Question
We are renting a house in PA with mold problems starting. Can I get out of my lease quickly ?
We are renting a house from someone here in Pennsylvania. We have been here 3 years no problems. We have some blacl mold starting to grow on the basement ceiling and our furniture downstairs. The basement is open to the rest of the house so the whole upstairs living room smells musty as well. We have a iron clad lease where the landlord even made us agree to give up tenants rights when we signed. But with the mold can we get out fast? Or do we have to wait for someone from the health department to come out ? That will take a while and we found a house we can rent which is a hard thing to come by around this area. If we wait to long we will lose this potential home and be totally stuck here. The landlord has this in the lease. Can someone explain what it means? I am thinking knowing how he is he will say its not bad and we are unjustified in moving. But my kids have been to the the doctor for probelms with this already and my husband tested allergic to mold a year ago at his allergist. It is black mold but not a large amount. Dont know if its the bad kind but there were spores on our other things as well. The lease says " LIMITATION OF WARRANTY OF HABITABILITY , Any remedy for a alleged breach of warranty of habitability , as that may be construed under case law , shall be limited by a offset against rent." What does that mean "exactly" . I am so worried this guy would come after us he can be a jerk and we dont need any extra stress right now. Does anyone know the laws here in PA? I took pictures and video and do have documented doctor visits . Any advice would be great. Thanks! The basment smelled musty when we moved in 3 years ago. We didnt know that at the time that meantthe presence of mold. When we moved in we had a dehumidifier running and have had one running all along. It is dumped daily. It seems to me like the floor itself is even moist. It is not a healthy place for my family right now and no, we did nothing to cause any mold at all.
1 month ago - 4 answers
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A little bleach and water takes care of mold. As you been living there for three years now, what is changing to allow in the mold???
by Rudy
1 month ago
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Other Answers
NOPE Mold is normal and natural occurrence. After 3 years occupancy, the mold is probably caused by you not LL. Are you running a dehumidifier? Have you cleaned if off with bleach water and aired out area? Do you keep good ventilation? Do you run fans? Have you put LL on notice about problem and asked him to address it? Have you given LL time to check out and fix problem? To get out of lease legally you would have to go to court and have judge hold lease Void due to LL's failure to comply with Warranty of Habitability. YOU AGREED that LL has NO liability to you for breach of this warranty, other than abatement of rent. Other option is to give LL notice, due to problem, then move out and hope he doesn't sue you. Expect at minimum to lose deposit in such situation, and possibly to be sued for rent for term of lease, until he re-rents.
by chatsplas- 1 month ago
Sorry you're having this kind of problem - the fancy words - means that the landlords/owners liability just extends to an offset against rent. (he's trying a weasel move by saying you can't sue me if you get sick) But guess what, it's illegal to rent an inhabitable dwelling. You have the documentation - get an attorney or get some help from legal aid or talk to someone at Health department.
by dusty_titus- 1 month ago
Nowhere near as easy as you seem to think it may be. If you want to get out of a lease due to 'mold', you need to demonstrate that the molds involved are the harmful type to human health. Stachybotrus molds are one of the few which qualify (and it's quite rare). That your husband is allergic to mold does not count. The landlord is not responsible for your husband's personal allergies. If you want to pursue this, contact a mold testing company to visit the premises to have the molds tested. You can proceed from there.
by acermill- 1 month ago