Moldy Carpet
 

I have some moldy carpet in my apartment.
It was there when I first moved in (2 months ago)
It is in my bedroom, which shares a wall with the bathroom. THe landlord came and recocked the floor in the bathroom. I believe that is all that was done.
iM SCARED THAT IM GETTING USED TO THE SMELL AND THAT IT IS MAKING ME SMELL PERMANETLY
I know that others can smell it, but dont want to come right out and say my place smells bad.
on two different occasions I had girls over for the first time
one asked if I had a hampster (NO)
the other asked if I had a dog (NO)

What should I tell the landlord?
I would think new carpeting is the only solution, but how would that happen while im living here?
what should I say?

Tell him the smell is preventing you from getting laid. If he still doesn't fix it, then he has no heart and it's time to start looking for a new place.

TFP RUG SUCKER TO THE RESCUE!!! (Yeah, right :rolleyes: )

I wish I could promise a good result, Temp, but from what you have said your landlord is either not too smart, or is going on the cheap at your expense.

If you have moldy carpet in your bedroom, then you most certainly have moldy pad under the carpet, as well as a wet subfloor. Caulking between the bathroom and bedroom hasn't resolved the problem. A topical carpet cleaning will not solve this problem either.

Your guests may be smelling animal scents because there were previous tenants with pets. Your wet carpet is simply magnifying those urine & feces odors. Nasty? You bet.

This is between you and your landlord, and I have no advice to offer in that regard. (If I were living there, I would be looking at the lease agreement to see if there is an out due to preconditions).

Good luck, Temp.

The landlord should at least be concerned about potential liability. Mold is a hot button in most states since the child & pet deaths of the last few years. Not to start some big lawsuit, but check with local tenant advocacy groups. The smell might be harmless (most likely) but it could also be hazardous. It will also creep if given the chance, and that could damage your property. I'd at least want to know what I was living with.

in most states they HAVE to fix this. this could also be a major health issue. get on him and threaten legal action if he doesn't follow through quickly. things like this usually don't have to be written into the lease. it's part of maintaining livable conditions for tenants. you may even be able to withhold rent until its fixed (in many states you can withhold rent if the hvac system isn't working). in other places you can pay for it out of your own pocket and deduct the cost from your rent. there is a lot you can do.

Document all communication. send letters certified and keep a copy.

you said it was an apartment, if it is corporate, send letters to the owners, go up the chain of command. be aggressive but polite. you don't have to take that shit.

Mold is a health risk. Tell him to fix it or you'll SUE HIS ASS.

I can't tell you the number of people I run into that think they can sue their landland for unhealthy conditions. Temp, checking the landlord/tenant act in your locality is the best recommendation given here.

You want to take the advice of suing your landlord? Please let us all know how that goes, if you choose to pursue that direction.

I'm not being snotty folks. You can't buy a lawyer that would accept this case, and come out ahead of the lease agreement, money wise.

Elphaba, you can in Michigan. *shrug*

I'm in Washington. Temp might be able to fight it with the Landlord/Tenant act here, but there would need to be money up front to hire an attorney. I'm just saying that you won't find a continguency lawyer in this state willing to take this case, and paying for one is a lost cause, imho.

Shouldn't be too much of a hassle to call up the landlord and let him know that there is still a problem with mold. If he doesn't follow up in a couple of days, send a letter registered mail regarding the issue. That should get her/his attention.

Guess I'm lucky in that I've never had a non-responsive landlord. They usually like it when you keep them updated on the status of their property. Just make sure your room is tidy when they come by and look at the mold. They don't want to hassle with moving aside your trash.

thank you all for the replies...
I dont feel that my landlord is/will try to screw me.
The complex is also corporate owned/run, they just have an older couple live in landlord.
I just want the best option to take. I told him about the mold, and he came to cock the bathroom floor, thinking it was coming from the shower and leaking into the bathroom (probably right) But i dont know what to do.
I guess Ill just go talk to him tommorow and let him know that the problem is still there and smells bad.
I thought that maybe the cocking would do the job (ignorant and wrong) but it didnt, and it took me a while to figure that out. So now I want to know or maybe tell him what action to take so this problem is resolved for me and any future tenants.

I was being tongue-in-cheek with my comment. :)

But seriously, get him to tear up the carpets. In fact, getting your house inspected for mold is probably a good idea.

get a hampster..or a dog :D

that way if the chicks ask you why ure apartment smells so bad, at least you have a reason!

Ask for the carpeting to be replaced. It's not an unreasonable request.. the carpet has mold.. Take pictures of the moldy area.

Caulking after mold is spotted, I think is a little like locking the barn door after the horses have been stolen... it's too late.. you've already got the mold... and mold can be very very expensive to remove... not to mention a health hazard.

I wouldn't want to live there -- I'd give them an option -- either replace the carpeting (it really doesnt' take more than a day to replace carpet) or let you out of your lease fully refunding your security deposit.

well for them to replace my carpeting, what would I so with all of my stuff for the time being?

Nothing like a good old January yard sale... hey, you could get rid of some junk, too.

Seriously, I have a friend that went through a mold situation in his apartment, and the honest truth is: run. Find a way out through your lease or whatever and get out. My buddy ended up losing a lot of money by finally giving up and doing the carpets out of his own pocket; but it didn't end there, it was on the walls behind the wallpaper. And elsewhere. Thank god he lives somewhere else now. Poker nights weren't too great at his old place.