There Is Mold in My Apartment - What Can I Do?
If there's a mold problem growing anywhere in your rented apartment, you're actually better off than if you have a mold problem in a house under your ownership.
If the property is your own, the mold removal is fully your responsibility, and the cost can be excessive, but if you reside in an a rented apartment, you may not be held responsible at all.
But the issue is somewhat tricky.
Of course, if the problem results from personal negligence, like a saturated carpet that you ignore, your landlord might attempt to place the liability on you (at least partially), but in most cases, apartment mold will result from problems beyond your control: humidity problems, faulty plumbing in the building, problems with insulation.
To put it another way, The ownership or management should remedy the problem for you, even if you have to be very persistent.
If you have a small, manageable issue with mold or mildew, you might be able to just take care of it yourself and forget about it.
For instance, if you have a mildewed carpet, you can remove the moisture and then clean and deodorize it by applying baking soda (run a vacuum cleaner about an hour later).
For bathroom mildew, you might spray with chlorine bleach (diluted) or undiluted vinegar.
But if the mildew is growing on your walls or ceiling, or covering any large surface area, call the managers without a moment's hesitation.
The problem will just get worse, and can spread to neighboring apartments.
If the mold is toxic, it may prove detrimental to people's health (yours included).
The landlord may handle it personally, or may delegate the issue to the owner(s), but it's key that somebody hire a mold removal expert immediately.
But what happens if the landlord does nothing, delays the necessary remediation or refuses to take responsibility at all? When this occurs, you will want to contact your local health dept.
and report the mold in your apartment building.
If you cannot persuade your manager or apartment owner to take action, the health dept.
can force them to take action.
It's very important that you act immediately because a typical apartment typically makes up a more closed-off space than a house, and consequently you'll be exposed to a very large (potentially dangerous) quantity of mold spores.
The longer you put it off, the greater the risk to your health.
If the property is your own, the mold removal is fully your responsibility, and the cost can be excessive, but if you reside in an a rented apartment, you may not be held responsible at all.
But the issue is somewhat tricky.
Of course, if the problem results from personal negligence, like a saturated carpet that you ignore, your landlord might attempt to place the liability on you (at least partially), but in most cases, apartment mold will result from problems beyond your control: humidity problems, faulty plumbing in the building, problems with insulation.
To put it another way, The ownership or management should remedy the problem for you, even if you have to be very persistent.
If you have a small, manageable issue with mold or mildew, you might be able to just take care of it yourself and forget about it.
For instance, if you have a mildewed carpet, you can remove the moisture and then clean and deodorize it by applying baking soda (run a vacuum cleaner about an hour later).
For bathroom mildew, you might spray with chlorine bleach (diluted) or undiluted vinegar.
But if the mildew is growing on your walls or ceiling, or covering any large surface area, call the managers without a moment's hesitation.
The problem will just get worse, and can spread to neighboring apartments.
If the mold is toxic, it may prove detrimental to people's health (yours included).
The landlord may handle it personally, or may delegate the issue to the owner(s), but it's key that somebody hire a mold removal expert immediately.
But what happens if the landlord does nothing, delays the necessary remediation or refuses to take responsibility at all? When this occurs, you will want to contact your local health dept.
and report the mold in your apartment building.
If you cannot persuade your manager or apartment owner to take action, the health dept.
can force them to take action.
It's very important that you act immediately because a typical apartment typically makes up a more closed-off space than a house, and consequently you'll be exposed to a very large (potentially dangerous) quantity of mold spores.
The longer you put it off, the greater the risk to your health.