Mold in an occupied rental property

[Ryan B.]

Hello all,

So I am in a bit of a pickle and curious to see if any other landlords have experienced a similar issue and what sort of course of action they would recommend. I own a SFR out of state with a business partner who also lives out of state, and we use a property management company to manage the rental. We got an email from the PM saying the tenant reported seeing mold on the kitchen wall. We authorized a mold inspector which found a large leak behind the dishwasher. The damage is pretty bad with near by cabinets, floor boards under the kitchen tiles, and drywall on the siding of the house all being soaked with water and need to be replaced. The inspector is recommending a complete kitchen demolition and possible tenant relocation.

My question is, have any of you guys had a similar experience, and/or had to relocate tenants? What should i be worried about in terms of liability, and should I be taking any more steps beyond authorizing the mold removal and cleanup? What would experienced landlords recommend in my situation.  The lease ends at the end of June with the tenant notifying us that they intent to move at that time and my business partner and I were planning on selling the house during the summer once the tenant leaves.

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[Scott Weaner]

"The inspector is recommending a complete kitchen demolition and possible tenant relocation."

It sounds like these recommendations are excessive. If this were your house, you wouldn't move.