Lets see, it has been 18 days since we sent off our rent check and our “we are concerned about mold” letter via certified mail to the landlords. As of today the letter STILL has not been claimed and is sitting at the post office.
N called the landlord over the weekend about it and their response was “well, we’ve been busy and we figured it was returned to you already”. She then said once it was returned to us we could “drop it by some store of theirs” or she could come by and pick it up from us.
Yeah, you are going to have to come by and get it from us since your laziness is not our issue. We sent the letter off to you like we are legally required to and you were too lazy to claim the dang thing, not our issue!
So like I said it has been 18 days since we sent our letter and rent off and the landlord doesn’t seem to have any desire to get it. It is still sitting at the post office and a notice was left at the landlords residence to come claim it.
This raised some questions for us so we looked at county records and found that our landlord owns 38 other houses (not including this one) just within this county. Oh and the house we are living in is worth about $80,000, they are charging us $875 a month and are making killing.
Well no wonder they don’t care about cashing our rent check, they have tons of money coming in from us and other sucker renters! Now N thinks they are acting unresponsive and avoiding our communications because they know they are caught and have wronged us.
Like I said in a previous post, I am fairly certain we have a mold issue just based upon the home’s age and the leaky basement issue. Our basement is finished, here have a look:
I think the electric heater/ fireplace thingy gives the decor age away don’t you?
Then there is the wood siding and the indoor/ outdoor carpet that is water stained from our recent floods.
Check out the green cabinets! Those scream 1970 to me.
So I am wondering… If all the decor and “finishing” in the basement is that old and there is such a big leak issue down there. How many years of mold growth do you think there are? It is kind of scary to think about.
We are certain there is mold growing because we have all had some odd respiratory issues since moving here, including the pets. You know allergies, sinus issues and even bloody noses. Generally nasty stuff!
That is why we sent out the certified letter outlining our concerns about their “lack of disclosure” on the flooding issue. We also mentioned the fact that the moisture from the leaks is impossible for us to fully clean up since the basement is finished and that they need to provide us with a means to clean up the soaked carpet each time the basement floods (aka a carpet cleaning machine or dehumidifier).
Seems like we covered all the bases right? Too bad they have not claimed the letter from the post office and they intend on leaving it unclaimed until the letter is returned to us…
I am not sure what to do next. We did just spend $50.00 on 4 do-it-yourself mold test kits so we’ll have proof of the mold soon but we can’t really afford an attorney to sue them. Is that the only way to take action on this?
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Updates: There have been updates regarding this landlord saga, you can see them by checking out the following posts.
- Slumloards, credit scores and a prenatal chiropractor [in a pear tree]…
- In Indiana breathing mold is okay but home birth is not, just an FYI.
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Did you mention you’re pregnant?
Next step is to call code enforcement. We had similar problems here with roaches that they wouldn’t do anything about. Our neighbor called code enforcement and an official came out to investigate. He found other issues as well and told the landlords they had 7 days to initiate repairs or face heavy fines. We also found out that if we request repairs in writing for a health- or safety-threatening issue and repairs aren’t initiated within seven days that we only hae to pay 30% of our rent.
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I wish I could give you some advice, but I can’t. Do you have renter’s insurance? Maybe your insurance agent can assist with the appropriate next steps?
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If it were me, I would be looking for a new place to live, and then move. If you have already sent them a letter to let them know about the mold problem and they didn’t pick it up from the PO, then keep the records of such and if they try to sue you for breaking a lease, then counter sue for the mold issue.
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Memarie Lane » I just found the code enforcement info and will call them about it. Thanks for the tip! finding the info was hard.
And yeah in my letter the are refusing to claim we said I was pregnant… Guess they just don’t care.
Kind of ironic you have a Wet Bar in the Wet Room! Your laws are probably different there than Canada, but we have rental boards we can complain to, and they are right on top of it. The landloard is give a certain amount of time to fix the issue etc, or they are given some pretty steep fines. Sucks to suggest moving, but with a baby coming, it can’t be comforting to know that any other issues that come up will probably be dealt with in the same way (ignored). You would be better off in a new place with no such hassles so you can concentrate on the funner things, like parenthood!
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Guess who just dropped by… The landlord asking for the check. I told her our letter was still at the post office and that it was important that they address our concerns written in the letter.
She thought I was going to just write her another check, ha!
Lori » Yeah! Ha.
You can get drunk while you die from toxic mold, perfect!
Maybe the Health Dept, too, with the code enforcement. If your letter comes back, put the rent check in with the letter.. incentive maybe for the landlord to pick up the legal letter? How did they know that there was potentionally legal letter in the PO and how can they dispute the fact that you are pg, if they haven’t picked up the letter?
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It’s good you are documenting everything on the blog. A chronological record is a very good thing to have. I love it that they have to pick up the letter to get their rent check. Good job!
If it does get sent back to you, send it certified again.
As for finding another place to live, at least you’ve knocked 38 properties off the “possible” list.
Code enforcement, health department, great ideas. However, I cannot help but urge you to contact a lawyer. Both my daughter and son-in-law graduated from law school in Indiana (they practice in SC) and if you would like I can ask them if they know someone practicing in Evansville that they would recommend.
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Oh… the wallpaper, green “antiqued” cabinets and pine paneling scream ’60s to me. Truly awful, but I did refinish a bookcase in 1968 just like those cabinets.
I kinda like the green cabinets. Kinda. I like the booze on top of the cabinets, too:) Its great that you are keeping such good records about what is going on. that is probably your best defense at the moment. Hopefully the landlord will have an “a-ha” moment and fix everything.
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Becky, booze makes any cabinet look better!
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I think the mold test kits are a great idea. If they come back positive, then you have something real to present to your landlord.
If you can’t sue, your options are limited, but maybe the landlord would at least consider a compromise.
Good luck, and looking forward to the update to find out if there is mold present.
Are there any attorney “call in” days at N’s news station? Some of our local news stations have free call-in days to ask an attorney questions. Maybe somebody in his office would have some connections like that who you could just call to ASK a few questions– no fee.
It might also be worth having an inspector come out (maybe via the code enforcement) to legally document the damage done.
And look for something new. Because chances of getting all the mold under control between now and your due date are NIL when the landlord is already unconcerned.
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Won’t go to the post office for a registered letter, but will make the trip to collect the rent cheque?
Foreshadowing…
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