(WSVN) - His apartment is filled with mold. His clothes have black stuff all over them. What can you do if you have mold in your apartment? The answer is in tonight’s Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
David is in the entertainment business, which means he knows a lot of people you might like to know.
David Lee Roth: “I deal primarily with celebrities: athletes, musicians, actors, actresses, models.”
Occasionally, he joins the cast of a show.
David Lee Roth: “‘Marrying Millions.’ We just finished filming the show called ‘Life Rescue.'”
When he is not traveling, he lives in a rented condo on Miami Beach, and that’s where it all started.
David Lee Roth: “So, about the end of May, the AC went off here. I called the landlord. She called the building. She said it’ll be fixed in a few days.”
Soon, there was something growing in David’s apartment. At that point, he didn’t realize it, but his body felt it.
David Lee Roth: “Chronic fatigue, headache, trouble breathing.”
When he returned from a trip a few weeks later, he walked into the headache, literally.
David Lee Roth: “The closet, there was a whole bunch of black molds coming out of whatever the vent is there.”
As we spoke to David, the air felt thick, and I could smell the mold.
Not only was it on the walls, it was on the refrigerator.
David’s pillows had black moldy spots, and look at his clothes that were in the closet.
David Lee Roth: “Well, this is one of my shirts. This is the tuxedo shirt. You can see the collar. This is actually a limited edition, custom made. This was given to me by Floyd Mayweather Jr., and look at the damage on it.”
David has no desire to play mold man in a TV show, but with these shoes he could.
David Lee Roth: “Black mold, and I called my friend up. He says, ‘You better get out of there.’ I go, ‘Why?’ He goes, ‘That’s toxic.'”
David says, at first, his landlord cared, but then she got tired of his requests to clean up the condo.
David Lee Roth: “Now she’s saying, ‘If you don’t like it, leave.'”
David knows he will have to leave, but…
David Lee Roth: “I want them to pay for damage to all my clothes and my shoes.”
His only question: Who has to pay for the damages?
David Lee Roth: “I mean, the association is the association. But at the end of the day, the landlord owns this unit.”
Well, David isn’t the first and won’t be the last to get hit with this mold. Legally, what can you do, Howard?
Howard Finkelstein, 7News legal expert: “Don’t stay there, it’s dangerous. If you are a renter, send the landlord a letter giving them seven days to fix the problem. If they do not, terminate the lease, move out and get your security deposit back. If you are the owner, either you or the association has to fix the problem depending on who is at fault, and whoever is responsible for causing the mold has to pay for the damaged clothes.”
When I spoke to the association president, he told me neither David nor his landlord notified him of the mold. He suspects it is a leaky pipe somewhere.
As for David’s landlord, I felt like a ping-pong ball after going back and forth with them.
She said David was a guest she was letting live here. David showed me his lease signed by the landlord.
She said it was no good since it was a two-year lease, and she said David didn’t pay July’s rent.
He sent me his bank statement. He says that shows he did.
She said David could leave, but he won’t.
I could go on and on, but I won’t, ’cause things worked out.
David Lee Roth: “My friend disinfected the place as best as he could.”
The mold is gone from the apartment and the clothes David got back from the dry cleaners.
David Lee Roth: “I got the shoes taken care of.”
The landlord would not pay his dry cleaning bill, but let him stay there through August for free. Then David plans to move out with an entertainment attitude.
David Lee Roth: “I learned that, like Michael Myers and Jason from ‘Friday the 13th’ and “Halloween,’ every time I get knocked down, I come back to life and I get up.”
Get up, get out and move on, David.
Now, Howard talked about sending a seven-day letter. Whether it’s a mold problem or no AC, click here to see what you should say in the letter.
A toxic problem leaving you choked up? Don’t let mold grow while you wait. Entertain the thought of letting us help to clean up the mess and deliver a breath of fresh air to you.
With this Help Me Howard, I’m Patrick Fraser, 7News.
CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:
Email: helpmehoward@wsvn.com
Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
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