Apartment Renters Upset Over Return of Mold

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Apartment Renters Upset Over Return of Mold

Written by Massie, Reporter

News10.net - Sacramento,CA

http://www.news10.net/display_story.aspx?storyid=26067

Nine years ago, News10 fielded dozens of calls about mold

contamination in homes and apartments and covered numerous stories

about toxic mold making people sick. Some of those complaints led to

class-action lawsuits and million-dollar settlements.

Now, residents at some Citrus Heights apartments say toxic mold they

thought was eradicated appears to be making a comeback.

This isn't the first time Oakcreek Apartments has

had mold concerns. Back in 1998, the Oakcreek Apartments on Fair

Oaks Boulevard was known as the Fairways, home to 200 tenants who

complained about their units being infested with mold.

Thursday, Charity Berry and six other residents met with attorney

amid claims that the mold was back.

Berry showed , an attorney who has won numerous mold lawsuits,

home video she took in her unit. Pointing to the screen, she

said, " That's the window sill on the bottom where it meets the wall

and you can see mold all along there. "

Black stains that Berry believes are mold are even worse in video

taken in her bathroom. " I'm just kind of grossed out. I don't want

to stay there any more. It's expensive to move. I'm kind of stuck, "

Berry said.

told tenants they need to have their apartments tested to be

certain their units are tainted with mold. " They can conduct air

testing. They can conduct carpet and dust sampling, " said.

The meeting came after received numerous recent calls from

residents at the complex. said after he got involved,

apartment owners Lyon Management Group of Newport Beach took action.

" There was a flurry of activity relative to potential releases

presented to tenants saying, 'We'll move you out, sign this, take

$1,000 and go away,' " said.

" We can only deal with things when they're brought to our

attention, " Lyon Management attorney Greg Ozhekim said. Ozhekim told

tenants the landlord was interested in making the tenants happy.

" I know when specific concerns have been raised with us, we've

gotten our experts to go in there and look at the issue immediately

and if there's a problem we've taken care of it, " Ozhekim said.

He said the complex asked Citrus Heights health officials to inspect

one apartment and the tenants were allowed to stay because " what

they found wasn't that bad, " Ozhekim said.

Mike , a resident who put up with the 1998 scare, wasn't so sure

how to approach the latest concerns. " I moved out of (apartment)

317, that's where I had mold. I was paid and moved downstairs to

where I live now, " said.

But said almost immediately, mold started showing up in his new

apartment as well. " I've got mold in my shower in the bathroom, all

around the sinks, in the window sills, " said. Despite the

concern, admitted he hasn't complained to management.

But other residents said they know toxic mold can make them sick and

they want their landlord to do something about it. " I want to move.

I want them to pay for me to move. They did it for people before,

but instead they're telling me I can move if I want to, " Berry said.