We live in a duplex and the black mold is in mine and my neighbors whole house. The roof leaks so its all in both of our attics. Her basement has a leak, so its in her bathroom, and coming into ours. Its in the walls on the inside all down the house. Its BAD. I have a newborn daughter that has been sick since birth ( we just noticed the mold as it is just now coming through the walls) I also have 2 other children in the home. What can we do if he wont take care of this issue? Stop paying rent? Call the health dept? The whole house will have to be gutted, where do we live and who pays for that? THANKS
call the county health dept,,, they will help…
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Call the health department in your area and check out what laws their are about him removing it. Good LuckReferences :
It depends on the local laws where you are. You would need to contact your local health department, housing commissioner, or a lawyer.References :
tell him ur gonna call the Health dept usually that will get him to get it done or just call them on ur own they'll be out within 2 daysReferences :
If the landlord refuses to address your concern I would make all attempts to call the health department and try to get them involved. If the health department will not involved you need to move out as soon as possible, Black mold maybe one of the reasons that your child has been sick so long, this stuff is not to be messed with.References :
as the landlord it is his responsibility to clean it up. he really should do it soon. if it gets too bad, it may become impossible to get rid of without rebuilding, so i dont understand what his issue is. call the health department, find out what the renter laws and rights are in your state and go from there. id be raising hell.References :
call the county health dept,,, they will help…References :
You need to look at this from both sides. Yes, it is dangerous for you and your baby and yes the landlord should have it fixed, but if the house is in that bad of shape that is going to cost some major bucks to fix. The landlord/owner just might not have the money to fix it. Add it up, a leaking roof, a leaking basement, leaks in the bathrooms plus cleaning up the mold, you are talking probably $10,000 there.
Take all that into account before you report them-try to find out if this is the problem and if so maybe you can work out a deal with your landlord that will help both of you out.References :
Don't threaten the landlord. This just might get you evicted. Write him a nice letter explaining the problem. Send it to him CERTIFIED – RE-
TURN RECEIPT. Make a copy for yourself (photo copy) Clip the return receipt info (include the green card). If something isn't done within two (2) weeks, go to the dealth department, and anyone else you might think of.
Be prepared to get a lawyer.
You have basic rights to a safe house. This includes health safety.
GOOD LUCK !References :
As a previous answerer said keep proof of your communications politely asking him to fix it. If he doesn't fix it go to the housing board and ask an inspector to come. The landlord will be fined and forced to fix it. Take pictures of the mold and any other damage as well. DONT stop paying rent, he can evict you!References :
I assume you have spoken with him about the issue?
Definitely call the health department. See if there is a local/provincial/state tenant rights group. Often they are a good source of legal information. Things will be different depending on where you live. Be careful about not paying rent – in some jurisdictions, even if the landlord isn't taking care of the property, witholding rent can be grounds for eviction.
In terms of where you would live and who pays for what, that again would depend on where you are. You may be responsible for finding your own place and if that's the case, you might just want to make the move permanent. He would probably have to pay for the repairs, but it's unlikely he would have to pay for your rent elsewhere or anything additional.
Sounds like a very unsafe place to live. Hope it's sorted out soon.References :
I've been a landlord before and most of my family has owned rental property, so I'm pretty familiar with laws, although they do vary by state.
This is not that easy of a situation because if you do the wrong thing, it could hurt your family as much as the landlord.
First step is to contact the landlord IN WRITING and ask him to resolve the problems. The landlord by law has a certain amount of time to solve the problem. If you do anything else before you have done this, it could come back to haunt you.
If the landlord has been notified in writing and you have copies (dated). If it has been longer than a month, then you could contact your local courts and find out how to put your rent into escrow. That means you put the rent into am account and the landlord doesn't get it until he fixed the problems. Again, this action should be accompanied by a written dated letter to the landlord. If you don't send the letters or to through legal escrow, you can be evicted. Your landlord has rights too.
Now, if nothing has happened, look into finding a new place to live. You can sue the landlord for your moving expenses and get your deposit back as well. If you have proof, the dated letters and proof of escrow and can show he still hasn't done anything to resolve it.
You can just call the health Dept like other people suggest, but guess what? You risk being homeless if you do that. The health dept can come out and immediately condemn the building and literally give you 24-48 hours to get out. So if you call the health dept you better have a backup plan for where you are going to live. You may or may not (depending on laws) be able to still sue the landlord if they condemn the building, but it could take a long time to get through the courts (months) and you may or may not get any money in the long run. So unless you have a new home lined up, I would try some less drastic steps first.
It may even help to suggest to the landlord that if he releases you from the lease and returns your deposit do that you can find a new place that you will be happy to move. Mention this in your letter. If he can't afford to fix the problem, he may just do that. But again, be prepared to move.
Hope that helps. You can also search online for the laws in your area- type in your state and "landlord tenant laws" and you can get more info this way.
Good luck!References :