Tampa, Florida – James Redding is literally sick of dealing with a mold problem in her apartment on W. Lambright Avenue in Tampa.
 
 
 
Mold is visible inside her water heater closet, evidence of an ongoing problem Redding says she’s been dealing with for two months.

“No matter what I did, no matter what cleaners I used, I couldn’t get rid of the smell,” Redding said. “It’s a mildewy [sic], moldy, musty kind of smell.”

Tuesday, the carpet in her bedroom closet was damp. Redding says she first noticed there was a problem there about a month ago.

“One Saturday night… I happened to notice there was some water on my garment bags. I walked in barefoot, and my whole carpet was drenched. I moved my clothes back and happened to see that the whole wall was green and black with mold,” Redding said.

She says management has worked with her to try to take care of the problem. The next day, a maintenance man came to her apartment.

“[He] tried to spray it down with some bleach, and the minute he touched it, the wall caved in,” Redding said.
Now, she’s waiting on her landlord to allow her to move into a new apartment.

Tampa Bay’s 10 News was unable to contact Redding’s landlord for comment Tuesday.
If your landlord isn’t helping your mold problem, you can:

• Seek out a mediating agency. In Hillsborough County, that’s the Consumer Protection Agency.  In Pinellas County, that’s the Community Development Department.
• Seek a surety bond, which means you pay your rent to the courts until your case is resolved according to Florida’s Landlord-Tenant Law.  For the complete Landlord/Tenant Law, click here.  For a summary of the Landlord/Tenant Law, click here.
• Know your rights as a renter. Utilize resources like Florida PIRG’s Renters’ Rights Handbook.

http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=69623

# # #
 
Pure Air Control Services
 
1-800-422-7873