Renter’s Rights: What To Know If You’re Dealing With Mold

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — What was supposed to be a dream home quickly turned into a nightmare for Lora – Lee Roman and her family. 

Six months and counting, Roman, her husband and 4 – year – old daughter have been living with mold.

“It appears and I say appears because we’re still waiting on test results to come back, but if you look carefully you can see a dark green blackish mold which indicates it should be black mold,” Roman said. 

While mold is commonly linked to damp climates, any rental property is susceptible to mold outbreaks. 

As Roman and I walk through her home, she points out several different AC vents where mold appears to be growing.

“We’re blowing these mold spores through these vents that are in our HVAC system, blowing these mold spores all over our furniture, over our clothes, over our food,” Roman said. 

It can be a common issue, but left unresolved can become costly to fix and have an even costlier impact on your health potentially leading to long term health issues. 

North Carolina currently doesn’t have any statutes or regulations requiring landlords to disclose mold in rental properties to prospective tenants or buyers, but a statute requires landlords to provide fit premises which gives tenants rights in these kinds of situations. 

Attorney Shawntae Crews has dealt with plenty of mold cases. 

“We get calls often about mold issues,” Crews said. 

She said Chapter 42 of the General Statutes of North Carolina gives tenants legal protections in cases like this. 

“All landlords have a legal obligation to provide fit and habitable housing.” 

The statute says landlords are required to make all repairs and do whatever is necessary to keep the premises fit in a habitable condition – that includes addressing mold issues. 

“Hire your own mold specialist to come out to the unit and do their own inspection. 

Crews said if you think you have mold, document it in writing and let your landlord know immediately.

If they fail to fix the issue she recommends hiring a mold specialist because the key in these cases is being able to prove that you do have mold.  

“A lot of people do at home testing with mold and not that there is an issue with that, but again you need someone to say that this is in fact mold and what kind of mold it is,” Crews said. 

As for Roman, she wants other families to know their rights and to take action if something is not being done. 

“I just don’t want any other family to feel like they have to live through this. You’ve got to stand up for yourself,” Roman said. 

She wants other families to know their rights and to take action if something is not being done.