MOLD Issues In Rentals

[Jarrod B.]

Hey there everyone, I have a couple of rentals in FL and am just now starting to experience some issues with Mold.  I searched through a lot of the discussions, but was unable to find a clear cut answer as to the process a landlord must go through in order to determine what course of actions need to take place in order to remedy the issue.  I value very much the opinions and wisdom of the biggerpockets community, so here it goes.

On my first unit, it appears as though there was a crack in the ceiling allowing moisture in. Either that, OR it was from a hard rain that went through the vents and into the house. They sent me pictures of the mold and to be honest with you it doesn't like like much mold at all. You could see where the water might have gotten in, but the mold was minimal. In order to remedy the issue, I called the HOA, whom is responsible for the roofs, and they were able to make an appointment 5 days later. As far as the mold is concerned, I had a plumber come out to look at the mold to ensure that it wasn't from a pipe and clean up the mold. He verified that it wasn't from a pipe, but told the tenant to just use a little bit of bleach and water to clean up the mold (ughhhhh, i really wanted him to clean it up, but what am i going to do). He also mentioned that the mold wasn't hazardous like black mold. Is there anything else you all would have done in order to make sure that this issue doesn't cause any future lawsuit issues? They have kids in the house too, so I just want to make sure all my bases are covered and that their health is not jeopardized.

At my second unit, it looks like I have some mold coming from the AC pipes above a closet dripping down.  The mold is extremely minimal there as well, but tenants freak out at the sight of mold.  What would you do to remedy that situation?  Would you call in a handyman just to clean it up and maybe put a drip pan where the pipe is developing condensation?  What would your course of action be.

Thank you again everyone!