So, I apologize for being so absent lately. I usually love being on here—helping others and asking for advice when I need it—but this last week has been SO overwhelming that I haven’t had time to process anything, let alone talk to anyone. So, sorry in advance because this is going to be a long one. If you want the short version:
My apartment flooded, was broken into by the fire department, left unsecured, had the WRONG part of the ceiling removed, and I received no communication about any of it. I found black mold, was diagnosed with exposure to it, had to find other accommodations, rapidly pack up everything in a contaminated apartment, move two bunnies, a dog, and all our stuff to a hotel room at 9pm, go to apartment showings, and apply (and spend money) for new places. Now we’re waiting for approval while both of us are still working 9+ hours a day. And when the approval comes, we then have to somehow move with ZERO packing done before the end of the month, find people to help us move out of a black mold-infested apartment, get settled into a new place, get all our items decontaminated and somehow pay for it, all while working. On top of this, I have a super important presentation at work next Friday that I still need to finish.
The full story:
I’m going through something really triggering and stressful right now. I’ve been living in an apartment for a little over two years. It’s income-restricted and federally funded, but it’s still nearly $2,000 a month for a 1 bed, 1 bath, plus office nook that’s only 800 square feet (which, if you don’t know, is SMALL). Our neighbors are mostly addicts, recovering addicts, elderly people, or single parents just trying to get by. But the inside of our apartment is actually really nice for what this place is—renovated, white, bright, and we keep it VERY clean. Both my fiancé and I have severe health issues, so we’re total neat freaks, which has become even more important to me since getting sober.
Last Friday, we went out for date night. We got a call from the emergency maintenance guy saying the fire department had to break into our unit. We found out the reason was that the roof was leaking and set off the fire alarm system, which went off for hours while we were out. (By the way, my poor dog was SO scared when we got home.) I get there, and the door frame and deadbolt are DESTROYED—not just damaged, but ruined. There’s water everywhere. They fixed the deadbolt, but it did nothing because the frame was bent so badly it wouldn’t even latch. They gave us a bucket and told us they’d be back on Tuesday to fix things. Tuesday comes, no one calls or fixes anything. I call the front office, and they had no idea about the flood. The maintenance guy calls back and says someone will be there Wednesday.
Now, I work in the roofing industry, so I wanted to be there when they started work. (I was worried about mold, and the plan was to cut the drywall out of the ceiling to help it dry and prevent the water from spreading.) I confirmed with both the front office and the maintenance team that they would call me first before starting. They never did. I get home, and there’s a hole in the ceiling. I was SO angry because:
- The hole wasn’t even in the right place; the water had spread further, and they didn’t cut out the damaged portion of the drywall.
- They didn’t fix the door frame, so my apartment was still unsecured.
- When I looked up into the hole… BLACK MOLD WAS EVERYWHERE.
I tried reaching out to the maintenance guy, but he didn’t respond. I also sent a four-page email to the front office detailing everything. No response that day. What’s worse, they didn’t call me beforehand like they said they would, or after to tell me it was done. They didn’t disclose the mold either. If I found it immediately, there’s no way a contractor didn’t see it, so they chose not to tell me. They didn’t follow procedures for sealing it or ventilating it—they just left it. And when you agitate black mold, the spores spread everywhere, which further contaminated my entire apartment and they said NOTHING. Let’s also remember I have two bunnies right next to the hole and a dog in the next room.
My fiancé and I have both been sick for the last three months, and we just thought it was the winter or a cold. But when I saw the mold, I thought, “Well, that’s why we’ve been sick.” I went to urgent care yesterday. There’s no specific “test” for black mold exposure, so they ruled everything else out—chest X-rays, labs, tests for COVID, flu, strep, HSV… NOTHING. The doctor diagnosed me with black mold exposure as the only possible cause for my symptoms and high fever. I shared the doctor’s note with the apartment complex, and their only response was that THEY don’t think it’s black mold.
I also work with mold professionals, and I had one look at it, and they confirmed it’s 100% black mold. The apartment said they would test it themselves to show me it’s not black mold, but they suggested I move my stuff to a vacant unit. I asked two things: will my rent be discounted since the apartment hasn’t been habitable and you’re asking me to move with no help? And, I told them my doctor advised I not return to the complex until the mold was removed because of the health risks. If I’m going to move, I need the new unit to be fully inspected for black mold, and they also need to inspect and remove it from other areas of the complex. They refused. Plus, the door still hasn’t been fixed, and there’s water damage everywhere.
So, their only other option was to let us out of our lease. But they don’t want to take any financial responsibility. They’re still wanting the full month’s rent for this month, and they won’t help with moving costs, or the thousands of dollars in testing from my doctor, or decontamination of our personal items, or for the items in our apartment that got water-damaged. They also won’t cover hotel costs. Since we can’t safely live there because of the mold, or while it’s being removed, they’re acting like if we won’t move to another potentially contaminated unit two doors down (which is probably infested as well), then it’s not their problem.
Yesterday, they finally came to “fix” the door… it still isn’t fixed. They also took a mold sample, but agitated it AGAIN and didn’t seal it off properly.
Thankfully, my fiancé’s work put us up in a hotel for the weekend, and we went to tour a new apartment. We’re waiting to hear back, and I’m SO nervous. Our credit is fine, and our rental history is good, but my fiancé does have a charge from a year ago that he was not convicted for, so I’m hoping that won’t be an issue. I’m also hoping I don’t have anything on my record that I don’t know about since I haven’t had a background check done in forever… sucks not being able to remember the bad things I’ve done. Ugh.
But also… who has first month, last month, and a security deposit just lying around? Not to mention, I live in Colorado where rent for something decent, clean, and safe is $2,000. I certainly don’t have $6k just lying around. Fortunately, this new place is willing to work with us. I’m trying to look at this as a blessing in disguise, because I know something MUCH better is waiting on the other side of this. I have to say I am so proud of how me and my fiance handled this. Not ONCE did we fight, or blame each other… nor did we drink or do anything else other than support each other an get through it. This is by far the most triggering thing I have gone through while sober and we’re getting through it. So I will at least take that win.
I could just absolutely SCREAM right now. Now that we’ve gotten away from the exposure we are feeling worse because your body has to go through a detox to get the toxins out… so that is delightful. On top of that I am just sick to my stomach with anxiety. Once we for sure have somewhere else to move I very much so plan to sue because I got sick, for the medical costs, for the water damage to our items, de-contamination of our personal belongings, potentially moving costs, our accommodations, anything else we had to buy due to this situation and I will not be paying January’s rent in full and I will be requesting my security deposit as well.