I have a PITA tenant (for many reasons) lately because of a roof leak she is certain there is mold in the walls and ceiling and threatening uninhabitable conditions. apparently she has a Dr that will say her health problems are because of mold.(yeah just ask a Dr to write a note and include they will need a emotional support animal while at it)

So we called a mold remediation person to give an estimate,..they often have you over a barrel, Just like lead abatement if they find 2 window frames with lead,.

She sent pics and there is a little pealing on the ceiling and on one wall,..when a chip fell down it has black spots on it. So she is certain that its destroying her health,..

So I'm waiting for the mold guy.to give an estimate.

I gave her the option to moving out w/o penalty but she doesn't want to do that because it costs too much to move and rents have recently exploded in this city,..

I just emailed her (er not sure this was wise) but I said to her that we will see if the estimate is reasonable but it very high and the unit is uninhabitable we might have to close it down to do a restoration.

I mostly did this because we had a painter who said he could scrape the area , plaster it and repaint it, but she was ranting about "all the mold that MUST be in the walls that he freeked out and said that he didn't want to get involved.

Can we close down a unit if we think it MAY not be healthy for her?

No idea but I NEVER would call in a mold guy or even acknowledge there may b mold.

My response would be for her to move immediately as SHE and her doctor deem it unhealthy FOR HER and uninhabitable.

MILDEW OR MOLD:

see also environmental. Source EPA 402-K-02-003 & CDC

*At present of the 200 common molds, there is no test that proves an association between stachybotrys chartarum (stachybotrys atra) or other mildew/molds, and particular health symptoms.

From the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

Mildew & Mold and the spores have been on the Earth for millions of years. They are present both inside and outside. Everyone breaths them every day.

The good news is that most mold does not pose a health risk, and even so-called "black mold" or "toxic mold" is unlikely to create a danger to occupants of a home.

Most mold appears to be dark or black in color, so

the fact that mold looks black does not indicate that it is particularly dangerous or toxic.

Individuals with sensitivities or persistent symptoms should see their physician; remove the cause or themselves from it.

'Time is of the essence' & reporting this is an 'affirmative duty' for the tenants.

Sampling for mold should be conducted by professionals who have specific experience in designing mold sampling protocols, sampling methods, and interpreting results, an independent lab that is certified for such testing.

Not a company or person or store bought test the remediates mildew and mold, as they have

a 'vested interest' in finding them.

Just what I would do at this point.

Cancel the mold guy first thing. Why tear open walls and replace when chances are you don't need to. You can bet that is what they will recommend. And this will just encourage the tenant.

Find a handyman that has seen mold/mildew anywhere before.

This is your new mold guy. Since you did say you would send one by.

Give him a cheap moisture meter. Have him check the area in question compared to another area. Have him explain to the tenant that mold needs moisture to grow. And how much work it would be to tear open walls and replace for no reason.

And on next lease renewal you already know what to do.

You could also offer to let the tenant prepay for the demo and rebuilding work. And you would agree to refund if it was found the walls did need to be opened for a valid reason.

Could buy you more time until that renewal.

Easy for tenants to make unreasonable demand if they have nothing to lose.

"threatening uninhabitable conditions" - make sure you have that in writing / text/ email from her

That statement automatically voids my lease and resident MUST move immediately and I take residence off the market

Give her notice to vacate as your state allows

So she is implying its uninhabitable. Causing her distress and illness.

GUARANTEED if you call a mold guy they will find mold everywhere LOTS of it and want to tear down walls ceiling etc.That how they make money, it will be very expensive.

My advice What you need to do is shut down that unit and get your guys in to do the same, it will be a lot cheaper and you can do it at your own pace.Your tenant will never be happy there no matter what. Winter is coming and crews will have more time to do this. You can have a tester come in and certify its mold free.BTW most molds are not dangerous,most molds may have black specks and people are freaked out with terrible stories of "toxic black mold" which again is very rare.

Cancel the mold guy and fix it this winter.

Yes the leaky roof has been fixed but the girl in that unit is really loopy (as described by one of our workmen) and he and another person said they did not want to go back into that unit and deal with her.

She is saying we are not fixing the problem but is "kicking her out"