It’s Not About The Mold
Hello gentle readers it’s been awhile. The last nine months were a never ending juggling act of apartments, storage units, garbage, donations, dumps and melancholy. Why? Because my family was victimized by an unscrupulous landlord hiding an active water leak and its byproduct…blossoming mold. Who would have thought our lovely rental home at the base of a hiking trail complete with sparkling pool, stainless fixtures, and a manicured yard would serve as an incubator of bacteria and malaise? We sure didn’t.
My tale starts in December of 2013 when we moved due to a new job. Of the five homes viewed we settled on Lake House (land locked but read on) per the advice of our realtor who stressed a tight rental market and pending offer. Ever hopeful both realtors had vetted the home, we signed on the dotted for twelve months.
Upon moving in I noticed uneven temperatures throughout the house, especially the pantry. Within two weeks, the six year old dishwasher pooped out with grayish matter floating inside and no water pressure. It took the landlord nearly five weeks to fix…yes, I hand washed for five weeks. Finally, when the new unit arrived, it couldn’t be installed. Why? Black mold was discovered in the casing and the vendor refused citing serious health concerns for our family. He got on the phone with the landlord demanding remediation before the new install. Enter sweet Carlos, the handyman, who showed up the next day with a bottle of bleach, putty and paint. Yeah, that was the “remediation” according to the landlord.
Fast forward a month and a half and I notice moisture accumulating on the front drive way and perimeter of the house. I call the landlord and get nothing but a text saying, “I know about that, it’s nothing.” I send a few more, “are your sure” texts, spurring visits by handyman “Jeff” who adjusts a sprinkler and patches up some siding telling me “it’s lipstick on a pig”….nice, good to know I’m paying a pretty penny to live at piggy palace.
Around month three it starts to get more interesting. The range goes out and I’m asked to pay for a new one as the cost will be deducted from rent. At this point the heat in the pantry is sauna worthy and water continues to pool inside multiple ground level cabinets. I demand slumlord come over and bear witness. He states his wife always complained about the heat in the pantry and the cabinets. He adds I probably put wet pots down ergo the problem. I gave him my best watcha talkin about Willis (sorry if I lost you with the dated sitcom reference) and begged to differ. He said he would give “his guy” a call.
His “guy” turns out to be a plumber who tears up the pantry ceiling and kitchen sink area while we are on vacation. The dust all over our belongings was an added bonus. He explains the heat was caused by a poorly routed pipe and thus “some drywall” had to be opened up. Oh, and next week a leak detection specialist and others are going to evaluate the front driveway and bottom floor as he should have that “moisture” checked out. His “long time buddy” (aka insurance rep) would also be on site and need access. I agreed as always …after all, it’s the law in California.
On the day everybody and their mother was at our rental, I come home and am summoned to take a meeting with the landlord and a female claims adjuster. I am told the house has an active leak and is largely uninhabitable – this includes the kitchen, dining room, and family room. I must keep my four year old outside or in well ventilated areas. In addition, first level floors will be torn up and 3-4 feet of drywall removed as well as a complete gut of the kitchen (insert your best stunned goldfish face here) I notice slumlords face contorts while the adjuster runs through her list. She estimates repairs will take 6-12 weeks and I will need to vacate the premises during remediation. She warns me not to mention the “m” word as “that makes coverage messy”. In a flash of brilliance, my landlord asserts he will move our level one furnishings into the (mold infested) while we live upstairs at half the monthly rent. The adjuster advises this could pose a health hazard and is something (her large, well known, insurance agency) employer will not endorse. He reverses course stating the first phase of reno my renter’s insurance will cover outside lodging and then we can return to the second floor while they “just finish up”. I reveal my daughter has been coughing strangely for 3 weeks after which the adjuster furrows her brow causing my slumlord to take on a watermelon red patina. Once the adjuster leaves I am chastised on the driveway. “Why did you tell her your daughter was coughing!!!?” he screeches. I answer, “because it’s the truth.” He storms off.
