Mold Problems in Condos

Purchasing a condominium may be a good option for people who do not wish to be responsible for taking care of the structure of their home; this means that the electrical, plumbing, and general maintenance of the property would be the responsibility of the condominium’s management, not yours. It may depend on your individual agreement to purchase a condo on the property, though.

To protect yourself from being liable for mold damage that may already exist in the condo before you purchase it, you should have a clause addressing that issue inserted into the purchase agreement. This means that if mold spreads to your property from someone else’s or if the toilet overflows in the condo above yours, then the management will take care of any repairs that will need to be done. Before purchasing a condominium, you should always take good care to read all of the paperwork and make sure that you are comfortable with everything included in it. If something makes you uncomfortable or seems unreasonable, you may want to consider purchasing one from somewhere else.

If you discover a mold problem in your condo and it is due to no fault of your own, having it taken care of can be difficult, depending on the honesty and response of your complex’s board. The first thing that you need to do is start a paper trail of complaints and requests that the problem be taken care of. Never do this verbally, because this will not hold up in a court of law. You need written proof of when you complained and sometimes this is best done by sending a certified letter, so you know that the intended party received it.

The next thing that you need to have is hard proof that there is a problem. Hiring a mold inspector to look at the condo and do a report on it first is something that you will need to have if you want to prove that there is an issue with the property that needs to be taken care of. The unfortunate burden of proof is on you, since it is not the responsibility of the complex to prove that there is not a problem.

Small mold issues can be taken care of by you at not much expense and this is often better than trying to get the condominium board to do it for you. Inform them that there is an issue, though, if the mold returns after you cleaned it up. The source of moisture needs to be removed.

Remember, mold problems that originate inside the unit are your responsibility, but if the mold or source of moisture comes from outside your unit, it is their responsibility to have it taken care of.


Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Emergency Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.

Mold, Water Damage, and Condos

If you have just moved into your first home, you may not realize just how much work and effort it takes to keep up a house, even if it only has one bedroom in it. People who live in condominiums and have homeowner’s association fees do not generally have to deal with the maintenance of the building’s structure, but those who have houses are responsible for the entire thing from the ground up. Living in a condo can have its benefits and its downfalls, but if you do not want to have to take care of the structure of the building (if it is an apartment-style complex), then having one of these instead of a house may be for you.

If you are considering renovating a condominium inside a larger apartment-style complex, then you should realize that there are things that you can do and things that you cannot. For instance, replacing the tub and tile in the bathroom is acceptable, but moving the plumbing around to suit your new design is probably not. Structural changes to the inside of a condo are generally something that you need to have approved first. Changing the location of a light in the room also should be inquired about, since this will involve having electrical work done.

Mold growth and water damage in the condominium, though, will be your responsibility. Everything inside the walls of the condo belongs to you and you can do as you wish with most of it, but any mold growth and water damage that occurs inside it will also be your responsibility, especially if it is your fault that it is there. If you have allowed the bath tub to overflow or the dishwasher malfunctions, then that would make it your responsibility to have the problem fixed. If it is due to bad plumbing in the complex, though, you may have a claim.

The condo that you are purchasing should come with exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathroom and if it does not, look around for a window in both these areas. The kitchen and bathroom are areas that are prone to mold growth and water damage if the humidity stays too high. As with any home, you do not want to have appliances that use a lot of water and malfunction on a regular basis. You will be better off purchasing new ones in the long run.

The exception of mold growth being your responsibility is only if the mold spread into your condo from another part of the building. If the entire complex has a problem, then you are not liable. Have a clause on mold inserted into your purchase agreement to protect yourself from mold damage that already exists in the condo.


Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Orlando water damage restoration companies and
Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.

Mold on Wood Paneling

For some people, the threat that is feared the most is the threat that they cannot see. This is understandable, since if you can see your threat, you can assess how you can best deal with it. Something that tends to be a threat to the health of the people in your home is mold growth and if you have this in your home, you may or may not realize it. Sometimes mold is hidden inside the walls, ceiling, or floor, and we will not know without having a mold inspector come to the house and do some testing.

You can do an inspection of your home for visible mold growth, though, fairly easily. Sometimes you will run across a splotchy patch of drywall in your bathroom or other moist room in your home and you will instantly be able to identify that there is a mold problem in the house. Other times, finding the mold will not be this easy, because the mold is simply invisible. At least, when you look at it the wrong way. Finding mold takes a little detective work sometimes and this is best done with a flashlight.

If your home has wooden paneling anywhere inside it and you have a problem with mold in one area of the house, turn the light off in the room with the paneling and shine the flashlight along the surface of the wood. This will give the mold a little bit of depth and it will show up much better than if you shine the light directly onto the surface at a 90 degree angle. These molds usually belong in the genii Aspergillus or Penicillium and are very easily overlooked if you do not use this flashlight method.

You can clean the mold off the wood paneling with chemicals that are advertised as being able to kill mold, but you may want to be careful just what you put on the surface if it is real wood and not imitation of any kind, especially if you plan on keeping it as a part of your home. If the growth returns after a few days or weeks, though, you may want to consider removing it completely, since the growth may be embedded into it.

