[koncernedmom]

I implore you to help me... My son, wife and granddaughter are in living in a rental residence that is "in process" of being repaired, torn apart and removing extreme mold situation. The owner hasn't the money to remove properly nor the money to place them in a motel while all this mold is in the home environment. Due to having to rip flooring up throughout the house there are huge holes clear down to foundation (which needs to be busted up to get to the pipe leak under the foundation. My son does not have the money to get his family into a motel and his experience from being a property manager a few years ago for the largest management company in Orange County, CA, he knows if he contacts health department they won't even let him back in to retrieve clothing due to the black mold spores in their belongings. The owner "feels bad" but claims he has no money to temporarily put them in a motel. Their health is now being severely compromised from the exposure. Can anybody please suggest who can be contacted on an official level to refer them to a "safe haven"... of course his landlord (by law) won't be charging my son for rent... but this doesn't take care of the immediate health hazards they are facing because they have nowhere to go! If I lived in the same state of course they would stay with me... but I am east coast and he is west coast... all members of family (including my premie granddaughter whose immune system is compromised anyway) are now having severe reactions. Please if anybody can give me educated advice... I would be so very very appreciative

[acicomp]

I just found this topic and hope that my reply is no longer needed. If not, can you please let me know how it turned out. As with most states, there are no "mold" regulations. Now on for the good part. Contact the county health department and explain the issue to them. If the landlord has exposed mold and open floors, he/she will normally be forced to provide an alternative place to stay. You can also contact the building inspector and request an inspection of the work being completed to ensure the house is inhabitable while repairs are taking place. Sometimes the building inspector can help. If he deems the house unlivable in the present condition, they could force the hand of the landlord. Also , if the landlord is that cheap, he may not have pulled permits to have the construction going on. Once the BS inspects, they will FORCE the proper repairs. If your family applied a deposit on the rental, the landlord, in most states, is supposed to have the deposit in a bank account in order to refund the deposit when the tenant moves out. The "can't afford it" excuse is not valid. I would also make sure to send the landlord something in writing such as a request due to health concerns and unsuitable living conditions. If all else fails, you may need to contact the local district attorney's office and beg for intervention. We just had a similar issue with mold and would couch for rthe health issues. We had chronic respiratory problems going through the family. All the mold has been removed and the health issues have disappeared. For health reasons, he MUST either sand all the wood that is salvageable and then treat with special mold preventatives or replace ALL the infested wood. Does your family have and mold coming out from electrical outlets or any other area of the main living areas? I would also force the landlord to have any type of ventilation systems on heat and air checked. Our vents were totally packed with mold and so was the old furnace. All of which had to be replaced. I hope this helps some and please let us know how things turn out.