Abandoned Unit & Mold ScareC

As many of you know, I still own a side by side unit in South Florida. We got a call from our tenant that the air conditioner should be replaced soon on advice from the bi-annual service on the system. They are very concerned about mold growing in the unit next door, shared by a common roof.

Upon talking with the 3 companies who bid on the replacement job, 1 of them asked if we were aware that the unit adjoining ours, had no power to it and the air conditioning was not running. (He saw this because of the meters being close to each other). In S. Florida, the humidity is a major factor and mold is always a vaild concern so I went on search mode.

The unit has been closed up for 20 months and is in forclosure, due to go to auction in June. A call to the property manager says that they may not enter a unit other than in an emergency, which this is not considered one. I called the association attorney and the story was the same. Contacted FPL (power company) to verify that there was no account or service and that was verified. I asked about emergency service bcause of mold. They are not responsble and forwarded me to the FPL law offices. Same story again.

I called Wells Fargo who owns the unit. and they were adament that they do not pay for any utilities, therefore, no electricity to the unit. So where to go from here? I am trying to find case law on any similar cases like this. Has anyone got knowledge of a similar situation?

Then a little bit of good news came. #1, In the worst case scenerio, we do have a Mold Rider on our H.O. insurance. #2, Upon close inspection of the unit and it's blueprints, the common wall is concrete, with a firewall seperating the attic and all of the understructure so that helps AND the tenants keep their space extremely cold which helps to keep the mold out. The company selected to replace the air system also does a mold inspection and uses a meter for mold count. (YEA!!) So if we do encounter mold in the unit, I will need to bring out the big guns and perhaps start a new law to help innocent people who have to deal with these Bank owned properties that may adversly affect it's neighbors. My Tenants are 84 and 86 years old and should not have to deal with additional health worries.

Thanks Glen,

I have the paper trail going but the Health Dept sounds like a great idea as well. I know that I am not the only person in this country dealing with this. As the Wells Fargo people told me, "we have hundreds of thousands of these empty units and could never keep them up to date with utilities." I understand that and I also understand FPL having even more of them. Sheesch!

Hi Donna,

The unit next to mine was closed up for over 2yrs with no ac on. I had contacted the health dept. but they said their was nothing they could do. When the unit was finally sold it had no mold problems.

Barbara

I am with Barbara on this. I don't necessarily see a huge mold risk.If the Water and utilities are both off, I would say that may even lower the risk of mold forming. Knowing what I know about home construction there has to be several factors involved. A closed up unit with no electricity doesn't necessarily equal a mold issue. We had a unit closed up for about 10 years. It wasn't moldy.

There are different forms of mold. Not all of them unhealthy or cause health issues. Most of the time the suggested treatment for dealing with mold is to spray the walls down with bleach solution. They don't even require full removal of dry walls. This is sufficient treatment.

Honestly, I have not been fully convinced of this "mold" panademic. Too many contractors ready to bounce on it for big money to milk the insurance companies. Not to say it's not a valid concern. My concern lays more within the contractors who convince owners to pay large amounts of money to remove it. It's kind of like "Radon Gas". Yes, Radon gas does build up in houses but just opening a window will get rid of the problem.

Besides, the new owner's will be the one's to deal with the mold issue if there is one. Let them contact you if they have to do any work with you.

Donna ... you are so awesome. Not many landlords take such good care of their tenants. I did not see any case law when I did a quick search, except for a few where the HOA had pipes leak and did not fix. There potentially could be some in the future with all the foreclosures. BTW ... I thought your rain barrel was the best.

"There is no conclusive proof that mold is dangerous, or can be linked to serious or fatal illnesses. Yes, some people have allergic reactions to some spores in some cases, but human beings evolved in a spore-filled world, and we've somehow managed to make it this far."... SERIOUSLY????

South Florida has an average humidity level of nearly 60% The unit is less than a mile from the Intercoastal River.

The hazardous health effects of black mold are due to a toxic substance called mycotoxin, which is a byproduct of black mold. Mycotoxin is a light weight spore and is often termed as a secondary growth of black mold. These toxic substances enter human body through skin contact or via breathing. Open cuts or sores also provide an entry point to the mycotoxin. This mycotoxin is also circulated throughout the house, by the means of air conditioning systems, fans etc. Black mold health risks are dependent upon the severity of infestation and the type of individual. However, the group of individuals most prone to serious black mold health effects includes:
•Infants and children.
•Elderly people
•People with weak immune system.
•Pregnant women.
•Individuals with medical history of allergic reactions or respiratory disorders.

Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, Vanderbuilt University, Cornell U., U of Florida, etc.

Let me try this again. IF it were just me and my risks of health problems, I would NOT be writting about this. I have elderly tenants. The Florida law says that I must protect them from environmental concerns while they are inside of MY unit. The Tenant is worried because the unit next door may infiltrate his space. HE has asked for an action on my part. I have taken action OR MAYBE HE WILL SUE ME IF THEY GET SICK.

I have done my part, I have asked you all if you have any experience or know of a case where this went to court. I have gotten a test scheduled and am comforting the tenants.

I agree with your RobW. We live in such a sue-ific society that people do things just to prevent perceived lawsuit liablities. We have both the Radon gas and mold issues companies are jumping on to. The irony of both is that are BOTH easily treated. Radon Gas you just have to open your windows every once and awhile. Mold is simply treated with a bleach/water solution sprayed onto the walls and painted over. However, there are companies out there making a killing off of installing plastic in crawl spaces and wearing space aged suits with a sponge in their hand.