The reason for wood paneling in some homes is that they have been flooded and the previous owner could not afford to put drywall back in the damaged areas. If you can afford to remove wood paneling that has no drywall behind it, you really should do this. Replace the paneling with paperless drywall, since mold has a harder time growing on these slabs of drywall than others.



Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami water damage restoration companies and
mold remediation companies across the united states.

Hurricanes and Water Sanitation

The flood waters that wreak havoc on your home when rivers run over their banks or when hurricanes come calling can contain almost anything that you can think of (and some things you can’t) that can be harmful to your health and the health of any pets you may have living with you. If you are unfamiliar with how to prepare for a hurricane, then you may want to do a little research into just what you need to do before the storm hits, especially if you do not plan on leaving your home during that time.

The most important thing that you can have during a hurricane or any other disaster is clean water to drink. You will absolutely not be able to trust the water that comes out of your faucet during the storm, because the local water supply may have been contaminated by sea water, sewage, leaves, sticks, or almost anything else that the wind and water can carry with it. One easy way to get the clean water that you will need for a hurricane is to collect it in milk jugs that you have saved and cleaned out. This is a good alternative to buying a lot of bottled water at the store, especially since it may not be available in the quantity you need by the time you get there.

Purifying water after the storm has already started and you have run out of the supply that you had saved up is not too difficult. If you can get water out of your faucet, you can boil it for at least 10 minutes to get drinking water. If the electricity is off, though, you may not be able to boil anything and you may have to result to water purification tablets, which can be purchased at most outdoor supply stores. Hikers and campers take these with them often, especially when going into the wilderness to camp and not staying at a camp area near town.

The water damage to your home may be very little or extensive, depending on how close to the flooded area of town you are. Your windows should have been boarded up to help prevent the panes from being broken by the wind and as many parts of your home waterproofed so water cannot get inside as possible. If the area outside your home is flooded, do not let children or pets get in these waters, since they are likely contaminated.



Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.

Getting Rid of Basement Moisture

Not all homes have basements, but for those of us who do have them, they can either be a blessing or a curse. You can use this area of your house for many different things, including an extra bedroom, a family room, entertainment area, laundry room, and just about anything else you can think of. If the basement is humid or has an odor, though, you will want to spend as little time as possible there and you will lose all of your basement’s potential.

Basement humidity problems can come from a variety of sources. It can come from keeping wet clothing in the washer too long on a regular basis, having the clothes dryer improperly vented to the outside of the house or just not vented at all, from water leaks inside the house, or from water leaking in from the outside.

If the problem is an indoor one, you can consider installing a dehumidifier in the basement to help alleviate some of the problem. Having energy efficient windows can also help with reducing humidity and so can installing an exhaust fan in the ceiling to help push some of the moist air outside the house. If you are going to install an exhaust fan, though, be sure to pick one that is appropriate for the size basement that you have. It should even be a little stronger, if you can afford it. Using the minimum is often not recommended and problems with new home constructions are often due to the builder using cheap (but building code approved) products.

Fixing leaks in the concrete walls of your basement used to be time consuming and expensive, but most cracks in concrete walls can now be fixed with an injection of concrete by using a normal caulking gun that you can purchase from a hardware store. You should be able to do this yourself without much difficulty, but if you doubt your ability, find someone who has experience with these things.

If water is coming in the basement from outside the house or through the windows, consider having the window wells replaced and the soil around the home piled up a little higher so water does not settle around the foundation and form a puddle. This is usually the cause of water seeping into the basement from the outside, but another problem could be ground water. You have a little less control over ground water, but you can install a drainage system to help with this, too.

Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.

Condo Ownership, Mold Issues, and More

Owning a condo is a good alternative to owning a house if you do not want to have to keep up with a lot of things that would normally come along with owning a house. Some condominiums do not have yards to take care of and this is convenient for those of us who do not enjoy outside work very much. You will, however, most likely have to pay homeowner’s association fees every month to pay for the upkeep of the property. These fees generally cover plumbing issues, problems with the roof, keeping common areas like pools, gyms, and spas clean. Even though you may not use these areas, you will still have to pay the fees to cover keeping them clean every month.

Issues like mold and water damage that come into your unit from outside its walls (for example, from a neighboring unit or the shell of the building itself) will be taken care of by the condo association and your monthly HOA fees should cover this. If water leaks down from the unit above you and causes mold growth, you are not responsible for cleaning it up most of the time. If you find a mold problem in your unit and you are certain that it is not your fault, you should notify your condo association as soon as possible. It is usually best to do this with a certified letter, so you are absolutely certain that they received your request for assistance. Do not complain verbally, because if you end up having to go to court, a verbal claim will not hold up. You need to create a paper trail of evidence that there is a problem and that you have complained about it. Some states require that problems like this be resolved in a timely manner, so take advantage of this if you live in one of them.

Condos are also governed by a collection of rules that are called “Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions. This means that there are rules regarding how many people will be living in the unit, whether pets are allowed, what kind of renovations you can do, and sometimes even down to what kind of curtains you want to put up. Most condominiums want the look of the community to remain consistent.

Renting out your unit may also be subject to the approval of the condo association. If they do not like the tenant you choose to rent the condo to, they may not let you do it.

Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Dallas Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.