- October 8, 2018
Residents of a Trinity Park apartment building were living with mold for months, but they never knew it. When reporters from a local news station visited the building, they had to watch out for water logged carpets and hold their breath because the scent of mold was so powerful.
Testing was ordered by a former manager of the apartment complex several months ago. Those tests confirmed that there were high levels of mold inside the building. However, despite these findings, the former manager alleges that the owners of Trinity Park put off having the mold cleaned. Instead, tenants were moved out of their first floors of the building.
Mildred and her family, tenants of the building, continued to reside there, completely unaware of the potential risk of mold growth. When reporters from the local news station who visited the building told the Mildred’s about the mold growth, they were completely shocked.
When reporters asked Mildred what she were told about the mold in their apartment building, they said that they weren’t told anything. “I’m shocked to know it. I had suspicions because of the smell when I go in the washroom,” said Mildred (she asked to keep her last name concealed out of fear or retaliation.)
Mildred and her twin grandchildren, who are just two-years-old, know all too well the impact that mold can have on your health. That’s because they recently moved out of a different apartment building that was also contaminated with mold.
“We had flu symptoms, the cough, cold, the words. It got to the point where they couldn’t breathe,” Mildred said of her grandchildren.
A reporter asked Mildred if she felt like the landlord should have let her know about the mold growth.
“Yes… I’ve been here five months,” she said.
But as it turns out, if you’re a renter, property management and landlords don’t have to tell you if mold is a problem. That’s according to the St. Louis County Health Department.
“Our code does not require property owners to communicate with tenants, and nor are owners required to evacuate residents when mold is discovered,” said David Wrone of the St. Louis County Department of Public Works.
Regardless of the codes, Mildred doesn’t think it’s fair that she and her twin grandchildren were forced to live in a mold-infested building and that they weren’t made aware of the problem.
“Let us know something, because we don’t want to get sick. Nobody wants to get sick from mold. It’s terrible,” Mildred said.
The owners of Trinity Park were cited for the mold issue by the County Health Department months ago. Management told reporters that the problem was just recently fixed. However, the county is now considering filing civil charges against the property owners because the inspector found organic growth in several of the buildings within the apartment complex.
Mold Inspection & Testing St. Louis has years of experience performing mold assessments in the city. We urge the owners of Trinity Park to arrange for mold testing in all of their buildings to ensure the safety of their residents. To speak with an MI&T representative, call 314.480.6964.
