- When mold is occurring in a home, the first thing that should happen is that landlords and tenants should work together to determine the extent of the mold damage and its cause. Mold has negative consequences for everyone involved, so working together to determine how extensive the mold infestation is in the home and what is causing will help develop a plan for getting the situation under control.
- After determining the cause of mold, it may be necessary to determine who is responsible for causing and treating the mold. If the problem is poor construction, natural disaster or simple bad luck, the landlord who owns the building is going to be responsible for taking care of the mold problem. If the mold was caused by the fault of the tenant, such as flooding the residence, leaving old food around or general negligence, the landlord may have the right to charge the tenants for the cost of treating the mold problem and take their security deposit.
- Mold growths require professional treatment for the most effective removal of mold. The landlord should set up professional repair services for the residence in order to make sure the mold is gone. If a landlord refuses to treat mold or treats mold inadequately, they may be opening themselves up to potential liability lawsuits at a later date claiming negligence or neglect of property and tenant welfare.
- In severe cases, mold treatment may involve removing carpeting, flooring, parts of walls or ceilings and replacing various fixtures as necessary. This may make the residence unfit for human occupancy for a length of time. Landlords in this situation may want to offer tenants another residence to live in, the option to break the lease or a reduction in rent during the time when the property is undergoing repairs and treatment for mold.
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