rental housing with mold - your experience

[sadirasunshine]

Does anyone have experience with a rental that has mold? Pls email me privately about your success or failure with getting it taken care of, or resolutions with landlords upon departing your house. I've seen reference to settlements including hotel stay paid by landlord while it gets cleaned and full deposits returned. Did you have to go to the mat to get deposit back or was your landlord forthcoming?
Nolo and a few sites list strong CA indoor pollution regulations, but I'd like to hear folks anecdotes to formulate a practical expectation.
thanx

[American Shaman]

The trouble is, now you know there is some, figuring out what kind there is, how bad it is, and what potential effects it will have on your health are unknown.

The best thing to do is to run away and cut your losses, because fighting means staying in a house full of potentially toxic mold.

The symptoms of a lot of toxic mold is headaches and respiritory infections.

If you can't leave, getting a dehumidifier and a couple hepa filters will keep most of the levels down. If this was 5 years ago when it was hard to find a place to rent, it might be worth the fight. Nowadays there are so many other places to stay.

I have lived with mold because of cheap rent, and it has taken a toll on my health. It is also hard to tell what kind of mold it is without all of the expensive tests that landlords will be reluctant to test for. The stuff that is toxic is usually found within the walls, between layers of improperly used plastic sheeting.

Can you describe the mold and where you have found it?

[michaelkottler]

I have ample experience living with toxic mold in different residences and let me tell you, mold remediation outcomes will vary significantly depending on a number of factors. If the mold is localized and hasn't infested too much cellulose-based material, removing the effected material, cleaning surrounding areas with bleach, and then fogging the previously-infested spot and all surrounding area with mold-remediation fluid (I prefer Concrobrium, a sodium carbonate and water mixture) via a ULV fogging machine should do the trick. More extensive mold infestation can be much harder to remedy. And let me tell you, if you are, as I am, extremely mold-sensitive, once mold spores and mold particles get into your bedding and clothing you can forget about ever getting rid of it. Even dead mold particles will cause severe immune responses. I once had to leave ALL my cellulose-based belonging behind and am tragically preparing to do so again due to the inadvertent discovery in our rented apartment of extensive black-mold infestation which has pretty much ruined our lives.

Sometimes a mold issue can be beat by utilizing a good quality air-cleaner. And by "good" quality I mean units with metal cases that feature hospital/military-grade air-scrubbing capabilities such as the Aerox models https://nontoxic.com/air/aireox.html and the Austin Healthmate series https://austinair.com/products/healthmate-series/. I can attest from personal experience that these systems work very well to remove mold spores/particles and other irritants from the air. Unfortunately, they are very expensive (around $400 to start).

Regarding getting a landlord to do the right thing, unless yours is a saint in order to be sure you have to hire your own contractor to test for the presence of mold (whether it is obvious or not) and hire your own very expensive mold-specialist doctor to provide you with a diagnosis stating you are definitely sick due to toxic mold exposure. Sometimes those two things alone will inspire action by a landlord. Other times, you'll need an attorney. In my experience, if you can't afford to get testing done and see the right Dr, good luck getting a landlord to pay for squat. I've yet to find a tenant-law attorney, even one who works on contingency, who will take a case without first having proof of mold from a third party and a positive mold-sickness diagnosis.The "mold doctors" in the bay area charge exorbitant prices for their services. Check and see and you'll be shocked. And no, they don't accept Medi-Cal. They even make you sign a contract stating that you will never ever attempt to bill their services to Medi-Cal or any related public insurance.

In short, mold remediation, be it physical or legal, can be a tricky thing and the best course of action depends on the specifics of your situation. If the mold is localized, DIY remediation is a real possibility. If the mod is extensive and you can afford to move, do so ASAP. Don't spend a single day more absorbing mycotoxins and aflotoxins if you're one of the unfortunate one-in-twenty (as I am) whose body is unable to mitigate these poisons.

[newdawn707]

Does anyone have experience with a rental that has mold? Pls email me privately about your success or failure with getting it taken care of, or resolutions with landlords upon departing your house. I've seen reference to settlements including hotel stay paid by landlord while it gets cleaned and full deposits returned. Did you have to go to the mat to get deposit back or was your landlord forthcoming?
Nolo and a few sites list strong CA indoor pollution regulations, but I'd like to hear folks anecdotes to formulate a practical expectation.
thanx

omg, Im so sorry you have mold in the house youre living in . Ive experienced that before.
I would move out as soon as possible. I dont know any of the legal stuff just wanted to sympathize and wish you well~