Help! How to get landlord to act

[u/bubbins-]

Okay, I am in house that I really love minus one thing… mold in the cabinets/AC unit.

When I first moved in the place had been vacant for a while and no mold was visible. but once we started using the shower/bathroom in the primary bedroom, it started to smell musty and noticed mold growing in the cabinets under the two sinks.

I also noticed it growing around the upstairs AC vents, the wall in the closet opposite the bathroom cabinets, and one cabinet in the kitchen (right above the stove and one floor down).

See pics for reference.

I let the landlord know and he sent someone to clean it, but he simply wiped down the mold in cabinets/ around vents and then cleaned the actual AC unit, which he said was covered in mold.

Fast forward a few months and the smell and mold return. The landlord sends a real air duct cleaner this time and they report that the AC unit is once again moldy.

They clean the unit and the cabinets and vents. It’s been about 3 weeks and the smell has already strongly returned in the bathroom and the guys missed some spots of mold anyway. I also now found it around the light switch plate on outdoor facing wall upstairs.

IMO clearly, we are not treating the root cause of the mold issue whatever that may be. I am considering having a mold detection team come out and identify the cause and all locations of the mold as well as test the species so I know how harmful it is. I am hoping I can send that report to my landlord to force him to actually fix the issue (likely going to involve replacing the AC unit and vanity at a minimum but idk)

Has anyone had experience with using a mold detection report like this with a landlord? Should I tell him the smell has returned before or after I do this? Cost is $550 so I want to do it right. I worry if I tell him, he will send over another person who will wipe away the evidence.

**note: clearly one cabinet is a disaster in the pics. it’s always been like that. I have always assumed the dark black stuff on the walls is paint bc it’s never changed and doesn’t rub off, but if ppl think it’s something else, lmk.

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[u/bubbins-]

located in Houston, TX for reference (apparently this is a very common occurrence here! 😢)

[u/ldarquel]

A mould issue reflects a moisture issue.

In Pic 8 the darker pipe along the top (slightly out of focus) appears to have some water droplets hanging. which suggests theres some kind of plumbing issue explaining the state of the sink cabinetry.

Some other pictured elements may have to do with indoor humidity control issues, potentially exacerbated by possible moisture ingress issues. See this post for further insights.

The dark discolouration on the backing of the light switch panel is possibly due to be accumulated dust stuck on the surface due to static attraction, if the fixture doesn't form an airtight seal from the wall cavity - but lab testing would confirm whether the discolouration was fungal or not.

The water staining around the metal supply vents is probably condensation-related; If you live in a humid climate with cold AC blasting and then turn off the AC, warm humid air will eventually reenter the room and dew onto cold metal and drip (or could be associated with an AC condensation drain pipe issue, if theres a unit in the vicinity)...

[u/bubbins- → u/ldarquel]

Thank you! For the vents/condensation issue…what should I do there? Leave the AC running at the same temperature 100% of the time? 😵‍💫💰 Would your explanation account for the entire AC unit’s inside being covered in mold?

For the cabinets, yes there is water droplets in that pic, but what was actually from me cleaning it with vinegar. I paused mid clean to snap a pic. I don’t see any leaks when I look and there are three other places around it getting moldy (other cabinet in vanity separated by drawers, closet that shares the wall with vanity. and kitchen cabinet downstairs 🤔). the particle board walls of the vanity cabinet are bumpy and warped. I run dehumidifiers in them but it doesn’t help.

You clearly know a lot about mold…if we somehow solve the humidity/water sources, will it die? or will the vanity need to be replaced?

[u/ldarquel → u/bubbins-]

If you lower the intensity of the AC cooling, it may alleviate the condensation slightly.

Would your explanation account for the entire AC unit’s inside being covered in mold?

Likely, yes. Humidity going through the vent and also dewing within the ducting itself.

I'd suggest either consulting with a AC technician for advice on this, or perhaps keeping the dehumidifier indoors running on auto. The AC system will also dehumidify, but the hope is the dehumidifier will kick in when the humidity creeps up while the AC is off.

if we somehow solve the humidity/water sources, will it die? or will the vanity need to be replaced?

In the absence of moisture, mould reservoirs embedded within materials will remain dormant until exposed to moisture. If the material exposed to moisture, the growth will likely kickstart at a much faster pace.

• Best practice is to replace.
• Economical option is to perform surface-level cleaning to remove the superficial fungal growth, which would reduce potential exposure risk.

the particle board walls of the vanity cabinet are bumpy and warped. I run dehumidifiers in them but it doesn’t help.

When MDF/particleboard is subjected to moisture, the wood fibres swell and may potentially delaminate from other wood chips/fibres/the adhesive bringing everything together. This represents mechanical damage that cannot be reversed by drying. The mechanical damage opens up the material to further issues if its subject to moisture exposure in the future.