Rental Problems

---

A couple of weeks ago, while very short on money, my girlfriend and I signed up with our landlords to be on-site caretakers/managers of our apartment building. The benefits were free rent plus extra pay here and there for working larger projects.One of the conditions of this was that we had to move to an open apartment on the lower level of the building, since our landlord prefers the management to be at the lower level facing the parking lot.This was all fine and good, and so far the work has been okay, though a little hectic (the previous managers left a LOT of stuff behind that needs to be taken care of). The problem, though, is that our new apartment is making us sick! I have received a complaint from the couple living next door, who have reported being unable to sleep in their bedroom now for many months because they wake up in the middle of the night coughing up all sorts of junk.I inspected their bedroom carpet, which they suspected of being moldy, and was unable to find anything. I also looked in the wall in my own room where the pipes run and didn't find anything.My girlfriend and I bought a mold test kit and have set it up last night (it takes 48 hours to incubate before showing mold). This morning I ripped one of the framing pieces off of the dining room window and found a huge amount of a white powdery substance resting in the cracks. I took the frame piece off in the first place because I saw some white stuff poking out through the cracks of the sill-frame meeting.I did a little research and found this thread: http://www.nachi.org/forum/f21/white-powder-attic-trusses-11675/index2.htmlI'm very worried that this might be mold, especially given the health problems in our apartment and the apartment next door (their bedroom touches our apartment and their living room is farthest from our unit). The problem is that I don't know how to approach the landlord to deal with this problem; they seemed sure that my neighbor was making up the problem given the lack of mold in the carpeting, so I am not sure how they would take me approaching them with this problem.I am also not yet sure whether or not this stuff I have found actually is mold and I don't know how to proceed to making sure this is mold and then convincing the landlords that it requires attention.Anyone who has any advice on this, your advice would be golden!!Thank you,LQ

Here at least, mould is normally black.

Originally Posted By: IneligibleHere at least, mould is normally black. Mold comes in all sorts of colors, from black to green to gray to white.The mold test kit has incubated the full 48 hours and I can only say: OMG. It is just packed with a very fine 'cottony' white mold which is slightly brown/orange/pink at the edges.When we get more money, I will get another kit to test our old apartment and then compare the types and amount of mold.We are trying to paint and clean the carpets; we primed the living room today with an odor-covering primer. While we had the windows open and the primer was being applied, the odor was reduced and the breathing problems lessened. Now, however, after the primer has dried and the windows are closed, the odor is back and the breathing problems persist.I'm really not thinking this is a problem that a little cleaning will solve. We had the city health inspector out the other day, and she was more annoyed with us bugging her than anything. I have been good all day, but now as I sit on the computer in the more closed-up apartment, I am starting to feel very crappy and I am coughing up little white chunks of stuff.This is not good.LQ

If mold is present it must be killed, and that won't happen by painting over it. Luckily a mild bleach solution (wear gloves) will usually take care of the problem. But it will come right back unless you take care of the causes and that involves moisture. Some how water is getting in from the outside (unless you've got a leaking or sweating pipe) so start there. Check for any gaps, loose caulking, drainage away from the building, and missing or damaged shingles first. After you've stopped the moisture, it will be much easier to control the mold.

Originally Posted By: readytogo

If mold is present it must be killed, and that won't happen by painting over it. Luckily a mild bleach solution (wear gloves) will usually take care of the problem. But it will come right back unless you take care of the causes and that involves moisture. Some how water is getting in from the outside (unless you've got a leaking or sweating pipe) so start there. Check for any gaps, loose caulking, drainage away from the building, and missing or damaged shingles first. After you've stopped the moisture, it will be much easier to control the mold.
Where can I put the bleach solution? Is it something I could put into a bottle and spray into the gaps between the window and the drywall after removing the framing?

No pipes run that way as far as I know other than the heating pipes; there are plenty of cracks in the outside structure and lots of water caught in the mortar and brick (even when it is dry for several days there are still damp spaces).

Also, if it is in the walls, why is it getting into so much of the rest of the apartment?

Thanks for your GREAT advice about the bleach! I will definitely give that a try! :laughing:

LQ

Quote:there are plenty of cracks in the outside structure and lots of water caught in the mortar and brick (even when it is dry for several days there are still damp spaces). I think you may have found the problem. Your landlord should thank you for undergoing these efforts. Mold is an indication of a greater problem. Moist areas where mold grows also rot. If the water infiltration problem is not solved it will only continue to get worse until the wall falls down. Get that water infiltration problem solved first and then tackle the mold. You're wasting your time and effort otherwise.You might be interested in this for more information.

Originally Posted By: readytogoGet that water infiltration problem solved first and then tackle the mold. You're wasting your time and effort otherwise.Except that no one thinks it's mold! The mold test is finished, and I have let some of it dry up. The white cottony mold turns into a fine powder when it dries leaving a pinkish foam on areas where it has contacted other materials. It is just like the stuff in the walls; and, I puffed some air into the dish and the mold dust drifted into the air. I inhaled some of it and the effects were the exact same as when breathing in the general air of the apartment!I'm convinced there is a problem and no one else seems to consider it as a possibility.What can I do?I am running another mold test in the other apartment to see if the results are the same or not upstairs where I don't experience respiratory problems.LQ

I don't know what to tell you. That health inspector should have been a little more interested. Mold can cause a serious health problem.