Tenant feels there is mold in the AC ducts - what to do?

[Aiden Harris]

I’ve got a new tenant who states he believes there is mold in the AC ducts. He has stated he is sensitive to mold & allergens. He filters his side of the property with HEPA filter system & MERV 14 (I believe) return AC filter. He moved in 1 month ago from another state (Midwest) and attributed it to feeling unwell. He came to this conclusion after violating the lease wherein it states, “Residents agree not to tamper with any mechanical equipment stored in this area [attic]”. He opened the air handler to install a UV light and found a dirty evaporative coil, which I have since then cleaned appropriately. Now he thinks the AC ducts need to be sanitized. I told him that we could discuss options.

My AC guy states, after extensive discussion, it was just dirt and a dirty coil.

We live in the south (New Orleans), so naturally life is incredibly humid. We have weekly localized flooding, although the property takes no water. So mold is relatively abundant outdoors. Additionally there’s an incredible amount of roadwork on our street.

I’m sort of just gathering opinions and trying to render a good and fair decision. I have many people in my ear telling me to let him know he can leave. No one except the mold remediation salesman is onboard with paying $1800 to clean the duct work. I owner occupy this property, so if there was an issue, I’m almost certain I’d be experiencing it too. Please let me know what you all think.