That evening I get a new text from my slumlord (please note all our communication largely occurred by text, strange, but telling). His mood is now somewhat upbeat. He says the large fans humming like bees downstairs will be retrieved in the morning and I should talk to the vendor as he will address my concerns re the upcoming “repair”. I proceed to interview the vendor. He confesses he could “get in trouble for this,” but concedes the house had a pre-existing slab leak, and there is substantial evidence it’s years old. He went on to admit prior “repairs” opened up areas of the home releasing particulant matter. He strongly recommends getting a mold report.
I immediately hire a mold specialist who samples various rooms and vigorously tests internal and external areas. He notes heavily saturated walls and floors. The net results are astounding: The incidence of airborne mold was 300% higher inside than outside, the house tested positive for 3 types of mold, the largest areas of contamination were the kitchen, family room and living room, and the old, unkempt ventilation system was circulating bad air. Upon further consultation we were advised to vacate immediately and wear a gas mask while doing so. We told our slumlord we were out and wanted to break the lease. Several text exchanges and a few insults later, he threatened to sue us. That day I took my daughter to the emergency room. The doctor said her coughing could be attributed to the situation in the house and immediately prescribed a nebulizer. The doctor also advised we all take a blood test.
I was enraged. I called a moving company and scheduled them one day out. I sent my husband, child and dog to an extended stay hotel. I contacted a personal injury attorney to see how to protect myself and the movers – paperwork advising of the hazard was drawn up and signed. I hired a hauler to take away and donate belongings. I shoveled anything and everything into unmarked boxes and discarded tainted items. I rented two large storage lockers. A dear friend helped us clean in addition to a professional service. Bottom line, WE PACKED UP A 3000 SQARE FOOT HOUSE IN TWO DAYS. On my way out, I unplugged a vacumn cleaner from a socket above the kitchen counter…the wall flexed as if it were a pillow. During the move, several random people drove by delivering sideways glances, clearly friends of the slumlord, they got the bird.
Within five days of vacating, we were served legal documents detailing the slumlord’s intent to sue and not return our deposit. We hired a real estate attorney who gently reminded slumlord’s counsel he was in breach of California tenancy law. They begged to differ adding I blocked all repairs and made threats. Whaaaaat? Turns out slumlord did not fully disclose the facts. We presented the mold report, archived text messages, six months of HOA access logs detailing a list of vendors I let in. The next day our lease was broken and our deposit returned. That was all we wanted. Yup, that was it. It turns out we can pursue back rent, and have fifteen years to sue for our daughter’s health related issues.
Since our departure, we have lived in three short-term rentals while looking to buy a home. I spent nearly two months visiting storage units every other day to clean and sort. I lost a bunch of “stuff” none of which seems meaningful anymore. I had nightmares about mold and the slumlord chasing me. I suppressed hatred every time I moved, packed and cleaned, moved, packed and cleaned, moved, packed and cleaned. I made ten runs to the county dump. I have talked myself out of self pity by comparing our situation to those who suffer profoundly from atrocities far, far, worse.
But much like the blossoming mold at Lake House, I have grown in ways I could not have imagined. Reason and resilience spread throughout my being as the totality of what happened sunk in. I kept growing despite the cruel intentions of a very bad person. I defended myself with calm, fact and reason. I found solutions in the face of severe upheaval. I turned something ugly and unhealthy into something beautiful. I learned I was resilient. Stuff should not ever matter too much…it is fleeting, and always will be.
I am happy to announce this coming Friday we will close on a new home a mere 4 blocks from Lake House (it still sits on water after all). Our place has beautiful views of trees and valleys and a sparkly pool to boot. I’m so very lucky we are healthy and happy and get to live the way we live. I thank all the people in the world who suffer beyond measure for their points of light…I keep them in a karmic jar and they illuminate my path. Thank you readers and internet for letting me get this load of my chest, I am eternally grateful.
