(WSVN) - Mold. Nobody wants to hear the word, and nobody wants it in their home. But when you rent and it’s in your apartment, do you have to live with it? Or is there a solution so you don’t risk getting sick from toxic mold? It’s why one mother called Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
The South Florida showers produce beautiful palm trees, luscious lawns — and walls and ceilings with dark, black mold.
Keala Mero, worried about mold: “I was scared because I didn’t know what effects it already had on my family.”
It only takes a small leak from a window, a roof or even a pipe, and the mold starts to grow.
Keala Mero: “Some black stuff, brownish, yellowish.”
Keala saw the mold in her neighbor’s apartment when he moved out, but her 6-year-old had noticed something strange for months.
Keala Mero: “She would point it out every day. ‘Mom, it really smells in the apartment next door when we walk by. There’s that smell,’ complaining about the smell.”
And when Keala saw that mold, it explained her daughter’s health problem.
Keala Mero: “She’s had a cough on and off for like 10 months. I just put two and two together. I said, ‘Maybe it could be related.'”
Keala also has a 9-month-old and is pregnant with her third child.
So she asked the apartment manager to test her apartment for mold.
Keala Mero: “She said, ‘We don’t do that.'”
Keala paid for a mold inspection in her unit. Sadly, her apartment had mold.
Keala Mero: “He told me that there’s supposed to be like 1,000 per square centimeter or something, and there is 15,000 or 20,000 per square centimeter behind the baseboards.”
Keala then asked the rental office to transfer her to another apartment to get her two little children and her unborn child out of the moldy unit.
Keala Mero: “‘All you have to do is pay the $500 transfer fee and you can transfer.’ I said, ‘Why should I be held liable for a $500 transfer fee when this is not something that I caused?'”
Keala is a single mother. A $500 transfer plus paying movers is a lot of money. And don’t forget she has to pack up while seven months pregnant and caring for two children.
Well, Howard, if your apartment has mold, do you have the right to transfer, and do you have to pay for that transfer to another unit?
Howard Finkelstein, 7News legal expert: “Mold can cause health problems for many people, and therefore legally, it’s a breach of your lease. That means you can transfer to a different apartment, and you do not have to pay a fee. Or you can give seven days notice to the landlord, and if the problem is not eliminated, you move out and get your security deposit and any other monies owed back.”
Instead of talking to the property manager who was not helping Keala, we called the owner of the apartment complex.
That was the key. Hours later, Keala was told the owner was sending in movers to take her from her one-bedroom apartment to a two-bedroom unit. She didn’t have to pay a transfer fee, didn’t have to pay the movers and got a lower rate for her two-bedroom apartment.
Keala has a good landlord. If you don’t…
Howard Finkelstein: “If your landlord does not fix the problem, take care of your family’s health first. Move in with friends or try to find a cheap motel while you sue the landlord in small claims court. When you win, a judge can order the owner to give you money for things such as a hotel bill, other expenses, even a reduction in the rent you paid while living in the moldy apartment because the value of your unit was diminished by the mold.”
Keala Mero: “I’m happy that I am here, yes, and I am ready to welcome the new baby in November.”
Bring the newborn home to a mold free apartment.
Keala Mero: “I’m so grateful for you guys. I don’t think I would have been able to get everything done if I wouldn’t have called you guys, and I appreciate it so much.”
If we made her happy, we are happy.
How do you know if the mold in your place is the dangerous toxic mold? Not easy. You have to hire a company to determine that. That’s about the only way.
A problem’s soaked you so long you feel like it’s turning moldy? Ready to have it moved out of your life? Contact us. Mold can be many colors, but we’ll give you the answers in black and white.
CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:
Email: helpmehoward@wsvn.com
Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
Miami-Dade: 305-953-WSVN
Broward: 954-761-WSVN
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