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We have a black mold problem in the house
My family has been living in this three bedroom house for 3 months. We started noticing problems like the walls in every room are wet and water is always leaking from the Windows. We called the property owner and he said that they didn't know why the house was like that and they don't know what to do. A lot of water was leaking from the bathtub into the bedroom when people used the shower, they fixed the tub leak, but the shower still has problems.
The mold is every room and its ruining the furniture, Black mold and some white fuzz is getting from the walls to the beds. We wipe it off and it comes right back. I moved my dresser and discovered all this nasty black and white mold eating through the dresser. Its in every room.
We have complained to the property owner multiple times. They said that are house wasn't the only one having this problem. Can't afford to move. The walls are always wet and are starting to puff out. When it snowed last week water was leaking from the ceiling, but we cant see any holes.
Can my mom get her money back so we can move from this place? What can my mom do about it?
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From what you describe that house should be condemned. The furniture burned and your family moved to someplace safe. Black Mold has serious health issues related to it.
I have reason to believe you are close to the age of 18 or possibly over 18 though it doesn't really matter in this instance. If your parents will not call the health department you should. Your health as well as the rest of your families health is at risk.
If the health department deems the house unsafe to live in they will move you out, which will void any lease your parents have. They will either force the homeowner to remediate the problem or see to it the house is torn down. Other County and state agencies will assist in finding temporary housing for your family until permanent housing is found.
You should tell your parent of the risks to everyones health is serious and the need to call the health department today. If they won't you should.
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omg get out of there asap! black mold is a serious issue!
you all could get really sick! that place sounds like it is BEYOND repair and whoever rented it out to you is a slum lord. they HAD to have known things were this bad and pursued renting it out anyway. i would call the health department in your area and have the house evaluated. tell them your situation and see if they can send someone out to check out the house.
Then get a written statement from them, take a copy and send that to the landlord and let them know that you will be forced to take action if this is not addressed, you dont care how it gets fixed but this is a danger and if anything the house should be condemned (and im sure they dont want that) ; )
once they see your serious they will most likely perk up and think "ok these people are not to be fooled and i better get on this or ELSE"
did your mom sign a lease? have her look over it and see what it says about doing the initial "walk through" of the house before you rented it. its in those areas that you may have a problem because if she signed the lease AGREEING that she would except the place in the "as is" condition that it is or was at the time of move in, then shes screwed. She wont have any footing in a legal battle if she signed that paperwork after she walked thru and looked and still agreed to live there with it being the way that it was.
(im from cali, and ive rented quite a few places in my time and know the process here and its pretty specific) so yours might not be but these are still some things you could ask your mom about and make sure to get proof of before doing anything further.
Also, did your mom take pictures of the place before you moved in so that she would have proof of the condition the place was in at the time of move in?? cause thats ALWAYS a good idea.
start taking pictures of everything your seeing now and documenting it too.
trust me on this, if your seeing things seeping through the walls and mold on YOUR side of the dry wall then i can GUARANTEE YOU its ten times worse on the inside of the wall. Think of that saying "where you see one roach there are at least 100 more in the walls hidden that you just dont see yet" its like that.
for now all you can do is try to beat it back with some vinegar and spraying it on the walls but honestly it sounds so back that i would advise you move out there now. dont wait.
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Your property owner likely can't afford the kind of repairs needed. Sounds like the house you're in should be condemned. If there's that much a problem, its likely leaking pipes in walls, little or no insulation, and there could easily be lots of mold damage with wood rotting away in walls, floors and ceilings. Its only a matter of time before the plaster of a wall becomes so sodden it falls in a heap on the floor or from the ceiling or a part of the floor gives way.
This is not to mention the health hazard. Mold of any extent will have effect on peoples health. Last place I stayed had mold that built around the base of the toilet and that affected me to where I had a consistant cough, mucus build up and I know from when I was younger, that I got lots of chest infections needing antibiotics from living with mold. I didn't think this little bit would hurt me, well it did.
Since Mom would have a hard time getting into a new place, I suggest she find a lawyer regarding safe housing acts. There are specific laws by state and also cities have certain agencies also you can go through. I did a quick search and couldn't find a general link to one for all states. But you guys need to move from there. Hopefully you have renters insurance, as you will likely need to replace all your belongings, clothes included. I met a neighbors kids once whose clothes smelled musty. I went to meet the parents to give the okay for my kids to go over there. Once in there, I saw that all the windows were always wet on the inside no matter the weather outside and the whole place smelled moldy and musty. But the thing is, you're all used to it. You can't tell. And it doesn't matter how much you wash the clothes, they'll still smell that way cus likely the mold spores are eaten into it waiting for a damp environment to release them again in another mold growth cycle.
Perhaps theres a lawyer who can help pro bono if she can't pay for one but its the wisest way to go to see what her rights are, what agencies can help by coming to inspect the place, and how to get her money back so she can use it in searching for a new place and leave behind everything except items that mold can't eat into, like dishes. She can ask the lawyer about compensation for destroyed property, but likely without insurance, that won't happen. I wish you the best in this getting resolved and finding a new home.
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