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Should Tenant Call Health Department about Mold in Rental Homes, Apartments, Offices? InspectAPedia®  -     When should a tenant call their local health department about a mold concern? What happens if you call the health department about a moldy apartment? How to handle mold problems in rental property, apartments, rental homes, offices Mold testing advice for rental tenants Mold testing and mold remediation advice for landlords Should you call your health department about a moldy apartment?

This document discusses whether or not a tenant should call their local health department officials about a known or suspected moldy rental apartment, home, or office, how building owners and managers can be expected to react to health department involvement, and when such a call is probably justified. An easy-to-print PDF version of this article is here.

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Should a Tenant Call the health department about a moldy rental apartment?

In some egregious cases tenants have taken their complaint to the local health department.

If there is a serious and obvious problem with mold or other health concerns in a rental apartment the health department may condemn the property and require the owners to act. In our opinion this is a rather drastic step though it may be appropriate in dire circumstances.

Calling in local building authorities will also be likely to end any cooperation between landlord and tenant. If health officials agree that a serious health problem is present the tenant is likely to be required to move immediately.

If this becomes the case, the tenant may need to evaluate the condition of and possibly clean their belongings before moving in order to avoid importing a problem to their new home.

The more you know about proper procedures to find and clean up moldy buildings the better you can assure that your situation is handled properly. The articles at these links might be helpful:

When is mold a problem in buildings? What should be done about it? Find expert field and lab testing, inspection, remediation advice, but ... avoid "fear of mold" and bogus advice which can both cost you and yet may not really address the problem effectively. Our interest is in providing expert service to our clients, protecting not only their health but their wallets. I provide field investigations to find problems and to recommend solutions to mold in buildings, and I operate a forensic laboratory in New York which accepts mold and other indoor air and particle samples for examination. In depth information is at InspectAPedia.com and the links at that page. Website content suggestions are most welcome.

Case Histories: At our Mold Weblog Mold Central: indoor air quality investigation case histories, I post summaries of field and lab toxic or allergenic mold and other indoor air quality investigations. I omit private information. I describe observations, procedures, and findings helpful to readers who are trying to remedy their own mold, allergenic, carbon monoxide, odor, or other indoor air and related health concerns in their indoor environment.

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RENTERS & TENANTS: MOLD ADVICE
  Describe a Moldy Apartment
  Possible Mold Causes
  Action Advice for Tenants
  Immediate Safety Advice
  Health Risk for Tenants
  Possible Hidden Mold
  Building Manager's Guide to Mold
  What Can Tenant Do
  Health Department

Also see

• When to Hire a Mold Professional has advice on whether or not it's appropriate to hire an expert to evaluate a mold problem. These same guidelines may help tenants assess their mold-risk in deciding if outside help is needed in dealing with property managers and moldy or mold-suspect rental properties
• Mold Action Guide: What to do about mold, mildew, and other indoor allergens. Review all of the sections of this document, particularly the section "Correct the Causes of and Prevent Mold or other indoor environment problems" also outlines the basic steps of mold prevention in buildings.
• Condensation: Detecting and Correcting Attic Condensation and Preventing Ice Dam Leaks in Buildings
• Humidity: How Low Should You Keep Indoor Humidity to Avoid a Mold Problem
• IAQ or Anti Mold Products:Allergy/Asthma, Air Quality, Cleaning, Filtering, Ventilating, Dehumidification Products
• Ozone Warnings - Use of Ozone as a "mold" remedy is ineffective and may be dangerous.
• Products - Mold & Allergy Products: Allergy/Asthma, Air Quality, Cleaning, Filtering, Ventilating, Dehumidification
• FAQs on Mold - Frequently Asked Questions About Mold -- check this FAQ List & Site Map to see if you can find a quick answer to your mold concern

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