Renting and Mold Control

[WillowMarie]

Hello everyone. This is my first time renting, and have already told my landlord that has been mold growing on some of the window sills. It has been a few weeks and she still hasn't come to do anything about it. She has fixed the broken shower handle, and mentioned when that was fixed she still needs to find something to take care of the mold. There is no formal renting agreement or anything.

I was going to text her and ask for a discount on next months rent, since I read that is a thing, but unsure if applies in NC. And also state that this needs to get taken care of ASAP because Isabelle and I have asthma, which makes us more sensitive to mold. Two cats have also started reverse sneezing, which the vet said isn't a problem if it only happens once every week or so, but most likely allergies. Isabelle just started doing it, which she has never done before! Plus, Isabelle was having strange eye discharge for the first time in her life and the vet said it was allergy related, due to mold.

Also, I was thinking of asking if she can apply or reapply a waterproof sealant to the windows for protection to prevent future mold growth. Is this a thing and safe for indoors? My vet said that a lot of the old homes have mold around here, especially with the high moisture levels in the area. I do know she said she replaced all the windows before I moved in a year ago.

So give me all your renting wisdom and encouragement, thanks! I'm kind of ping ponging between "I've got this, I'm going to be bold and stand up for myself and kitties" and "she's going to get mad and hold it against me and I'm less confident and scared to say something."

 

[Twylasmom]

My initial thought is that It is in both of your best interests to get some sort of rental agreement in writing that clearly states responsibilities on both sides.

As for the mold issue there is a product called Concrobium that is very easy to use and will both remove and retard mold and mildew growth. It is safe to use indoors (no ammonia or bleach). You can get a spray bottle of it on Amazon for about 10 bucks. Since the mold problem might be recurring that would be an easy way for you to control it yourself. I use it on exterior door frames and it really helps.

Controlling humidity would also help. You could ask your landlord if she would be able to provide you with a dehumidifier (or get one yourself).

I live in a humid climate and even with AC running all the time I sometimes have to run a dehumidifier and use Damp Rid in closed off areas.

 

[vyger]

It's always interesting --- the different problems people come up with depending on where they live. We don't get mold on inside window sills here. But we do get ice there depending on how good the windows are. Single pane and non thermal windows can't cope with cold very good. When it drops below zero the heat inside can't make up for the cold loss and ice forms on the glass (on the inside) and even on the sill sometimes. On really cold days you can even get frost on the outside walls if they are not insulated that goo. Anyway, if you put that thermal film over the window it will help keep the heat loss down but because the heat doesn't reach the window the entire inside of the window gets frosted up. So mold isn't a problem but ice can be.
Home owners usually invest in better windows, thermal and sometimes even triple glass to help with the heat bill. But landlords tend to not want to spend the money because they don't pay the heat bill and so don't care about the savings. But that can backfire on them sometimes. Last winter we had a lot of snow and cold. The year before my son picked up a small contract job and was hired by a non resident landlord to take care of the tenant problems that sometimes came up. Last winter I went with him to help him figure out some of the problems that had happened. I listened as one tenant explained why an outside door needed replacing. Someone, he said, had tried to break in and broke the door. Later I pointed out to my son that the door had not been broken in but out. It looked like they had left the dead bolt extended out and slammed the door as the dead bolt was broken out in that direction. Tenants lie. But the big problem was the water running down the inside walls. Turns out that was the landlords fault. He skimped on the insulation in the attic, he saved a few bucks. The heat from the house went up to the inside roof and melted the snow off the roof. I pointed out to my son how the other houses had snow on their roofs. This one didn't. So the snow melted and the water ran down until it hit the cold roof at the eves and there it froze. It formed huge ice dams which then backed up the water under the shingles and finally ran down the inside walls. The landlord ended up having to pay for the inside wall to be torn out and replaced and then had to reroof the entire house and add the insulation that it should have had to start with. So we don't have mold problems so much as ice problems. It's a struggle here to keep the inside humidity above 15 %. Wood shrinks and cracks, static electricity is everywhere, your skin dries out like crazy, but a damp towel in the bathroom will be dry in 15 minutes. No mildew, no mold.

 

[denice]

It might be good to read up on the rental laws in your state. Each state is different as to the renters and the landlord's responsibility. You can also get the air quality checked and find out what type of mold it is. I do know that mold removal can turn into a major project because of mold where it can't be seen.

 

[Tik cat's mum]

I'm in a old house in the UK. We had the black mould dots problem around the windows even with the vents on the windows open. What I do is open the windows just a bit not enough for the cat to get out just a crack, we can lock ours. It was condensation causing it I've been in three houses with the same problem. Sometimes you just need more air circulation.

 

[WillowMarie]

My initial thought is that It is in both of your best interests to get some sort of rental agreement in writing that clearly states responsibilities on both sides.

As for the mold issue there is a product called Concrobium that is very easy to use and will both remove and retard mold and mildew growth. It is safe to use indoors (no ammonia or bleach). You can get a spray bottle of it on Amazon for about 10 bucks. Since the mold problem might be recurring that would be an easy way for you to control it yourself. I use it on exterior door frames and it really helps.

Controlling humidity would also help. You could ask your landlord if she would be able to provide you with a dehumidifier (or get one yourself).

I live in a humid climate and even with AC running all the time I sometimes have to run a dehumidifier and use Damp Rid in closed off areas.

Bought the product, thank you! And thank you for the other tips. I may buy a humidifier, too. I've been having way more condensation this winter, which I have been wiping up, and hardly had any last year. Wondering if a leak under the sink could have raised humidity. Luckily, I needed toothpaste one day and discovered the toothpaste box under the sink was wet, which alerted me something wasn't right. This was around the time I found the mold on the windows and very frequent condensation.

I'm in a old house in the UK. We had the black mould dots problem around the windows even with the vents on the windows open. What I do is open the windows just a bit not enough for the cat to get out just a crack, we can lock ours. It was condensation causing it I've been in three houses with the same problem. Sometimes you just need more air circulation.

Thank you for this.