About a dozen people who live at an apartment complex in Charleston are suing management, saying there's a mold problem that's not going away. Some say it's even making them sick.

A state investigator with the "Illinois Housing Development Authority" took a look at the property in July and ordered the owner to get rid of the mold.  He gave him several months to do it.  Time is now running out.

Several people who live at Highland Place Apartments have been complaining about the mold, saying no one's getting rid of it and the landlord is just covering it up.  That's why renters called in the state to come take a look.  And while the inspector was out there they got a big surprise.

Regina Lenox had no idea what opening this door would lead to.

"It's right against your ventilation system," Inspector Keith Daniels told her as he spotted mold inside her closet. Lenox was shocked to find out it's been blowing through her apartment.  She says a worker at the complex spotted it before, but assured her it would be taken care of.

"The man found mold and said he's coming back to fix the mold and he never did.  And he knew how serious this was.  I didn't know it was that serious," Lenox furiously recalled.

Mold is serious. And that's why Daniels, with the Illinois Housing Development Authority agreed to let residents show him around. The state has given the one complex in Charleston about $15 million in tax credits because it offers affordable housing.  Daniels has to make sure the property is up to code.  He says mold has been a problem here before.

"We spotted it and they assured us they repaired it.  Here I am two years later," Daniels said.  He's supposed to check out properties every three years.  But now, two years later, and a lot more mold.

"That's a lot of mold.  Keep that door closed," Daniels told Melinda Kivlehan, who has lived here for a year.  "You got kids here? Keep the fan going, keep the door closed," he warned her after she responded yes to his question.

The state report from the inspection in July shows mold in about a dozen of the apartments.  The lawyer for the complex, Sean Britton, says it's addressing residents concerns.  "Efforts are already being taken now to try and remedy some of the problems identified in the inspectors report," says Britton.

But the people who live there, want to know how long they'll have to wait for it to be gone for good.  Residents say management painted over some of the mold just before the scheduled inspection.  "It makes me angry they didn't fix the problem.  They're trying to cover it up and put me in an apartment with mold in there," worries Kivlehan.

Residents worry the mold is there to stay.  "They know about this," says Lenox, "and it should have been taken care of a long time ago."

The state is giving the complex time to fix the problem and then it will come back and re-inspect.  If it doesn't pass, the IRS can step in and start to recapture those tax dollars. 

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