How a Mold Buster Dealt with his Landlord
Comments 10 | 2018 Aug 23 | Author John Ward
The end of March seemed like a perfect time to get away from Ottawa—even for just a few days. The winter was stubbornly resisting its departure, and the brief glimpses of spring were quickly being covered by a fresh layer of cold. When I returned home, excited to get under the warm covers of my bed, you could imagine how shocked I was to step into a freezing, soggy bog of carpet.
It seemed that while I was enjoying my retreat, the bedroom of my basement apartment had flooded. I was gone for only a few days, yet this water intrusion permeated the majority of my bedroom. Great! This is exactly what I wanted to come home to at 5:00 a.m.!
How my landlord reacted
My landlord arrived shortly thereafter, at around 10:00 a.m. to check out my flooded bedroom. Armed with a shop-vac, he quickly began to suck up all of the flood water. Two shop-vacs full of water and a handshake later, he said farewell. In fact, he told me everything was “good to go,” and that if there was ever another flood, to give him a call. That was it!
First of all, I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by his response time. Almost every day in my job at Mold Busters, I speak to clients who are dealing with lazy landlords who literally drag their feet to get things done. In that regard, I was impressed with my landlord’s speedy response. However, based on my experience working at Mold Busters, I knew there was a bigger issue at hand.
Sign 1: Wall discoloration and deterioration
Before my landlord packed up his truck and ventured off into the Land of the Lords, I asked him to come back to the room. I pulled back the carpet to reveal some heavily discoloured carpet tack around the area that had been most affected by the flood. Also, the baseboard just peeled off the wall with little effort.
When I pointed this out to him, he told me it was “completely normal,” and that every basement had this problem. Sure…this is perfectly normal, I said to myself.
Sign 2: Aeration holes
I then asked him about these curious holes drilled at the bottom of the drywall, hidden behind the baseboard. I knew, from completing various water restoration certification courses, that this is a common method of drying moisture-laden materials behind drywall. The presence of these holes is, therefore, indicative of previous flooding.
To my amazement, Mr. Landlord was oblivious to the holes, claiming they must have been part of the original drywall installation! I was floored. Was this guy for real? This is when my initial concern morphed into a legitimate worry.
Clearly, there was a history of flooding in this room. That carpet tack was way too discoloured to be the by-product of a single water intrusion, and those holes in the drywall showed me that attempts had been made in the past to dry out an earlier flood. All of the signs pointed to the likelihood of serious mold growth.
When I shared my concerns about a potential mold problem with my landlord, he dismissed them immediately, since there were no visible signs (i.e. no black spots) anywhere. But I knew this ordeal was far from over.
He told me to peel the carpet back, and let the concrete dry for a few days. Once that was done, he would come back, clean the carpets, and then allow me to live happily ever after. I decided to indulge him and document every correspondence I had with him from that day onward.
Camping out on a mattress in my living room was fun, for the first few days, but towards the 20th day, I was beginning to get irate. In addition to my landlord wanting to let the concrete dry (which took about two weeks), he also wanted to wait until the snow thawed, to make sure another flood didn’t happen before he put the carpet back and cleaned it.
Sign 3: Musty odours
During this time, I had a little pow-wow with my landlord and his brother—a drywall expert. About one week had elapsed since the flood, and the smell in my bedroom (as well as in the rest of the basement apartment) was terrible. I knew this smell all too well unfortunately…it was musty and moldy.
So, my landlord and his brother arrived to dispute my concerns about a mold problem. The drywall expert’s sense of smell seemed to have eroded, as he assured me there was no smell present, implying that it was all in my head. Both of them aggressively attempted to persuade me, in the most condescending manner, that there was no mold in this room, and that the drywall was in perfect condition.
I explained to them that I wanted the drywall and carpet removed, as this is a standard practice whenever there is a flood (to prevent mold growth). This, apparently, was not in their budget, and they arrived with the intent of not making this happen.
*It’s important to note here that I did disclose to them that I worked for Mold Busters, a company that deals with these situations every single day. I wanted to see how they were going to handle this.
It quickly became clear as the crystal sun that nothing was going to be done about the problem, and that they were unwilling to even entertain the possibility of mold growth being a reality in this room.
Sign 4: Air test results
Finally, on the 20th day of my camping out in the living room, and no signs of anything being done, I gave my landlord a call and asked to get an air quality test done in the bedroom. I needed to know, for my own peace of mind, that there was no mold in the room before I moved back in. He refused.
Living on a budget can be difficult, especially when unexpected events like floods take place. They require immediate attention, but with my landlord refusing to pay for an air quality assessment and refusing to acknowledge my legitimate concerns about mold growth, I decided to pay for the air testing myself.
Although it was an additional expense that I wasn’t too thrilled about, I’m glad I did it. The results of the air quality test revealed high levels of toxigenic mold spores in my bedroom. According to Health Canada’s Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality, the bedroom warranted standard mold remediation prior to re-occupancy.
Armed with this information, and a full report from Mold Busters, I approached my landlord yet again, insisting that something be done. Naturally, my landlord was skeptical and tried to downplay the situation. Standing firm, however, I indicated to my landlord that he had a legal responsibility to ensure I was living in a safe environment, and that, as a result of the mold, this wasn’t the case.
He agreed to follow the recommendations, but wanted to do the work himself (in order to save a few pennies). I explained that I would do the work with him so that I could ensure that everything got done properly.
At this point, I thought to myself, If I didn’t work at Mold Busters, and didn’t have any clue about these types of issues, what would happen? How many people are dealing with similar scenarios, and are bullied by their landlords into believing that everything is okay? How many people are living in unsafe, unhealthy environments as a result of a landlord’s ignorance and/or negligence?
