Illinois Tenant Rights with Mold

When renting an apartment, home, duplex, or trailer, Illinois tenants must worry about a multitude of potential problems with the property. Are the neighbors noisy? Does the water heater work? What is the policy regarding satellite dishes? In addition to the applications, policies, and deposits, potential renters should also take time to consider the existence of water damage and mold, mildew, and fungi in their residence. As a renter in Illinois, you do have legal rights when it comes to detecting and removing problematic mold growth in your home. Knowing how to deal with landlords about mold can help you keep yourself and your family free from some of the dangerous ramifications of toxic mold exposure.

Research on the effects of mold exposure have shown that breathing mold spores—the tiny, invisible airborne particles of mold—can cause severe health problems. Mold triggers asthma attacks and aggravates allergies. Some people report feeling as though they have the flu, complete with itchy, watery eyes, sore throat, general lethargy, and fever. Respiratory system complications are most common in children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems or a history of respiratory problems. Although not all mold types are toxic, and some people are affected by mold more than others, any type of mold can be harmful to humans and animals under the right conditions.

Not only does mold impact the health of people and animals, but it can also compromise the structural integrity of the building in which it is growing. Mold is common in nature, serving the purpose of decomposing organic material, breaking down fallen leaves, trees, and dead animals. Once in your home, mold will do the same thing, decomposing windowsills, drywall, and furniture, which can cause costly property damage. Therefore, mold is not merely a personal health issue for tenants, but a serious concern for property owners and landlords as well. Failure to properly remove mold through professional remediation can result in added repair expenses after mold decomposes parts of an apartment or house.

Mold from Broken Washing Machine Hoses

This happens a lot and we see this more often.  When you buy a washing machine, even the fancy ones, they install them with inexpensive rubber hoses—those are the ones that break, as opposed to the $40 stainless-steel-wrapped hoses you can buy at Home Depot that almost never leak. 

If we come in right away after the leak is caught, we’ll vent the wall cavities, pull the base moldings off, drill holes and get air movement into the wall cavities to dry them.  If there’s a wood floor we may try to dry that too unless it’s already showing evidence of buckling and cupping. If mold has already set in, a full scale remediation would entail removing the flooring and base moldings, cutting the sheetrock walls up two feet around the perimeter of the room, then treating with our professional services.