February 21, 2008
The mold at Jo-Elynn Vega's rented home makes breathing so
difficult that, she says, the family has to wear medical masks inside the house
and her daughter began coughing up blood recently.
They have been looking for a new place to live for months. But now the Vegas'
dispute with their landlord over cleaning up the mold at the single-family Lake
Grove home has left them with eight days to find a new place to live.
Jo-Elynn and her husband, Robert, moved in last June and began complaining
about the mold to landlord George Rhein in July. They withheld rent from Rhein
starting in December, claiming that toxic mold has been growing on the home's
walls, ceilings and carpets. The mold was deemed toxic by a company the family
hired, AMBIC Building Inspection Consultants of Long Island, which said it was
due to active water leaks.
Rhein brought the family to court, claiming they owed him more than $4,000 in
unpaid rent and utility bills. The Vegas must move out by Feb. 29 under a
settlement reached yesterday at District Court in Patchogue.
But family members said they intend to sue Rhein and will try to get the house,
at 12 Hardwick Pl., condemned so no one else can live there.
"As far as I'm concerned, it's unacceptable. We're people in here, not
animals," said Robert, 47, a building engineer.
Rhein, of Lake Grove, and his attorney, Michael Cox of Lindenhurst, declined to
comment. Rhein has the home on the market for $499,777, according to an
advertisement.
The family reported the home to Lake Grove Village code enforcement. Village
authorities inspected the home Feb. 4 and found at least five code violations,
including the presence of mold, said Gerald Lotto, an attorney for Lake Grove.
Rhein might have to pay fines of more than $1,000 per day if he does not try to
remediate the problems by Feb. 27, Lotto said. However, it is unlikely the home
will be condemned unless it is "unsafe structurally," Lotto said.
The AMBIC report states that "elevated mold conditions" exist in the
house. The report states that the family should "vacate the home for
possible health risks" and recommends "leaving the contents due to
possible contamination."
Jo-Elynn Vega said the family also plans to sue Rhein over lost property, which
she said will total at least $100,000 if they leave their possessions behind.
An advertisement for the home describes it as a "beautiful, spacious four
bedroom" with "plenty of living space for a happy family life."
Sarah Vega, 17, disagrees.
"You have to sit there and concentrate to breathe," she said.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/suffolk/ny-limold215585775feb21,0,315119.story
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