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What else could go wrong? Unemployment claims are skyrocketing in Austin, the
Coronavirus pandemic is raging, and people are supposed to “shelter in place”. The
“place” for these tenants, their rental unit, was full of mold they claimed, and their
landlord refused to correct the problem. Basically, they were told that they could
leave if they if they were unhappy. It is unfortunate that some landlords operate in
this manner.
The apartment manager said there isn’t any mold, just mildew that the tenants
caused themselves. But when a reporter from the Winchester Star was invited out to
the tenant’s home, when the front door was opened and even before entering the
apartment, a strong, musty odor could be detected.
The apartment complex manager said that any problem was the due to 19 straight
days of rain and the tenants leaving the AC unit being off in the unit. She had the
maintenance crew place a dehumidifier in the apartment and removed a closet door
to improve airflow in the area that the odor seemed to be coming from.
The tenants were released from their lease without penalty and the manager said,
“We have to clean and maybe put in a dehumidifier,” but otherwise the apartment
will soon be ready for its next occupants.
Mold will not go away or disappear just because you increase airflow or install a
dehumidifier. And even if the AC unit, which works like a giant dehumidifier, was
left off, there has to be an additional underlying problem in that apartment for that
much of a musty odor to be present.
Mold cannot be covered up with a little cleaning and some fresh paint. Mold and
mold spores can lay dormant for years and will begin to grow again when any type
of moisture is reintroduced. Even the allergens from dead mold spores can remain
active, affecting your health, for long periods of time so killing mold is not the
answer. The only solution to a mold infestation is to find the source of the moisture
and eliminate it, remove contaminated porous materials (like drywall), all affected
areas must then be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, and all structural materials
(like wood studs, concrete, etc.) need to be dried down to acceptable moisture
content levels for the area of the country you live in.
The apartment’s management should have contacted Water Mold Fire Restoration
of Austin, (512) 540-5768. Our technicians are nationally certified by the IICRC as
mold remediation specialists. Our technicians are equipped with the professional
detection tools (hygrometers, infrared cameras, and bore scopes, etc.) necessary to
hunt down any mold problem that may exist in your home. Our staff will answer
your call (with a live person) 24/7 and we can have a mold remediation specialist at
your place of residence in one hour or less. Our initial inspection is free of charge
with no further obligation.
