- February 13, 2018
Murcell Tarver, a Jackson foster mom is being evicted over black mold growth in her home.
Tarver’s landlord said that she can live somewhere else. The landlord claims that they made efforts to fix the problem and that Tarver refused to pay the rent.
Tarver, a foster mother, is raising five children in the Jacksonville rental house. She says that black mold is growing at a rapid rate and she showed it to reporters from a local news station. She said that she would no longer allow her daughters to sleep in their bedroom because the mold smell was so intense. The children are now forced to sleep on a blowup mattress in the kitchen.
“I try to have them not come in here, as much as possible,” Tarver said.
She claims that she first spotted the problem in the bathroom and thinks that it was caused by a leak in the wall. When Tarver made the discovery, she contacted her landlord and maintenance workers installed a layer of drywall and tried to conceal the odor; however, Tarver says that her landlord refused to make the necessary repairs to permanently fix the problem.
The landlord of the rental house, who is based in California, told the same local news station that Tarver spoke with, that the fix that is tenant requested was too costly and too complex.
He told reporters that Tarver can live somewhere else. He even sent the documents that were sent to Tarver evicting her for not paying her rent.
Tarver was shocked by the news of her eviction and stated that it was the first she heard of it. She said that she will be contacting an attorney.
“You can’t tie my hands like that,” she said, “Because I have to think about the well-being of my kids.”
A Code Enforcement inspection that was recently performed revealed several problems in the rental property. A report issued by the city of Jacksonville stated that the floor in one of the bedrooms of the rental home was improperly repaired of constructed and that the house was in an “unsanitary condition.”
Mold thrives in moist, warm locations. Though the source of the mold growth in Tarver’s rental house has not been confirmed, it is likely that the leak behind the bathroom wall is the culprit of the problem. Exposure to mold can cause several health problems, including runny nose, water eyes, irritated skin, sneezing, coughing, respiratory problems, and in severe cases, it can even cause organ damage.
Because of the health problems that mold exposure can pose, it’s understandable why Tarver is concerned about the issue. If she is evicted, it will be a wrongful eviction, as the landlord refused to properly correct the problem.
Mold Inspection & Testing Jacksonville has years of experience performing mold assessments in properties throughout the Jacksonville area. We strongly urge Tarver to schedule mold testing to confirm the presence of mold spores. To speak with an MI&T representative, please call 904.300.0099.
