Tenant want mold inspection because they feel sick?

Question

Hi, got a new tenant move in 1 month ago. They said they have been sick since they moved in and want to do a mold inspection.

Last family live there for 5 years with kids and never had any problem like that.

I ask if he smell any mold or any visible mold, he said he smell some

I been inside the house for 1 week straight cleaning the house 2 months ago, and I don’t smell mold or see any sign of mold at all.

My proposal was if I call out a mold inspection guy to come out, and they find nothing, we would split the cost of inspection 50/50. If they found mold, I would pay 100% of the cost of the inspection and fix.

I live in Arkansas.

If you were in this situation how would you deal with this?

Last time a lady wanted me to do mold inspection on my rental too but found nothing. I’m out $500 for nothing. Moldy smell was coming from clogged bathroom sink (I figure that out myself)

Ned J. · Answer

Oh boy......new tenant in one month and already playing the " I feel sick and its mold" card....

You have to do the inspection or it will only escalate the claim. You have no choice.

But a you stated there has to be a contingency for who is responsible for the cost based on the results. BUT also have specifics about the threshold of what "mold" means. Mold is ubiquitous in the environment and you and I are exposed to it EVERY DAY...90% of home will have some level of superficial mold in them (surface stuff around windows or doors, bathroom surfaces etc) , but 99.9% of it is totally benign. So be careful on what threshold needs to be reached to consider it a real problem.

I would also highly recommend the "happy clause" be discussed and in writing...... "if you feel concerned or unsafe in my unit, I will gladly let you out of the lease with no penalty within the next 30 days... please let me know what you want to do".

Bill B. · Answer

Dear tenant. My last tenants lived there for 5 years without a problem. If you’re creating mold already in 1 month I don’t think I want you living there. Please move out. Thank you.

Maybe they have a bette sense of smell and smell a toilet smell or a humid smell. Or they regret their decision to rent and want a way out. Let them go.

Worst case you send over the form to be signed that says you;ve found an inspector, he costs $xxx. If he finds mold you’ll pay for e inspection and the repair (obviously) but if he doesn’t find health damaging mold it will be added to their next month’s bill.

Tim Miller · Answer

I agree with @Ned J. one month in and already starting to complain! We wouldn't do the 50/50, I would simply tell them that they have to pay for the inspection and if it comes back with dangerous levels of bad mold. Then and only then will I pay for the testing and the cost to clean it up. Plus tell them that you will provide them with an inspector for them to call and make the arrangement as needed. Otherwise they can provide their 30 day notice and we'll all be happy.

Katie Peugh Davis · Answer

I live in Florida which is very humid and mildew is a common occurrence.  We actually have the tenants sign a mold addendum that explains how they are responsible to keep mildew or mold at bay by running exhaust vents when showering, treating visable mildew in window sills and bathrooms with bleach, cleaning the AC drainline, running AC when humidity is high ect...

My first thought would be to perform a walk through and see if they can show you what they think is the source of the smell or mold.  It could be as simple as dirty laundry in a closet or a smelly drain.  A walk through inspection could allow you to rule out alot of tenant related issues of false mold.  Most types of toxic mold develop from a water or moisture source.  If there is a leak or problem that you can identify it would be less expensive to remediate versus paying for inconclusive mold testing.

When a tenant complains of mold and complains that it is unsafe we always offer them the right to vacate, should they choose to remain they would have to sign a hold harmless agreement.  we do always inspect and see if we can determine that the house may or may not have mold.  Most of the time in my experience it is just a false alarm and tenants are looking for an excuse to live rent free or vacate without penalty.

Chris Seveney · Answer

Note: the proper way to do a mold inspection is to test the outdoor air to indoor air. Why, because if you just test indoors YOU WILL FIND MOLD. Mold is everywhere. Where it becomes a problem is if you have mold indoors that is not outdoors and that is typically where problems would occur.

What I would do is offer them to vacate the property with no penalty. Why? Because if they stay after you offered them this AND they complain they were sick, you have a very good case whereas they were offered to leave and stayed on their own behalf. You are not forcing them and gave them an out of their contract.

Leroy K. Williams · Answer

I had this problem only 2 months ago with one of my Section 8 rentals.  The tenant swore there was mold so we came out and found no visible mold however we did treat the surface areas with a spray product sold at Home Depot called "Concrobium" then we followed it up with treating the walls with Hydrogen peroxide. of course this was to ensure that the tenant could not say we were unresponsive which is also why we made a video while on site showing no mold.

It was a relatively cheap way of responding and in the end the tenant later confessed that she simply needed to break her lease.

Bruce Woodruff · Answer

I agree with @Tracy Ross...everyone has different reactions to different levels of mold. Some people can have a severe allergy to a certain type of mold that doesn't bother anyone else.

I would guess these people are scammers though if you've had no other issues. But now that they've brought it up, I agree you do have to get it tested, just to CYA.

Happy clause sounds good with these people...

Jack Ni · Answer

Thank you, I would take the happy clause because I can’t deal with this kind of stuff. Last time a tenant want a electrical inspection because a light bulb went out.

Tenant want mold inspection because they feel sick?

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