Mold In Apartment? Symptoms, Solutions, and Prevention

As a renter, you would want an apartment that is like a home to you. A place where you get some refreshment after a long day of hard work. A healthy environment for you and your family. You found a new apartment to your liking and lived there for quite a while. But one day, you found out that the apartment is infested with mold. What should you do? Should you contact the landlord or fix the problem yourself? If you’re unsure what to do with mold in apartment then, this article is for you.

Mold Problem – Should You Worry?

Yes. You should worry about the mold in your apartment. Mold is a fungus that grows rapidly because of moisture in warm, dark places. The most common types of household molds might be found around bathrooms, basements (especially those with damp carpeting), drywall ceiling tiles, carpets wallpaper under sinks plumbing pipes. Mold growth can cause a lot of problems including health problems if left untreated. The mold releases mold spores into the air which is enough to make you sick since those spores can settle in human lungs. Especially people with health problems like allergies or asthma are at high risk.

How to Know if There’s Mold in Your Apartment – Symptoms

If there is mold in your apartment then you should try to detect them as early as possible. It’s really important for the health of you and your family members. But unfortunately, mold detection is very challenging. Look for signs of mold growth underneath surfaces, like carpets, wallpaper, cabinets, and walls. Also, check the areas in the apartment that are highly susceptible like shower walls, window moldings, Refrigerator door seals, and around air conditioners. Here are some symptoms and signs of mold you’ll encounter:

  • Your apartment smells like having a musty odor, mildew, or earthy.
  • Water damage signs on the wall like bulging drywall or stains.
  • Green or black spots appear on the surfaces.

A Home Inspection can help detect mold. Learn more on Home Inspection OKC

Mold Growth and Health Risks

Most molds aren’t harmful like the one that grows on shower tiles. But there are some kinds of mold that grow in your apartment that can be harmful. Mold poses serious health risks to people with underlying health problems, infants, children, elderly people, immune-compromised, and people with respiratory conditions, allergies, and asthma. You’ll start facing some health issues if there’s any mold growing in your apartment. Here are some mold allergy symptoms:

  • Watery eyes, coughing, or trouble breathing.
  • Sinus Headaches
  • Watery and Itchy eyes
  • Congestion and runny nose
mold allergy symptoms

Black Mold – Is it Dangerous?

Black mold technically known as Stachybotrys chartarum is the most dangerous type of fungus because it can cause serious health problems after periods of exposure, including respiratory issues, mental impairment, skin inflammation, and nausea. It also damages internal organs as well. Mold is a silent killer that often goes unnoticed until it’s too late. With black mold thriving in dark places with limited ventilation, you may never know when this potentially life-threatening problem becomes the worst nightmare for you and your family.

Landlord Responsibilities For Apartment Mold Problem

There are no specific rules and regulations to hold landlords responsible for mold problems in an apartment. However, landlords can be held responsible for mold issues since a landlord is responsible to provide a safe and livable house, and failing to offer a mold-free environment makes him legally liable for reimbursing tenants for additional costs they have sustained.

Also Read: Can a landlord make a tenant pay for repairs?

The landlords have to take full responsibility for removing mold from the apartment and providing a healthy environment. Even after a landlord fully takes care of mold infestations in the apartment, if a tenant develops health issues then the tenant can claim damages.

Recommended: Who is Responsible for Pest Control when renting?

But if the apartment mold growth problem is caused by the tenant, then you as a tenant are responsible to pay for an inspection, testing, and mold removal.

Can You Sue Landlord for Mold Problems?

To sue a landlord for the mold problem in an apartment, you need to collect the proof first. Then you can file a personal injury lawsuit, sue your landlord, and depending on the extent of your property losses and health issues, and the jurisdiction’s amount limit, you may be able to resolve the case in small claims court. In small claims courts, both parties are required to represent themselves and have claim limits in the $3000-$10,0000 range. However, the small claims courts are regulated at the state level.

If the amount is higher in case of extensive treatment during illness then you may need to hire an attorney to file a more formal injury claim.

What Landlords Need to Do to Stop Mold Growth

Mold Infestation is quite common in apartments. So landlords can DIY mold removal themselves. But if they don’t have time to do it themselves, then the landlords can either hire a handyman to identify the mold presence and get them cleaned. The landlords also need to prevent mold from growing further by patching all leaking or spilling, properly sealing barriers, and removing, replacing, or bleaching the affected area.

If there’s black mold growing in the apartment then the landlord needs to hire a professional mold inspector and mold service since they are extremely dangerous and have to be handled by professionals to prevent it from spreading further.

What Tenants Can Do to Prevent Mold From Growing

First of all, the most important thing you need to do is find apartments that are well maintained and have the best defense against mold. So, while looking for rental apartments, check the signs of the building breaking down, looking dingy, or the building not being kept well. This inspection is a must since all landlords aren’t aware of issues of mold infestations. Landlords are required to provide working appliances, doors, windows, and bulbs, along with well-sealed and pre-treated areas where water perpetually flows. So that there is no place for mold growth in the apartment.

Also as a responsible tenant, there are some things you can do to prevent mold in your apartment. Don’t leave any standing water anywhere in the apartment and also dry any moisture you find as soon as possible. And if you’re uncertain about the mold issue then call your landlord immediately.

Note: Reasons Tenants Want Early Lease Termination

How Property Managers can Help with Mold Problems?

Property Managers Can Help

When it comes to dealing with repair and maintenance requests from tenants, the landlords aren’t always available at certain times. Managing rental properties require a lot of time and experience. Handling requests from multiple tenants is also a hectic job. That’s why landlords should consider hiring an OKC property manager for handling their properties. A Property Manager is responsible to handle daily activities in a rental property. Also ensuring that the property is in top condition and livable. The management company will make sure that everything is working properly including checking for water leakage, water stains, and moisture problems. A Property Manager can easily handle requests from the tenants. You can easily communicate with the property manager and explain the problem in the apartment.

In case you find signs of mold in the apartment, you can contact the property managers right away and explain the situation. Property Management companies in Oklahoma city have expert personnel and contacts. They will send a team of a professional mold inspector to find mold in your apartment and treat the infected areas. The property managers make sure that the apartment is regularly inspected for mold exposure so that there are no health effects on tenants or damage to the personal property.

FAQs

How to check for mold in an apartment?

To check for mold in an apartment, inspect for leaky pipes and moisture. You might find discoloration and slimy and powdery texture on the surfaces. Mold also can grow on difficult spotting places like the attic, basement, vents, etc.

How to get rid of mold in an apartment?

You can get rid of mold using simple cleaning agents like detergent, white vinegar, baking soda, ammonia, bleach and water solution, etc. However, if you severe mold problem then you might need to hire a professional to get rid of the mold.



source https://www.yourokcpropertymanager.com/mold-in-apartment

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