The presence of mold is often a huge point of contention between landlords and tenants. If you’ve ever found mold in your rental property, you may have been unsure about what to do next. Sure, you can buy an affordable home mold test, but then what are the next steps? Home mold remediation can be very expensive and intrusive. If you are a renting a home, here is some of our best advice for what to do if you suspect the presence the mold in your rental property:
1) Remember that the landlord is responsible for providing a habitable living environment for its tenants. This includes making sure that there isn’t a presence of toxic mold in your rental property.
2) There are no federal laws that regulate acceptable levels of mold exposure or building and rental standards. However, tenants in most states are able to sue landlords for any adverse health conditions or property damage caused by toxic mold exposure.
3) If you discover mold in your rental home, document it with photos, videos, and written descriptions. This will help mold remediation specialists calculate the extent of the damage and devise a plan to clean it up. It can also be used as evidence in determining the cause of the mold and help establish if you (the tenant) or your landlord is responsible for the contamination.
4) Work with your landlord to prevent mold growth on a regular basis. Landlords and tenants should perform routine preventative maintenance to control the humidity levels and moisture that can cause mold to grow.
5) If you have confirmation of the existence of mold in your rental property, you may be wondering, who pays for the mold removal? The landlord bears the responsibility of covering any initial costs of the mold removal procedures. Because mold presents a health hazard, it’s up to the landlord to restore the rental property back to a livable environment. However, if it can be proven that the mold occurred as a result of something the tenant (you) did, you can be charged for the mold removal by the landlord.
It’s essential to note that while figuring out who is responsible for the costs and remediation of the mold is important, cleaning up the contamination as soon as possible is crucial for your health and preventing any mold from spreading further. Neglecting mold in your rental property will only make the issue worse for both the tenant and the landlord.
