what should i do about this mold problem??

Question

at least i think it is mold. My landlord has been over here and looked at it and said that it was fine, but there is obviously visible water damage to baseboards and other parts of the bathroom. The pics are of the baseboards in the bathroom and the floor in the kitchen where the water is coming under the wall. Are the walls gonna have to be torn out to fix this kind of problem???? I f so i don't really want to move in here.

http://s128.photobucket.com/albums/p162/tigerlily083/Yahoo%20Photo%20Album/?action=view¤t=moldinbathroom001.jpg

http://s128.photobucket.com/albums/p162/tigerlily083/Yahoo%20Photo%20Album/?action=view¤t=moldinbathroom002.jpg

http://s128.photobucket.com/albums/p162/tigerlily083/Yahoo%20Photo%20Album/?action=view¤t=moldinbathroom003.jpg

http://s128.photobucket.com/albums/p162/tigerlily083/Yahoo%20Photo%20Album/?action=view¤t=moldinbathroom004.jpg

http://s128.photobucket.com/albums/p162/tigerlily083/Yahoo%20Photo%20Album/?action=view¤t=moldinbathroom006.

new links of pics

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p162/tigerlily083/Yahoo%20Photo%20Album/moldinbathroom003.jpg

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p162/tigerlily083/Yahoo%20Photo%20Album/moldinbathroom001.jpg

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p162/tigerlily083/Yahoo%20Photo%20Album/moldinbathroom002.jpg

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p162/tigerlily083/Yahoo%20Photo%20Album/moldinbathroom004.jpg

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p162/tigerlily083/Yahoo%20Photo%20Album/moldinbathroom006.jpg

the place isn't clean already, and i'm going to have to work really hard to get it cleaned up and i don't want to even start if the place is gonna have to be torn up to fix this.

Answer 1

The pictures don't appear to show any mold; HOWEVER, my concerns would be about what is under the paint that you cannot see. Additionally, it appears that the water level was above the top of the baseboard which would mean that the drywall would've been wet.

Mold sets in within 24 to 48 hours unless the water is dryed completely out AND a fungas/ mold killing agent was applied to the surface of wet areas such as walls, wood etc...

Ask the landlord who he had (probably no one) to professionally remedy the water issue when it happened and exactly what steps and precautions were done.

The paint is most likely peeling because a primer was not used before the paint.

Also, one of your best indicators that water damage occured due to sitting water over several days is the color change of the wood floors. Wood floors change only with severe standing water or animal urination.

I would site unfit conditions and concerns and would begin looking for another place if at all possible. If the landlord cut corners on such an obvious problem, imagine where else corners were cut that you cannot see and that might pose serious safety concerns.

I would try to find another place to live. Be your own best advocate becuase clearly, this landlord will not be!

Answer 2

, All you have to do is take a screw driver and scrape the wood across and, you'll see what's behind the paint.
The paint is peeling due to mold growing on the wood, the paint is pulling away from the wood.

What's going to happen is that your going to have to take the bases all off, scrape the wood down to the base wood, then treat it so there's no mold for it to grow anymore, then treat the wood, then you can paint it again. Then you'll have to scrape the walls to see how bad the mold is. I would guess your going to have to replace the bottom half of the plasterboard because the mold is twice as bad on the inside where there's no light, as on the outside.

If i were hired to do this job, I would definitely replace all the bottom interior wallboard then it would be easier to just replace the bases then to restore them. Probably replace anything behind the board also.

If I were you I would tell the land lord he's full of crap, that's going to be a big job and, he's going to have problems in the future, especially with people with asthma or, other breathing conditions.

Answer 3

I vote for finding another apartment. There's obvious water damage that has bubbled paint, warped the wood, stained the floor and messed up the caulking. This doesn't happen in an isolated incident. That floor, baseboard and wall is exposed to water often. Look for another place where the landlord cares about you and his property.

Answer 4

Can't get to pics when I clicked on the links. So can't tell if there is mold.

If there is visible water damage, make sure you take dated photos to document it was there when you moved in, if you decide to. And consider, if it is mold, if you want to live somewhere where they ignore such a health risk (which might be easily abated with a dilute bleach solution). Or ask for a significant discount for it not being cleaned properly.

Answer 5

Looks like the home was flooded at one time. I would go talk to the nieghbors they will tell you the truth. Personaly i would pass this up, the landlord does not care about his property and simply put it is just not worth the hassle.