Mold Forces Family Out of Apartment

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Simpsonville, Greenville County

Mold Forces Family Out of Apartment

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Mold Forces Family Out of Apartment

http://www.fox21.com/Global/story.asp?S=4033338 & nav=2KPp

South Carolina

" I moved in here in April and about three weeks later everybody in

the house started getting sick. " That's Fitzmaurice's claim

against Autumn Wood Apartments in Simpsonville. Fitzmaurice says

mold is overtaking her home, and she showed us mold in the corners

of windows throughout her apartment. " It just keeps coming back, "

she adds.

Fitzmaurice showed us pictures of how bad she says the problem was

just a few months ago. The pictures show interior windows and

exterior walls with visible mold. She says, " there was a lot of

green mossy moldy stuff from the ground up across the entire back

and sides of the building. "

Autumn Wood Apartments touts its caring staff, stating on the

Internet that " ...our residents come first. " But Fitzmaurice says

when she told management about the mold in her home, they made no

effort to fix it. " I was told it was not cost efficient, " she says.

So we contacted Autumn Wood. New management took over the complex in

August. Since then, we're told Autumn Wood has received only one

complaint about mold -- and that management found no evidence of any

mold after inspecting the apartment.

Environmentalist Schauder also inspected Fitzmaurice's

apartment and tells a very different story. He says, " the problem

that's causing mold growth in this case is condensation from the

windows. That would indicate that the windows themselves are

defective in some way. " And Schauder says the problem isn't getting

any better. " The mold spores that have spread throughout the house

may have impacted other materials, other belongings. " Fitzmaurice

says it's also impacted her family's health, " it started with sinus

infections, went to respiratory problems, nosebleeds. " Schauder says

until the problem is corrected, the mold and the health problems

will likely continue. " Ultimately the building owner's gonna have to

look at what's wrong with those windows and go ahead and get them

fixed. "

If you are concerned about a mold problem and are renting your home

or apartment, get in touch with your landlord or leasing agent. If

you're not comfortable with the results of their investigation into

the problem, contact the South Carolina Department of Health and

Environmental Control.