Fed up to the Point of No Return!!!

Have you tried your local news crew? They love stories like this!

3 moms found this helpful

I am so glad that you moved out even temporarily. I would not return to the apartment to start all over again with illnesses. I think I responded last week to move out for good and not to pay the rest of the rent. You may not get your security deposit but so what considering your kid's health is far more important. Let your landlord take you to court to get the rest of the money which he wont' get. Follow-up with the inspector and keep track of the calls/contact you are trying to make. What is the attorney telling you to do? If you are already paying an attorney I would follow their advice. While this is a pain....stop over stressing about it...Find a new place and move on. Regardless of the air quality results you can't move back in there or your family will get sick. You have all the documenation you need. Hang in there...

3 moms found this helpful

I know it can get expensive but if you feel that your landlord and the inspector are bullying your family I would definitely put it in the hands of the lawyer. Sometimes all it takes is a threatening letter from your attorney to show the landlord that you aren't playing games, this is the health of your children afterall! Perhaps it could be mentioned that all of the landlord properties should tested, not just your unit!

I wish you much luck! You are on the right track. Don't give up.

2 moms found this helpful

Edit:
Document that you will not pay rent until you see the findings. Start looking for a new place to live and dont worry about paying rent to this landlord.
If he doesnt show up with the paper that legally states there were no findings in your apartment you wont owe the rent for your lease.
Are you sure it's mold and not maybe something in your mattresses or your couch? Some rubbers make people sick too. Lots of people are allergic to the memory foam and other chemicals in mattresses and sofas/chairs.
You are asking your landlord to wave a magic wand over his property.
You on the other hand spent some time away from home and found your child instantly better.
Wouldnt it be better just to move for your childs sake and leave this mystery behind you? That's what I would do. Take responsibility and get out of there. I hope your next living quarters will make you healthy.
And I agree with the poster that said for you to call the local news. Let the reporters take a look and see if they think it's newsworthy. That would be a plus for you if they want to expose him as a slum lord.

2 moms found this helpful

Hi, My:
Go to your local court house and file a petition.
Good luck.
D.

2 moms found this helpful

Have you tried the county attorney?

I would NOT move back to that apartment. If you need to return to the area for school, then stay in a hotel. There are some that you can rent on a weekly or monthly basis. I would then find a new apartment. If you son has to change schools because of it, then that's a price that needs to be paid for the health of his sister.

M.

2 moms found this helpful

Go to your local TV station and see if they will help with the issue. I know they are not police or anything, but I see on our news all the time how the station investigates for the people and gets a lot of their issues resolved. I hope everything works out for you and your family.

2 moms found this helpful

I have been following your posts and I believe I responded to at least one of them. This is a horrible situation, but it is good you paid the rent. The results will definitely be back before next months rent is due so you will know if he is fixing this or not. If the air quality is test is positive, he has said he will fix and so as long as he does it, you could continue to live there once it is fixed. If it comes back neg, well you already know the mold is causing a problem even if it is not in the air, so at that point, you need to give notice stating your child is ill due to this mold. I am sure at this point he will let you out of the lease for this without penalties, but if he doesn't have you r lawyer get involved at that point. Or even have your lawyer give him notice of your leaving due to medical reasons. I almost hope they find it airborne, so he fixes it as that is a bad situation for anyone moving in there. But take care of your family first. If it does not work out and you leave, then you can think about going public. I guess I am just hoping he does his job and fixes it and you don't have the hassle of having move. But the only way I would stay is f he actually fixes the mold problem and provides documentation as such, otherwise I would move out which it sounds like you are ready and willing to do. If you are not getting the answers by today, I would have your attorney contact them for the results. Lawyers can get results out of people much quicker in most circumstances.

1 mom found this helpful

Time to call the evening news!!! Take out a page in your local paper. He'll never get another renter again.

1 mom found this helpful

Have you thought of calling your city's government offices about the inspector? Tell them your concerns that the inspector is working for the landlord. I'll bet your attorney could tell you who to call. If the inspector gets a phone call from the city over this, he'd get his butt in gear.

You could also call the TV news. In Charlotte NC, channel 9 has something called Action 9 where people who have problems like this can call in, and they have the reporter go talk to these people with their cameras, so the problems get resolved. These people find themselves on the 6:00 news and are busted. They do what they are supposed to do in front of the whole city.

Good luck,
D.

1 mom found this helpful

I would say may be the inspector did not get the results for the air quality. Give it another day or so and call him back. When he thinks you have backed off is when you will find him. He could be busy.I would just move. I do not think you will have issues from the landlord. God bless and good luck.

1 mom found this helpful

As a landlord myself I would like to give another perspective... I haven't read all of your posts so I don't have the whole story....but.... I would not call the news crew out just yet. If the tests come back negative then you could be sued for slander and defamation of character. Depending on your area your behavior could be reported and you could find yourself having a tough time finding a place to rent. Since you already have a lawyer, I would let him/her do the work and only spend your energy finding a new place to live.

1 mom found this helpful

I would contact the local health department. I had a friend who had a similar situation as you. She had mold in her apartment that developed after her landlord had some remodeling done in her building... and the landlord refused to do anything because he didn't believe that my friend had a valid argument and that it wasn't a major issue...
My friend tried reasoning with him - she offered to fix the problem herself (well, hire someone to clean up the mold and then fix wherever it was coming from...) and just deduct the cost of it from her rent (providing receipts, of course) and the landlord refused. So... she finally went to the health department since she too had documentation from her doctor of medical issues... and I'm not sure what the health department did or said to her landlord, but it was resolved very quickly. If there is anything you have to pay out-of-pocket for tests or whatever - I would definitely consider taking the landlord to civil court if they DO find proof that there is an issue.
I don't know if you mentioned it already, but are you living somewhere that is managed by a company - or is it just a place owned by someone that is your landlord? If it's a managed property you could also try contacting the BBB about your problems...
Another idea may be contacting the Attorney General? I'm not really sure about this idea though... I know you can go to the AG about a company that you have a problem with, but I'm honestly not sure if you could contact them about a situation like this - but... I figured I'd throw it out there anyways.

You said you think the contractor is working WITH the landlord... is there any other contractor that you could contact to come in and test again? Perhaps mention to them before hand (like when you set up the appointment) that you're worried your landlord will try and sway them to withold information... maybe that will help to get them on your side and prevent them from being influenced by the landlord.

I really, REALLY hope you get things figured out. I would definitely not risk having you kids start getting sick all over again by going back... If it's financially possible - staying in a hotel/motel for a little while would definitely be a good idea.
Contacting the news is another great idea :D They definitely love juicy stories like this - especially when there are kids involved (it doesn't sound right putting it like that, but that's definitely what it seems like when watching the news! LOL).

Good luck - I wish you guys nothing but the best. I really hope you're able to get somewhere and stay healthy.
:D

We had an oil spill in our home that was not our fault and had to move out for 2 1/2 months. The insurance company gave me the run around until I contacted the Environmental Protection Agency. I don't know if they can help you, but they were a God-send to us. Also, if you have renters' insurance, check to see if you can have the insurance company pay for your nights in the hotel. Ours paid us back for our bill. Good Luck!