- July 7, 2017
Mold and water damage is the last thing anyone wants to find in their home, but unfortunately, that’s exactly what a resident of Old Louisville allege that she has been forced to deal with for months. The resident also claims that her landlord has not offered any help.
Rus’Shon Weakley is a tenant at the Reeser Court Apartments, which is owned by New Directions. Weakley said that for months, she has been asking her landlord to clean the mold that has been growing near the back staircase of the apartment building. She alleges that the mold has sickened both her and her son.
“I have a kid. I can’t just let stuff rot and let you sweep it under the rug,” said Weakley.
She is beyond frustrated with the problem and is fed up with her landlord’s lack of response. “Repugnant” is the word that she has used to describe what is happening to her and her son.
Weakley sent photos from inside the back stairwell of the building to a local news station. The photos show what appears to be mold and spores sprouting out of the drywall.
The health department has confirmed that there is, indeed, mold growth. They cited mold and water damage inside the apartment building.
“It’s a life-threatening issue,” said Weakley. “I mean, this could affect my son. And like I said, this has been going on since the end of May.”
Health department officials said that four days after they received the first complaint, they issued an “order to correct”, which is something that is only done when they believe that health or safety is in danger.
New Directions, the owner of the property in question, was supposed to remediate the issue, but failed to. Another complaint was filed with the health department, according to officials.
In the meantime, Weakley said that she has begged the manager of the property to correct the issue.
“It was always an excuse. ‘Oh, I didn’t know this, we had bad communication, I’ve been out there I’ve seen it’” is what Weakley said the property manager told her. All she wanted was for the property manager to take action and she didn’t see that until after she had contacted a local news station to bring attention to the issue.
“I truly believe nobody would have been out here today had I not emailed the news”, said Weakley.
When the local news station arrived at the property, restoration crews were there and the back staircase, where the mold was growing, was taped off. Workers who donned protective gear were working on removing the dry wall from the stairwell and bags of debris. New Directions representatives were also on the scene.
Mold Inspection & Testing Louisville has vast experience performing mold assessments in apartments throughout the city and the surrounding areas. To protect their residents, we strong urge landlords and property owners to arrange for regular mold testing. To speak with an MI&T representative, call 502.209.7747.
