Question on mold removal

[Jayman2010]

My problem is this. I rent a house in Pittsburgh PA. The landlord was advised 2 years ago about mold in the basement on the drywall of 2 finished rooms. They advised us to just wipe the walls down with a bleach solution. Which we did. That however didn't solve the problem as anytime we would get heavy rain, water would still come into the basement and the mold would return. This past spring was a very wet spring here in Pittsburgh. There is now mold growing along every wall in the 2 finished rooms. We notified them of this about 2 weeks ago and so far the only thing that has happened is that a claims inspector for their insurance company has come and taken a look at it. So, my question is this. Is there a time frame for mold removal that a landlord has to abide by here in Pennsylvania? Also, are they required to use a mold removal service? As my landlord would have their handy-man come do the job.

 

[Gail_in_Georgia]

The real issue should be addressing how the water gets into the basement in the first place. There are products that can seal water out. Then, the drywall can be replaced.

Sounds like the landlord is working their way through an insurance claim for water damage. How fast this works is more dependent on the particular insurance company, not the landlord.

In the meantime, a combination of hydrogen peroxide and water is a better choice for removing mold and mildew than bleach and water.

Gail

 

[Jayman2010]

The insurance claims person has already been here and decided that it isn't covered under their insurance. The house, like many many in Pittsburgh sits on a hill side so a bit of water seeping into the house isn't surprising. The problem is that its been 2 weeks since we notified them and nothing has happened. It's been a week since their insurance company told them the damage isn't covered by their insurance. We have a 6 year old son and are concerned that the mold spores could be dangerous to him. This also isn't the first time that we've had mold in the basement along the baseboards. This however is the worst its been. Our landlord is very slow in getting any repairs to this house completed.

 

[MorgansDaddy]

In most cases when a tenant needs a repair made, they can send written notice to the landlord and expect to have it fixed in at most two weeks to a month, barring a far more serious problem. If the landlord does not fix the problem within reasonable time, the tenant can pay to remedy the problem, deducting the cost from rent. However, I don't know that would apply here unless you have it tested to see what type of mold it is. If it is "black mold" it could be a problem. Thing is most mold won't really harm you so if it is not a specific type that actually causes health problems, I'm not sure the landlord really has to address the issue. With that said, the landlord should be addressing the fact that there is a leak, which could lead to further damage of the property or your personal property.

 

[Ctryder]

The insurance claims person has already been here and decided that it isn't covered under their insurance. The house, like many many in Pittsburgh sits on a hill side so a bit of water seeping into the house isn't surprising. The problem is that its been 2 weeks since we notified them and nothing has happened. It's been a week since their insurance company told them the damage isn't covered by their insurance. We have a 6 year old son and are concerned that the mold spores could be dangerous to him. This also isn't the first time that we've had mold in the basement along the baseboards. This however is the worst its been. Our landlord is very slow in getting any repairs to this house completed.

Another tenant that believes mold can be dangerous to their child health.
You were aware that the houses, as you stated, "sits on a hill side with water seeping is not a surprise." So if you have it up your sleeve to sue because you have mold, dangerous to child health, it won't hold up. You rented with this knowledge. Mold is everywhere and there is no way of keeping it in control. You step outside and breath mold.
The LL has been in response to the problem by contacting insurance company and sending his handyman to address the problem. Even if LL is slow, the result is he is getting things done. Now, if he been months, different story. But every case is different. But you have to keep it up also, you just can't let it get out of control. If you don't you could be just as guility if there is major repairs that has to be done. So go use a little elbow grease and help with the problem.
Ask LL to buy a dehumdifier so that you can use to help with the moisture. This will help with the growing of mold and in some cases will eliminate it all together. If he doesn't want to, than for the safety of your child, you go buy one and use it.

 

[Jayman2010]

Another tenant that believes mold can be dangerous to their child health.
You were aware that the houses, as you stated, "sits on a hill side with water seeping is not a surprise." So if you have it up your sleeve to sue because you have mold, dangerous to child health, it won't hold up. You rented with this knowledge. Mold is everywhere and there is no way of keeping it in control. You step outside and breath mold.
The LL has been in response to the problem by contacting insurance company and sending his handyman to address the problem. Even if LL is slow, the result is he is getting things done. Now, if he been months, different story. But every case is different. But you have to keep it up also, you just can't let it get out of control. If you don't you could be just as guility if there is major repairs that has to be done. So go use a little elbow grease and help with the problem.
Ask LL to buy a dehumdifier so that you can use to help with the moisture. This will help with the growing of mold and in some cases will eliminate it all together. If he doesn't want to, than for the safety of your child, you go buy one and use it.

Yes, the LL had the insurance company come take a look at it. They were told by the insurance company that it wasn't covered by their insurance. Yes, they had the handy man come take a look at it. He gave them a price of $1000.00 to do the job. It involves the removal off all the drywall and 2 by 4's. Basically he would be removing all the walls and ceilings in the finished area of the basement. Both the insurance company and handy man visits happened the week after we reported the problem to the Real estate company that runs the property for the LL. It's now been 1 1/2 months since we reported the problem and 2 weeks since the LL has had any contact with the Handyman, the Real estate agent, or us. The real estate agent has left numerous messages on the LL answering machine and has not received any call backs from them.

Also, the mold is on drywall. If you knew anything about drywall you'd know that simply wiping mold off the surface doesn't do anything to help the problem because it is still growing on the back of the drywall and on the surface of the foundation and in the pores of the drywall.

I am not looking to sue, I just wanted to know if there was a time frame in Pennsylvania that the LL had to have the mold removed once notified of the problem. There are maximum time frames in other states so I wanted to know if there was in Pennsylvania.

You folks should try reading what is actually in a post and not what you think is there. You assume that everyone is out to sue. Perhaps because that's what you would do. I am not looking to sue, I just want the problem taken care of as quickly as possible.

 

[Gail_in_Georgia]

After checking, there is no specific time limit in your state when this is to be addressed.

Often the time frame with repairs involves whether they are "emergencies" (for example, a gas leak, a severe electrical hazard) or repairs that can be done within a "reasonable" amount of time.

If folks are sensitive when others ask about mold it's because, quite frankly, the mold issue HAS been overused by many tenants who believe they can be financially compensated for such. The media is to blame for this, leaving many to assume that all strains of mold and mildew are dangerous to human health.

Gail