My daughter lives in the Green Lake area of seattle. Several months ago her apt. building developed a major leak , un noticed and not dealt with until she has mold growing out of her carpet and the walls of her apt. The problem affects 3 tenants in all .
The Owners have supposedly repaired the leak (no obvious signs of water now), Lifted the carpet and fan dried it, as well as repainting the water damaged walls.
It is my understanding from her description that the building is wood framed, possibly has gypcrete or similiar floors.
At no point did they open the ceiling or walls to dry things out.
She now still has mold growing on belongings placed near the exteriour walls and the owners are claiming that a simple fan placed near the wall will take care of things.
I know better, she knows better but we need local help up there.
Anybody here know of any inspectors, mold remediation people etc in the Seattle area?
She is being treated as the whining tenant and cannot seem to make any headway . She need some back up from either govt. or knowledgable private parties.
Replies
I think I know just your man, Dan Morris, and Healthy Buildings. http://www.healthybuilding.com/ is the place to start (no S on the end!).
He has a years of experience, has been featured on shows, I've listened to him present, he's one of the northwest's leading indoor air/environmental quality experts, and is a pleasant guy with good, dry humor (I'm in the Seattle area as well). He's seen all building failures and has a wealth of insight with building methods and solutions.
I can't remember all the rules of the landlord tenant act in school, but I believe your daughter has every right to request his company services at the cost of her landlord.
Steddy,
Thank You . I sent the link on to my daughter. This issues had been going on for months now, she had been out of country when it started , came back and discovered her carpet had water sitting on top of it from the leak. She is getting very frustrated over the owners attempts to minmize the risks.
Another guy to look up is Mike O'Handley, a Seattle home inspector and the moderator of the JLC Building Science forum. You might have to go to the forum to reach him... jlconline.com to find the forum list.
Sounds like a good ol' slumlord. My exposure to the landlord tenant act/law was in school a couple years ago. Since many students get into shady rental housing, our instructor was very interested in helping us understand the rights of both parties. He said a conversation or letter saying (not TOO threatening of course) that the landlord tenant act says... is a sure way to get their attention and that you've done some homework. It might be enough with some of them. Student or not, they need to make an effort for her. I bet both of the two suggested parties you've received here know exactly what the law says and possible courses of action!
Edited 4/19/2007 11:02 am by Steddy
Steddy,
My daughter is not a student, but that matters little to her problem. The apt. is a pretty nice place and she enjoys living there(or did until they started this game). She actually had to inform the neighboring tenants of the problem and when they checked their apt they found a large amount of mold hidden behind the area of the wall that their bed is against, as well as behind a dresser. No effort had been made to tell them anything about the leak .
David,
Thank you , I will pass that information on.
http://forums.jlconline.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=2
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Bill ,
Thanks for the links, they have been passed on.
One clarification.Don't let your daughter post in the forum. But you can contact Mike through or possibly the link to his blog.They aren't friendly to non building pro's..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Bill, AH Yes, after all a person in need of help may not know they aren't supposed to turn to professionals for it. ;-)
Another vote for Mike, you can also reach him through the inspectors journal http://www.inspectorsjournal.com/ which he runs
With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise Him in the midst of the throng. For He stands at the right hand of the needy, to save them from those who would condemn them to death.
- Psalms 109:30-31
rjw,
Thank you , That one will also get passed along to her.
Has your daughter put any of her concerns in writing to the Landlord? Her legal rights are greatly enhanced by a written notice to the landlord detailing to them what has happened and requesting that the situation be corrected. It is also the first step in properly documenting the landlord's failures to perform its obligations. Many times, the act of putting things in writing and creating a written record is enough to get an obstinate party off the dime. Be sure to date the letter, and I would strongly recommend sending certified with return reciept requested. Don't make the letter mean or nasty - just state the facts.
ADD ON TO MY PREVIOUS POST:
If you haven't sent the LL a letter, don't wait to hear from a mold/buidling expert. Send the letter immediately, and then add the expert opinion in another letter later on. The longer you wait to give the LL written notice of his failure to perform, the longer the LL can delay taking any action. If this goes to court, or some other form of formal process (ie attorneys talking to each other) the date the landlord was given written notice will be a key element of your case.
Fisher,
I beleive that she has done the written notice, (at least I hope she followed my advice in that regards!).
I will reiterate that she needs to do that however.
I do know she has sent and recieved e-mails from the apartment management concerning this, so there is a recoverable trail involved at least. She has taken a set of photos of the damage to her apt. and to some of her belongings as she discovered it thoughout the course of this mess. Thanks for the advice.
Some great advice, I would add that dated photos will help as well as dated photos of all the tenants that have been affected by the leak, there's strength in numbers! I wish her well in her pursuit.
Geoff
It may be worth checking with the local building or code enforcement department. If they enforce the Uniform Housing or International Property Maintenance Codes, there may be help available.
She should have a renters insurance policy to cover her belongings. It may not cover mold damage but she still needs one for theft and fire. They are relatively cheap compaired to homeowner policies. Her insurance company then could go after her landlord for the damages.
Bill, That is a point I hadn't considered and I doubt she has it . But I will check , and try to talk her into seeing the value of it. Thanks for the tip.
Renter's insurance would have to cover her belongings at least here in Pa........had a water heater leak in an apartment that I was renting which warpped some of the wood furntiure ...... my insurance covered it.........even paid for about 30 uhaul boxes I had stored in the closet (i moved alot) with the water heater. She may have to claim water damage instead of mold damage.
Good Luck
Dan
I went to look at a house that was flooded up the walls 2 feet, There was mold solid black up the walls, The renters called me cause the roof was leaking to, They moved out and the landlord a real estate agent painted over the mold and sold the house, 2 people i knew were gonna buy it but i told them, Dont know what happened but i bet theres sick people there now, If its bad get your daughter out as fast as you can you can get real sick from that, Being a roofer i see it all the time i get sick just walking in some houses,