How To Clean Mold
How to clean mold from your home.

Mold Prevention and Preparation

Mold Prevention and Preparation

Most property managers have listened to the name Amanda Bonnen.  Her name can make the hair on the back of your neck stand up if you are a apartment manager you have to understand, Bonnen used to be a renter of Horizon Real Estate Group and Amanda one time texted this “tweet”: “Horizon Real Estate Group said sleeping in a moldy dwelling is alright.”

Oops!

Horizon Real Estate Group issued a statement saying they learned of the June 20th “tweet” while prepping to appear in court over a class action complaint started by Amanda.  She filed a suit against her preceding property managers alleging negligence of the Chicago Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance.

Horizon says that no existence of mold was ever exposed in Amanda’s unit.  But, in April liquid had dripped into her house as well as several other apartments in the property resulting from a crummy repair job on the ceiling of their property.  

Horizon also stated that they communicated with all of the occupants that were effected by the rain damage informing them that it will be handled.  Amanda was clearly the only 1 not content with Horizon’s reply.  Amanda vacated her property upon expiration of her rental agreement on May 25th.

There are a lot of reasons mold creates such stress for property managers.  Mold has many health risks correlated with it: Allergies, asthma attacks, chronic sinus infections, memory loss and even lung infections.  Property managers: The ideal way to protect yourself against your very own Bonnen episode is to get as much information as you are able to so that you are aware of what mold is, what to be on the lookout for and how to have it professionally eliminated.  

You need, naturally, do your own examination, but understand that mold is a natural, growing life form referred to as a spore.  Mold can never be 100% eliminated.  Why?  Due to the fact that once you have disinfected a surface and expose it to to the neighboring environment, the spores will be brought back in from that natural environment and start developing in that area once more.

Note that that not all mold is harmful and not all spores considered “black mold” is deadly.  It is the particular strain of black mold that carries “stachybotrys chartarum” that is deadly, due to the fact that it creates mycotoxins which are what create well being problems for your occupants.

There are six conditions that are required for mold to do well:

No light

No air

The ideal temperature

The correct amount of humidity

A seed spore (the reproductive system of the mold)

A ripe location host (place for the mold to flourish)

Mold is sure to expand anywhere that these six conditions are nearby.  Areas especially susceptible to mold are places where rain has found its way inside – like in a cellar or from the ceiling.

If you find mold at hand at one of your buildings, the duration of time you have legally to eradicate it varies by state.  But, regardless of the time tolerable to eradicate it, you should categorically resolve to fix the rain intrusion.  Mold spores can develop in as little as two to three to three.  

The process of cleaning mold is called mold remediation.  It should be handled by professionals as they are educated in the identification and elimination of resources that contain mold and mold spores.   The containment of the mold spores is just as essential as its elimination as you do not want to accidentally contaminate other places of your building that were clean previously.   The products professionals will use might include: Air scrubbers and HEPA filters.   The containment is equally as important as the elimination because you do not want to cross contaminate other rooms of the home. Professionals use various kinds of equipment like air scrubbers and HEPA filters to avoid scattering the mold. The price for this type of work can range from a few 100 to millions of dollars depending upon the scope of the area to be cleaned and the access to the property, among other factors.

Some jurisdictions allow property managers to clean up to ten square feet of mold infected space without using a professional. The guidelines for remediation can be found on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) web site. As Bill stated, these are the only printed laws on the subject.

When it comes to the question of whether or not the property manager must reveal the presence of mold to occupants, with very few exceptions, most states have not openly outlined what the property manager’s responsibilities are. Bill notes that in the absence of a clear legal directive, property managers should use common sense. As an alternative of worrying about whether or not you can get away with renting an dwelling with mold present, limit your liability by being proactive and fixing the problem.

1 critical caveat should be distinguished here. The liability issue changes dramatically depending on the explanation for the molds existence. If the mold results from the property manager’s failure to maintain the property in a habitable condition, then the property manager is legally liable. However, if the cause of the mold growth is due to applicant actions like creating high humidity, or failing to clean the premises, then the property manager is not liable.

In some states, the presence of mold can be grounds for breaking a lease agreement. And as the Bonnen case shows, it can also be grounds for a claim. Bill recommends that you check with a real eatate lawyer in your area to determine your exposure in this regard.

Bill added that a savvy property manager will limit exposure to legal action by being proactive and examining your property for things like the presence of mold at least two times a year. This will not only give you the opportunity to fix the problem, but to document that it was resolved. With the the required notes, you can stave off a court case before it even gets started.

Stirling Gardner consults for EZ Landlord Forms – your best online resource for a state specific rental agreement and free rental application.


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