Mold on the rise as tenant takes landlord to court

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Mold on the rise as tenant takes landlord to court

Posted: April 25, 2008

WOOD-TV - Grand Rapids,MI*

By Tony Tagliavia

http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8225184

KENTWOOD, Mich. (WOOD) -- In one place or another, he says he's had

to deal with mold for three years in the Kentwood duplex he rents.

Now Ward Brandel wants something done about it.

Mold has crept up the walls of his bedroom and grown along the

baseboard of the unit next door. Brandel and his neighbor are taking

their landlord to court Friday.

It's a case Steve at Accurate Mold and Remediation, who

evaluated the duplex, told 24 Hour News 8 could set a precedent in

deciding who is responsible for taking care of mold in an apartment.

For his part, Brandel said he and his neighbor have had little help

from the landlord.

" Two years ago, we finally got them to actually come over here. And

what they did is...gave us a gallon of mold cleaner, " Brandel said.

, of Accurate Mold, and Tom Krueger, of Summit Laboratories,

say they're out in West Michigan daily dealing with mold cases.

said given the snow buildup this winter, water was retained

in roofs around the region.

But he said Brandel's case was different - the mold was coming

through the roof but also through the windows, which said

weren't properly sealed.

The mold is especially troublesome for Brandel because of his

medical history. He wants a temporary apartment while a professional

crew is brought in to clean up the mold problem.

Brandel's landlord didn't want to comment on the case, saying he

believes his tenants are lying. He said the landlord issued an

eviction notice once he decided to bring the case to court.

Court documents obtained by 24 Hour News 8 show the landlord put in

a UV light to try and kill the mold and wanted to tear up the

carpet. He hired ServiceMaster to evaluate the home. The company

didn't find moisture but said that is because it wasn't

using equipment sophisticated enough to find it.

Plus, the records show the landlord believed the mold was caused by

the use of space heat instead of the furnace.

" So we turned the gas-forced air furnace on 70 [degrees], left it

on, " Brandel said. " He (the landlord) also brought in an electric

dehumidifier. We ran it on high for two months, now we got this

report. After all this, the conditions are the same. "

said forced-air heat is actually more likely to generate

mold than a space heater. Also, that report Brandel refers to is a

second review, one done by Summit Engineering, that reached the same

conclusion as Accurate Mold's report.

It is evidence Brandel hopes will give him a win in court.