Three young ladies are renting and very concerned with the small shared bathroom ceiling and upper wall areas with a black growth what could be mold or mildew. We provided a non-scrub spray which temporarily seemed to address the problem. Later, with another complaint we replaced the old fan, which we also confirmed is venting to outside. Months later they come back with the same complaint and say they also run this fan very often and when it didn't fix the problem, they purchased a dehumidifier. This also doesn't fix the recurring 'mold'.

It's just past time for a lease renewal and my hubby is very tempted to let them go. He's also concerned to open an insurance claim since we've seen our premiums go sky-high recently.

The ladies are otherwise good tenants but pushing for a 'professional mold evaluation' since their 'health is at risk', but no specifics on any actual health complaints. I asked for a picture of the wall (yes, something is visible) and asked how long it's been since the area was sprayed. Reply was 'a few months'.

BTW, is Virginia and since we have only one rental, I don't believe we are governed by Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act.

From prior experience with another property, we know the mold remediation industry is filled with scam artists. Another colleague tells me we could get sued, since we haven't jumped to spend %$#& the money.

Tenant agrees that cleaning and disinfecting mildew is a part of everyday housekeeping. As such is the responsibility of the tenant.

This is included in my lease that I bought on this website. Thanks Brad.

Check all the good things also mentioned.

Some additional thoughts:

When you go look, check / confirm as to whether it is just on the surface of the paint. I use semi-gloss on all bathroom surfaces, and it would easily wipe off with a normal cleaning solution. If so, it is a housekeeping issue - as I suspect. That's on them. "A few months" to me means they are not doing proper regular cleaning.

If it is in the wall, that's on you, and you need to find the source of the water and fix it. If you do need to remove damp drywall, that is when Concrobium is very good. Remove all drywall that seems damaged, then spray it on all the surrounding drywall & framing members. Let it dry and spray it again. That should kill anything that is left, before you close it back up.

Even when you use the exhaust fan while showering, if you keep the door closed all the time when the room is not in use, it will never truly completely dry out.

"Three young ladies" - they wouldn't be "princesses", would they? The type who were spoiled growing up and can't do anything to ruin their expensive manicure?

Perhaps they were never taught to clean & are trainable. (If so, shame on the parents & I know it's not your job. But if they are trainable, you will help yourself by keeping otherwise decent tenants and help all their future landlords, as well as them)

My prediction: they should open the door & clean more often & thoroughly.

I have a bathroom mildew problem right now. The tenants do not run the fan. Last time I was in there I could see moisture on the ceiling. The door hinges have rust on them.

I told them what to do and that if they couldn't do it they would be asked to leave.

In the meantime I just got in two Dewstop moisture switches.

The plan is to put one in my son's apartment as it is the same as the other. Then I can tweak it and figure out what setting will work best. Then I will put the other switch in the wet bathroom.

I checked the fan. Everything was cleaned and painted before they moved in.

Cleaning up "mildew" in the bathroom is part of general housekeeping. Period. Assuming nothing truly extraordinary is the problem, like a roof leak, and it doesn't sound like it is.

Visit the EPA and learned what they have to say about mold. Even they say it is part of life on Earth, basically.

A random paragraph in my lease reads:

There are no established guidelines for unacceptable air quality caused by mold. Mold is a naturally occurring phenomenon. Mold and mildew can even be caused by the keeping of too many indoor plants at high humidity. Mold and/or mildew growth can often be seen in the form of discoloration. The different colors of mold range from white to black, including, but not limited to, green, gray, brown, orange, yellow and other colors. Your housekeeping and living habits are an integral part of the ability of mold to grow. In order for mold to grow, water and/or moisture must be present. RESIDENT AGREES to maintain the Premises in a manner that prevents the occurrence of mold or mildew growth within the Premises. If you see mold, start with simply cleaning it.

Thanks to all who responded so far.

About the question of cleaning, the discoloration is showing up on the ceiling and very upper areas of the wall. Honestly, I don't expect any tenant to wipe down those hard to reach areas since I would be hard-pressed to clean those areas myself.

We'll get to the property in the next week, spray those affected areas, apply the Kilz or oil-based paint and see what happens over the next several weeks. Also leaning towards having the Mold Addendum I found on a previous Q&A regarding mold (much thanks to the contributor!)

Change shower curtain to a single layer fabric curtain. NO VINYL/PLASTIC liners! Like a hotel uses. The vinyl/plastic liner traps moisture in area around shower. The single layer fabric curtains only come in about four colors:boring white, boring gray, boring blue, and boring tan. I’ve had boring tan in my own bathroom for fifteen tears; it still looks new, and we don’t get moldy caulk.

Trim another quarter inch to half inch off of bottom of bathroom door. Better airflow, even with door closed.

We use a bathroom switch that also senses humidity and will turn on the fan based on the humidity level you set. Take a look at this:

homedepot.com/p/DewStop-Condensation-Fan-Control-Humidity-Sensor-with-Countdown-Timer-in-White-120-Volt-50-60Hz-HS-C00-W7/206424892

This is the switch that Zero [IN] mentioned and we have used for years in our rental properties.

So you could get a new tenant and have the same problem.

First step is try to get actual facts. Before you waste a lot of time and worry with the guessing game.

Find any decent handyman to crawl up in the attic. Spend the 30 bucks on a General Tools MMD4E Digital Moisture Meter.

With the meter. Check the back of the drywall from the attic.

Then check it from inside the bathroom. Whichever has the highest moisture reading can tell you where the moisture is coming from. And of course he can check for any visible signs of a leak.

If you can get to the area. Not above an attic. We will look at the area and decide if it is worthwhile cutting a small hole in the ceiling to just fit your hand in with the meter.

Checking ventilation and for leaks is always the first choice.

But if that does not work. And it is a reoccurring problem we want done and over with.

Still L

To be honest it is hard to judge. Have not had the time to do the ben moore on a test. Half a ceiling with that and half our old way. Expensive and usually just doing a problem ceiling and not the whole bath. But I really think this new paint is the best of the best for a problem bath. Really made for locker rooms.

Our old way was the same primer and SW Duration. Then we added a cheap mildewcide like M-1 to the Duration. Duration always seemed to do better with moisture compare to other paints. But otherwise dont think the higher price is worth it for other painting.

Again both methods we only use in the few rare problem baths.

The idea is to do the very best to knock out a reoccurring problem and no call backs. To save on maintenance calls.