Mold in a.c. ?

Question

I live in a basement apartment in a very humid area. I have two a.c. units, neither work properly, but I keep them turned on to have some air circulating in this stuffy basement and clean both regularly. I complained to my landlord a month ago or so, and he has yet to come look at them. Today I noticed that the unit that works the best of the two was leaking into the apartment, discoloring the stucco wall a yellowish-brown color, three different streams of water coming straight down the wall and a fourth coming directly out of an electrical outlet that it was plugged up to. I turned off the unit and immediately contacted the landlord, informing him of the problem, the outlet, the damage, and the probability of mold. I looked inside the unit and noticed it is filled with black mold. My husband had to TELL him that he is coming to fix it for him to agree. We have both been very congested recently, and I just got over terrible bronchitis by taking antibiotics.

Answer 1

You have multiple issues going on here whether you know it or not.

1) If you're renting in an area where A/C is not required to survive, then no, it is not required to be repaired as it may be considered an "amenity"

2) If Mold is developing and it is damaging the property, the landlord MUST come fix it. However if it is due tennant neglect, then he CAN charge *you* for the repair

3) Yes, black mold can cause all kinds of respiratory issues. In addition to that, basement apartments normally don't have proper ventilation anyway, so the mold is not going to go away.

4) This is the most important... in 99% of the US (note, i did not say 100%), a landlord renting out a basement apartment is *illegal*. You need to check your local housing authority to verify that for your area. If it is illegal, I suggest you find another place to live and then tell your landlord to stick it with the balance of the lease otherwise you will take them to court and will report them to the local housing authority for renting out the basement when it's illegal.

I suggest moving out at this point because chances are, it's not just in the AC and that specific wall. It most likely has spread throughout the structure.

Answer 2

You should get the mold tested, not all mold is toxic.  You need to know what you are up against.