Mold In Rental Property – Is The Landlord Or The Tenant To Blame?

Mold in a rental property is one of the biggest problems that both landlords and tenants face because it can pop up when you least expect it to and cause major problems usually because both the landlord and the tenant don’t know how to properly handle the problem.

In this post we will share with you simple tips on how to handle mold in a rental property, who is to blame, and how to resolve it.

Mold Growth Caused By the Tenant

When mold is found to be caused by the tenant’s behavior it’s the tenant’s responsibility to clean up the mold.
Some of the causes of mold growth in a rental property due to the tenant’s behavior include: keeping the rental property closed up without any ventilation, or excessive humidity.

Mold Growth Caused By the Landlord

Sadly, it’s very common to have mold growth in a rental property that’s due to the landlord’s failure to repair windows, doors, leaks or other areas of the home where mold is growing.

If mold growth is causing the tenant health problems the tenant should contact the landlord immediately to resolve the mold issue and if the landlord refuses to meet with the tenant regarding mold growth the tenant can withhold rent until the mold problem is fixed or take the landlord to court.

In California tenants may do the following if they find mold in their rental properties:

1. Deduct up to one month’s worth of rent and hire a contractor to make necessary repairs if the landlord has not responded in a timely manner to written notification of the problem.

2. Not pay rent until the problem is remedied.

3. File a lawsuit to recover damages for both the illegal living environment and the damage to the health of the tenants. – Source: LegalMatch.com

Learn More

To learn more about how to handle mold in a rental property or to what the landlord / tenants responsibilities are in dealing with mold contact RPM Central Valley today by clicking here to connect with us online or by calling (209) 572-2222.