questions & answers

Question: My new apt. has many old water leaks I only discovered when it rained, and a large patch of black mold that's not responding to me spraying mold and mildew cleaner on it growing on the outside exterior of my living room wall in a closet. During the last storm, I had water trickling down the drywall and across the ceiling in my bedroom and one can see it's not a new leak and has been repaired before. Maintenance says they can only cosmetically scrape and paint it. I can't live here even if its remedied because it's extensive and I'm very sensitive to mold already. What do I do?

Answer: You should document the mold by taking pictures then send a written notice that you are breaking the lease and moving out as soon as you can. I would not pay any additional rent after that. You should also call the local board of health and/or the housing department and ask them to come and do an inspection to make the landlord fix the problem before they rent to anyone else. Whether anyone will do such an inspection differs from city to city and county to county but you should certainly ask! If you have a doctor, you should go to them and report the mold and any reactions you are having and ask the doctor to document the reaction, etc, so that in the event you need to sue or countersue for damages in the future you will have medical evidence. GOod luck.