In my experience interacting with clients who have been in these types of predicaments, I knew they had no resources to guide them through these ordeals and ensure the results are favourable for everyone involved. If only there was a template for people to follow, and experienced guides to lead them through the soggy path… (more on that to come!)
Remediation and restoration
As part of the remediation work, all of the carpet was removed, as was a 2-foot high perimeter of drywall around the exterior walls.
Just as I had originally suspected, those holes at the base of the drywall were made because of a previous flood in the room. The insulation had been removed, and the framing for the drywall had been replaced with new wood.
Additionally, substantial amounts of efflorescence (white salt residues) were now visible on the concrete wall and floor, indicating moisture issues.
In the end, the cause of the water intrusion was found to be an eavestrough drain that was improperly directing water towards the wall, allowing it to leak through the foundation wall. Once this was explained to my landlord, he fixed the issue.
He also removed all of the materials in my bedroom; however, I insisted on taking over the disinfection process, since I had no confidence that he would hire someone to do it properly.
In three days, everything was done, and new floor tiles and drywall were to be installed. To my horror, my landlord actually tried to re-install the same piece of water-damaged drywall that we had just removed a few days ago! I was beyond bewildered. The drywall, according to him and his expert brother, was still good. Well, I wasn’t having any of that. I, personally, threw out that old piece of drywall while he went to Home Depot to buy a new one!
Finally, a little over a month later, the problem was resolved—a problem that should have been resolved immediately. Furthermore, had I not been directly involved in every step of this process, I would not currently be sleeping in a healthy bedroom environment.
My landlord, like most, is an expert in cutting corners, although I must say that he was pretty responsive and did a lot more than the ones I’ve heard about from clients. However, his lack of experience, coupled with his desire to save as much money as possible, could have cost me my health.
Worried About Mold in Your Home? Get a Free Inspection!
Dealing with mold can be challenging, especially when landlords are unresponsive. Mold Busters offers a free virtual mold inspection. Our experts provide a thorough assessment and actionable plan, ensuring your home is safe and healthy. Don’t wait – protect your living space today!
Inspection services for tenants
It’s important for tenants to know that there is nothing wrong with insisting that landlords provide a healthy and safe living environment. When these situations arise, tenants need to know what to do.
It’s equally important to have knowledgeable experts–like those at Mold Busters–present every step of the way, looking out for your best interest and making sure that everything is done right. Many vital steps can be missed by landlords or contractors when dealing with floods or mold issues. It’s vital to have qualified experts oversee the entire process.
Our goal, as always, is to protect what’s most important, and we believe that everybody has a right to live in a clean, healthy environment!
If you’re in the Montreal or Ottawa area and facing similar issues, our teams at Mold Busters are ready to assist you with comprehensive mold inspection and removal services. We also offer a free virtual mold inspection service to help identify potential mold issues without the need for an in-person visit.
Vyxenn
What an great write-up! I cant believe this happened to one of your own employees! Here in Montréal, there are so many shady landlords. More people need to know about this. Thanks for sharing.
Michael G
Yes, this is a great case study to follow for other "tenant vs. landlord" mold related issues.
Me
I just called your company for help, yet told you have a policy set up that you need the landlords permission to do just an inspection. I am willing to pay it and told there is no damages done during inspections so why is landlords permission needed?
Anja
Great question. We put this policy in place because ultimately landlords are the ones who make the final decision regarding their property. We now only work directly with property owners or with tenants who have obtained the owner's permission.
Craig
We have had mold around the walls for our shower for years And in basement..And I've told the landlord,and nothing has been done...6 months ago I finally asked him to renovate bathroom to get rid of mold...He had two contracters here past 6 months that gave him estimates..A week ago I messaged him saying what up with bathroom?? It's gotta be fixed..Today finally got a message,,2 contactors said it's a huge job to renovate ,and I'm going to sell house!!! Now what? He's gonna sell it and me and my kids get kicked out!! Lived here 10 years... Dunno what to do!!And he is a cheapy !!!
MM
i dont believe it should be the landlord to have the final say if he or she has a steady decent tenant,why should a tenant need a landlords permission to live comfortable?
John
You are not wrong in saying so. But in reality there are as many bad tenants as there are bad landlords. These disputes are a regular occurrence in landlord - tenant relationships. It is important to have truthful supporting documentation to aid in resolving a conflict. If a conflict cannot be resolved between the two parties, consider contacting the landlord and tenant board to resolve a dispute.
Gloria Mcgee
I'm in agreement with everything you have Brazilian in this very informative advertisement. However I am not a citizen of Canada . I'm from Armstrong Oklahoma. Services like yours are few and far between. I wrote & submitted a comment about 15 min ago. It was noticed by me as I tapped the postings and whirlled through sections that your company is a tad bit further away than I expected. I was just so happy to see a company that actually dealt with testing of home air quality & providing services and equipment. WOW. Oh no.. wrong country. I have such a low tolerance to all mentioned. And yes I do know seems like I grew up knowing about IONS and air that travels through water & back out ...well in my family it's a rainbow vac running removing trash from the air and then humidifieing the dry indoor air.
Anja
Hi Gloria, We're so glad that you're finding our website helpful. And yes, it is unfortunate that more companies aren't involved with indoor air quality. After all, most of us do spend the majority of our time inside. We are a growing coming, so once we're in Oklahoma, we'll gladly let you know.
Mike Schram
Lucky you have a reasonable landlord. Mine hid the mold testing report for 10months. They got 2 quotes then walked away. I jumped on them. They brought in a company that followed absolutely none of the legally binding mould remediation guidelines. 1400ftsquare of strachybotrys mold and no containment, proper waste disposal nor ppe used. I phoned MoL. I video taped my confrontation with the contractor. MoL now investigating and laying charges. What fun