasn't a problem. Come winter and very cold temps, the bathroom window was closed. A week of 10 degrees and colder produced huge glaciers on the windows in the bathroom and master bedroom. I could see mold growing in there.

Property manager comes and takes a look. She calls over this company that does mold removal and such. They of course, want to charge the owners massive amounts of money to tear everything out, make a vent in the bathroom etc. Well, it appears they are balking at paying that and now the property manager wants me to do all the cleaning. I'm ok with that, to a point. I already cleaned most of it once before. Now she wants me to clean with a special chemical. In addition, there is a large mold spot in one of the closets, which will mean I have to wash everything in the closet as well.

Can we bail on this? Should I get my deposit back? It really blows because we looked for months for this place and other than some of these headaches, we love the place.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[kornball]

Mold:

The cleaner / specialist for this cleanup was called in as you stated .... did he state what caused the problem? Is it a ventilation issued? Do you have any of this paperwork stating the cause?

If the problem originated from a ventilation issued I would only clean what I had to with normal cleaning products to stay semi-sanitary .... I would not touch the "special cleaner" with a 10 ft. pole. What is the special cleaner? I would look up the MSDS for it and there is prollie a reason why the cleaning process would cost so much ...

Any cleaning you do offer to do, I would bill the LL for all products, time, etc. Don't use the special cleaner.

Did the mold guy say that the place was uninhabitable based on the mold ... ???

I wish I could help more ....

 

[Hot Topic]

Once it was necessarily to close the bathroom window, a de-humidifier unit could have installed in the the room. There's also a product called Dry Out that works well in bathrooms. The crystals in the jar absorb moisture. All you have to do is pour off the excess liquid once a week. Dry Out is inexpensive and lasts for months.

It's necessary to wipe down the walls after bathing or showering and to leave the room open. You don't have to, and shouldn't, rely solely on a vent fan.

I wouldn't use any "special" cleaner until I'd looked it up on the Internet to determine the pros and cons of using it.

 

[rebeccainak]

Thank you so much.

We do have a de humidifier in the bathroom that works really well. I could live with that vs. a fan I suppose.

We are going to speak to the prty manager again tomorrow and I am going to present her with a written agreement on what I will do, and how much I should be compensated for.

Does that sound fair? To either of us? One stipulation we have is that the mold should be tested. The guys that came over the other night said that testing wasn't necessary, and that "mold was mold". I have found things that say mold no big deal, buy my product! or mold bad bad bad, get out and sue! I need to find a balanced piece to read.

Any links would be great.

 

[Alaska landlord]

You may want to mention to the LL that it’s not normal to have icicles coming down and covering the windows. This may be an indication of a bad insulation problem in your or poor air circulation. Possibly vents covered up. Either way, you have a lot of heat melting the ice and causing the problem. As for the mold, a little bleach and soapy water ought to take care of the problem. The mold scare came out of Hollywood and lawyers are not as quick to jump on the train wagon. CDC has dispelled most of the crap put out by the media. If you want to get rid of mold keep the area dry and well light. Mold and or mildew needs humidity and darkness to thrive.

I doubt that your LL would pay you to cleanup the mold. I sure wouldn’t. But then again I would not allow the condition to exist in one of my apartments. This can be taken cared of in less than 20 minutes. With bleach, water and a little muscle. Until the problem gets fixed you might try spraying your windows with bleached water after every shower and setting a fan or dehumidifier to exhaust the humid air out of the bathroom. Keep your bathroom door open when not in use.

As for testing the home, that would be a negative. Any home will show positive results. Mold is everywhere and will always be with us. It even predates mankind. If you want to test it your landlord will probably say sure but with your dime. There are no established unacceptable limits to date.

 

[Hot Topic]

Here's part of what the CDC says:

Mold growth, which often looks like spots, can be many different colors, and can smell musty. If you can see or smell mold, a health risk may be present. You do not need to know the type of mold growing in your home, and CDC does not recommend or perform routine sampling for molds. No matter what type of mold is present, you should remove it. Since the effect of mold on people can vary greatly, either because of the amount or type of mold, you can not rely on sampling and culturing to know your health risk. Also, good sampling for mold can be expensive, and standards for judging what is and what is not an acceptable quantity of mold have not been set.

The best practice is to remove the mold and work to prevent future growth. If you choose to use bleach to clean up mold: Never mix bleach with ammonia or other household cleaners. Mixing bleach with ammonia or other cleaning products will produce dangerous, toxic fumes. Open windows and doors to provide fresh air. Wear non-porous gloves and protective eye wear.

