Homeowners know that when dealing with repairs and maintenance, catching the problem promptly and fixing it fast are solid money-saving strategies. Overlooking a maintenance or repair issue can cause much more costly repairs down the road and could even possibly put you or your residents in danger.
One problem that can surprise property owners and residents is mold showing up in the residence. Since it begins slowly and grows gradually, frequently inside walls or hidden within other structures, specific molds can apparently go from invisible to a serious health hazard in the snap of your fingers.
There are multiple mold types, but the toxic variety is known as Black Mold or Stachybotrys atra. Usually slimy greenish-black or gray in appearance, toxic mold thrives in damp sections in the residence, including leaky roofs, pipes, or windows, or even under floors and in ceilings if there was a flood or leak. Black Mold releases an unfriendly musty odor and, when present, can severely constrain your ability to guarantee a rental property’s safety. It is important to recognize that Stachybotrys molds are not always black, meaning molds of varying colors could also be unsafe. In other words, there’s no way to know just by looking whether you’re dealing with toxic or harmless mold.
While mold typically is very common in damp indoor environments, Stachybotrys is less common than other mold species, including Cladosporium, Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Alternaria. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) don’t have numbers concerning how often Stachybotrys molds are discovered in buildings, but it’s less common than ostentatious media reports would want to admit.
Health Hazards
The presence of toxic mold is a serious health concern. The CDC reports associates the presence of mold in the residence with serious health effects, including respiratory problems (coughing or wheezing, throat irritation, nasal stuffiness), eye irritation, or skin irritation. Individuals with allergies, asthma or lung disease may be even more severely affected, resulting in serious lung infections or other life-threatening conditions.
Property Damage
Due to the risk posed by toxic mold, it’s important to get a handle of an outbreak as fast as possible. As a landlord, you may be held responsible if you know of the mold’s presence in a rental home but do not take the proper steps to deal with it.
Past legal liability, toxic mold can lead to severe damage to a rental home if left unimpeded. Mold flourishes well wherever a steady stream of moisture is present. It can grow on cardboard, ceiling tiles, wallpaper, upholstery, and carpet. It can also grow on wood products, like the wood inside walls and floors, on insulation, and even on drywall and paint. With so much at stake in your rental homes, it’s essential to do regular upkeep that includes good mold prevention strategies.
Call the Experts
Oddly enough, several property management companies don’t consider mold a serious problem. They may attempt to avoid costs by ignoring water damage or telling residents to deal with it themselves, but mold should never be treated lightly and placing the health of your residents in jeopardy is never a good idea. The serious nature of the damages caused by ignoring mold makes it a job for a company that will work to safeguard you and your residents from undesirable consequences.
In Conclusion
At Real Property Management Results, we know the hazards that uncontrolled growths of mold pose to rental homeowners. Our team of proficient property managers and service specialists in Newburgh will address the problem early and fix it, thereby saving you both time and money. Do you want a free assessment of your rental property? Please contact us online or call us at 812-461-1676 for further information.
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