Re: Mold, Security Deposit, and Last Months Rent

Re: Mold, Security Deposit, and Last Months Rent by Anonymous on July 10, 2012 @13:48

News Flash for you bozos. Mold is rarely hazerdous or harmful to anyone. Look it up. Mold and mildew are also common in pretty much every bathroom. Look it up. Because there is a little mold it doesn't not give the tenants a right to move.

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Re: Mold, Security Deposit, and Last Months Rent by OK-LL on July 10, 2012 @14:58	[ Reply ]

I agree. The rental property is in the care and control of the tenant and if the tenant's lack of sanitation efforts results in the growth of common mold or mildew, that's the tenant's problem to solve. I frequently get complaints from tenants that there is mold in their bathroom; in further conversation I usually discover that they do not use the vent fan when using the shower, or they do not wipe the tiled bath surround and/or walls regularly with a cleaning solvent or bleach. I'm happy to remediate for them, but I'm an expensive housecleaning service and the tenant pays for the effort. I've lived in FL and it is damp and humid, perfect breeding ground for mildew. The tenants should have invested in a dehumidifier if they aren't smart enough to moderate the temperature and air movement to discourage mildew growth. It's called housekeeping, folks.

Re: Mold, Security Deposit, and Last Months Rent by Karen (MA) on July 10, 2012 @18:25	[ Reply ]

I used to own, and rent out property in Florida. Then I sold it a few years back. I once had a tenant who claimed there was mold in the rental property. He provided pictures of this mold. He had been staying there for 9 months, and was paying the rent. Then he had this mold claim, and stopped paying rent. He wanted me to waive the rent for the last three months on the lease, allow him to stay in the property rent-free for these 3 remaining months, and give him his security deposit back. Otherwise, he said he was going to sue me. I filed an evictions with the local court for his failure to pay rent. After the first hearing for the evictions the judge made him pay the due rents into the court registry, and ordered me the landlord to clean mold that was present in the property. Once I provided to the court that I cleaned/removed the mold the judge agreed to the release whatever rent monies were paid into the court registry to me, and allowed me to deduct these cleanup costs from the security deposit. Even though I had to dish out the money to file the eviction, and spend the time to attend the hearing I got the rents due in the end, and the tenant didn't get away without paying the rent. The tenant kept on with his threats to sue despite all of this. This stuff happens all of the time with people looking for ways to not pay rent, or looking to get out of a lease.

Re: Mold, Security Deposit, and Last Months Rent by Anonymous (CA) on December 13, 2012 @13:29	[ Reply ]

There is a big difference between a little mildew and true mold issues. Small amounts of mold are everywhere, but mold in your home can be extremely harmful. We had to move because of mold issues in our walls. My son was hospitalized with breathing problems, My husband and I both suffered breathing problems, rashes and severe headaches. We thought we were over reacting, but later found out the previous tenants had issues as well and had not fully recovered medically over 6 months after moving out. It's not as rare as you think and the risk isn't worth it if your home has a true mold problem instead of small amounts of normal mildew.

Re: Mold, Security Deposit, and Last Months Rent - Landlord Forum thread 260356