MOLD PREVENTION TIPS

Keep the humidity level in your home between 40% and 60%. Use an air conditioner or a dehumidifier during humid months and in damp spaces, like basements.

Be sure your home has enough ventilation. Use exhaust fans which vent outside your home in the kitchen and bathroom. Make sure your clothes dryer vents outside your home.

Fix any leaks in your home's roof, walls, or plumbing so mold does not have moisture to grow.
Clean up and dry out your home thoroughly and quickly (within 24–48 hours) after flooding.
Add mold inhibitors to paints before painting.
Clean bathrooms with mold-killing products.
Remove or replace carpets and upholstery that have been soaked and cannot be dried promptly. Consider not using carpet in rooms or areas like bathrooms or basements that may have a lot of moisture.

To learn more about preventing mold in your home, see the Environmental Protection Agency's publication A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home at http://www.epa.gov/iaq/molds/moldguide.html.

 

[Alaska landlord]

Same link that HT provided;


For the majority of adverse health outcomes related to mold exposure, a higher level of exposure to living molds or a higher concentration of allergens on spores and mycelia results in a greater likelihood of illness. However, no standardized method exists to measure the magnitude of exposure to molds. In addition, data are limited about the relation between the level of exposure to mold and how that causes adverse health effects and how this relation is affected by the interaction between molds and other microorganisms and chemicals in the environment. For this reason, it is not possible to sample an environment, measure the mold level in that sample, and make a determination as to whether the level is low enough to be safe or high enough to be associated with adverse health effects.

Other than in a controlled, limited, research setting, sampling for biologic agents in the environment cannot be meaningfully interpreted and would not substantially affect relevant decisions about remediation, re-occupancy, handling or disposal of waste and debris, worker protection or safety, or public health. If sampling is being considered, a clear purpose should exist.

Although the potential for health problems is an important reason to prevent or minimize indoor mold growth and to remediate any indoor mold contamination, evidence is inadequate to support recommendations for greater urgency of remediation in cases where mycotoxin-producing fungi have been isolated.



Removing and Cleaning Up Mold in a Building

For cleaning mold covering <10 square feet in an area flooded by clean water, detergent and water might be adequate (9,16). However after hurricanes and major floods, flood water is likely to be contaminated and, in this setting, mold can be removed with a bleach solution of 1 cup chlorine bleach per 1 gallon of water (26--30). Never mix bleach or bleach-containing products with ammonia or ammonia-containing products. If water damage is substantial or mold growth covers >10 square feet, consult the EPA guide, Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings (15).

 

[rebeccainak]

Ok so, how much would any of you think would be fair to ask for in compensation for doing the cleaning? I keep a clean home but I think scrubbing mold off of surfaces goes a bit above and beyond what I am expected to do.

I just noticed the mold is emerging from the closet. I moved a dresser and found it.

Would this situation be a reason to get us out of our lease?

 

[Alaska landlord]

ZERO !

Where do you place your wet shoes?

 

[rebeccainak]

There is nothing wet in the closet. There were clothes and about 4 large rifle cases.

So, I as the tenant am responsible for cleaning this?
I probably will anyway.I'm living in it.


I just picked up the cleaner she wants me to try. It's called Concrobium. I googled it and it looks like good stuff.

 

[Hot Topic]

It appears that your main concern about the mold is the inconvenience that cleaning it up causes you. You don't get to break a lease for that.

 

[rebeccainak]

Seriously, should a tenant be responsible for the mold when it's not my fault?


What if we get ill?

My lease says I am supposed to keep the home resonably clean. I do that and more.

 

[Alaska landlord]

If you set the right conditions, then you are at least partially responsible. Keep the area's dry and treat it as soon as you see signs of growth and you will not have mold.

 

[garrula lingua]

OT:
Hot Topic and Alaska Landlord, thanks for your posts. They are very well-written and informative for us all.

 

[Hot Topic]

You're welcome. How to deal with mold is a topic that frequently comes up on the forum. My lease includes a page that makes it clear that tenants are responsible for avoiding creating situations in which mold can flourish.

I'd like to add that it's important to take up your bathroom rug periodically to allow the underside to dry. And watch the bathroom ceiling for signs of dampness. Zap them with a product designed for killing mold.

You're not going to get out of your lease, rebeccainak, based on what might happen. You're not going to get out of it because you have to do some extra cleaning. I think we've done the best we can in trying to help you, and that no one is going to tell you what you desperately want to be told. Good luck to you.