Couple Says Mold At Pinnacle Apts. Made Them Sick

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Couple Says Mold At Pinnacle Apts. Made Them Sick

Former Residents Teaming Up For Lawsuit

LINDSAY WATTS, Reporter

POSTED: 9:46 pm MST November 20, 2010

http://www.krdo.com/news/25866262/detail.html

A Colorado Springs couple says mold in their apartment made them sick. They're

not the first to complain about the Pinnacle Apartments near Austin Bluffs and

Rangewood and now they want to warn others.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Bauman and his wife, , said looks were

deceiving at the Pinnacle Apartments. They said soon after moving in they got

sick from mold in their apartment and around the complex.

They said they looked at a model apartment, but were told they couldn't see

their unit because it hadn't been cleaned. On move-in day, they said they walked

into their apartment to find dirty carpets and sinks, cracks in the tiles and a

refrigerator that didn't work. But more concerning, they said they discovered

mold.

" The restroom, it was really dirty, we had to do a full cleaning, " said Bauman.

" Behind the toilets and in the shower we saw mold. So we bleached it and cleaned

it and we noticed the mold kept reappearing. "

They snapped pictures of mold in their apartment, in a neighbor's apartment and

at other areas in the complex. They said their sickness began almost

immediately.

" You feel like your chest is full, a lot of coughing where you can't breathe at

night, " said Patinha. " And pain in the face. I'm on my third antibiotic

for this. "

The couples' doctor agreed that the symptoms were likely from mold exposure.

" He suggested we not return to the unit, and we took his suggestion, " said

Bauman.

The couple isn't the first to complain about mold at the Pinnacle. In the past,

KRDO NEWSCHANNEL 13 has spoken with other families who said they had to move out

because they got sick from mold, as well as residents who showed us leaking

water pipes and holes in the ceiling.

The complex, east of Austin Bluff Parkway and north of Rangewood Drive, stood

unfinished and exposed to the elements for several years, which some believe

caused mold to accumulate on lumber and beams.

On Saturday, our producer posed as a prospective resident to ask about mold

problems.

" Has there been any water intrusion or mold problems? " he asked. " Nope, " replied

the leasing agent.

The manager at the Pinnacle Apartments said she had no comment for this story.

She referred us to a supervisor at Resident Management Systems. That person

didn't return multiple messages.

Colorado Springs Code Enforcement told KRDO NEWSCHANNEL that the city's minimum

housing standards don't mention mold. That means city codes doesn't have the

equipment to test for it.

" A person would have to hire an industrial hygienist to do the testing, " said

Ken , Colorado Springs code enforcement administrator.

Resident Management Systems has billed and almost $7,000 for

breaking their lease. The couple has hired a lawyer and are teaming up with

other former residents to pursue a lawsuit