How to Make a Landlord Provide the House Mold Free

There are some responsibilities that a landlord is mandated to address, especially anything that threatens the health and safety of his tenants. Mold problems can range from being a mildly irritating to a cause of serious respiratory problems and even death. If you have mold in your rented house or apartment, you have the right to have your landlord take care of the problem.

Instructions

• 1

  Call your landlord. If you notice mold in your house or apartment, you should immediately contact your landlord. If there are only a few moldy patches, the problem can be dealt with easily, but if mold has permeated throughout the house and into the heating and ventilation system, then it can be an expensive remediation. A good landlord will take care of the problem, but others will need to be persuaded.

• 2

  Contact the local health department. If your landlord refuses, then call your local health department to come to your house or apartment and take a look at the mold. The health department can take samples and determine if the mold is dangerous. They can also determine if the amount of mold will cause you to have respiratory problems and if remediation is needed. The health department can give you an official report that states the necessity for mold remediation in your home or apartment.

• 3

  Call your landlord again. With the official government report, your landlord might take the situation a little more seriously and offer to get rid of the mold. Unfortunately, unless your state, county or municipality has laws regarding fines or mandatory remediation, there is little that can be done to force his hand.

• 4

  Contact a lawyer. If the landlord still refuses to take care of the situation, your only recourse might be legal action to force him to clean up the mold. The official report from the health department will be good evidence to show that you are in immediate danger of respiratory illness if the mold is not removed. Unfortunately, the legal system is slow and it may take weeks, if not months, of legal maneuvering to finally make it mandatory for the landlord to take care of the mold.