Minor mold + over the top tenant

Advice needed.

I have a scenario where my tenant has requested an immediate emergency termination of lease due to major mold issues.

I requested photos to review the severity and they have come back showing extremely minor mold on some cornices and a few items inside the house. In my opinion nothing major. Some photos showing mold in the bathroom and on tiles, as far as I'm concerned that is upon the tenant to maintain as it's inside a wet area.

After speaking with RE agent they have said they are having many similar cases due to the severe weather/humidity we have had in sydney lately. I'm more than happy to fund a humidifier to help the situation but as a whole I'm not sure as to where I stand. I current rent and deal with/have delt with minor mold my whole life and never made a fuss about it?!

Has anybody come across or dealt with a similar situation?

 

Mold is everywhere in the wet weather.
Just need to air out the house when the rain stops.
That was the first thing I do every day. My house is open up rain, hail or shine.
I can tell you most people don't even open up their house. They live in a bloody dungeon environment.

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

Worst case..
A squirt of 50 / 50 vinegar and water , a couple of drop of detergent in a 500ml bottle.
Spray over the surface.. wipe clean to remove the mold.
Pretty simple task - anyone can do it.

 

If its not a leak that has created the issue then its an occupancy issue. Its like complaining the windows are dirty and the carpet has hair and bits of leaf on it. Its like tenants who leave food in bin and whinge about roaches and ants.

A dehumidifier wont fix anything and just make the tenant whinge more and creates an expectation to solve their own issue. Fresh air is free and abundant.

 

I totally agree with you. Im cautious on how to go about this one, not wanting to give the squeaky wheel too much grease..

REA has expressed a dehumidifier is a good option. Noting that we don't want them to go any further with the matter. Not sure if they have a case if they want to take it further, but im sure that would be more costly than a few hundred on a dehumidifier.

 

Let them go. Who cares.

Rental market is so tightly held you'll get another tenant in ASAP and probably at higher rates.

If I was you the only 3 words I'd say to them is "see you later". Tenants like this are ones you DO NOT need in your life.

 

If tenants are on a fixed term agreement, you shouldn't have to be out of pocket for them to terminate without a break fee.

I would ask your PM to get a mould company in to determine the cause of mould, these guys will generally inspect and report for free. If they can determine that there is no leak and the mould is due to poor ventilation, then the tenants are liable to clean the mould and cannot terminate on that basis.

 

Sounds to me like they want to leave, but don't want to pay break costs.

FWIW, we've never had mould here, and yet, just a few months ago we had a crop show up in the bathroom. It's well ventilated, so that wasn't the issue. Hubby found a small leak in the ceiling, and fixed it, and it's all done with now. Damn this eternal rain.

 

Google this: Choice mould 3 buckets.

Also check that they are letting air into the place - especially important in bathrooms as fans don’t work if air isn’t coming in through a door or window etc…

p.s. it”s ‘mould’ not ‘mold’!

 

I don't get how you can tell from just a photo. Why isn't someone going down there and figuring out more of the story?

This sort of flippant dismissal is the sort of thing I used to see as the start of many successful compensation claims that lessors had to pay out - sometimes in the thousands.

Shrug, I can't tell if this is going to be one of those cases - but then why not try and figure it out?

 

Will certainly look into this. Much appreciated

 

I'll be digging deeper into it. I've had the property for 5 years and never had a mould issue. It's clearly happening because of the extreme and constant rain we have had lately.

As mentioned I'm more than happy to fund or share the costs in a dehumidifier and proactively search for a resolution. But if all this doesn't work?

 

May pay to check the roof. Mould on ceilings or cornices is often the result of water coming through the roof.

 

There are a extreme mould problems right now- in houses that haven ever experienced mould before, all over the carpet, clothes, everywhere.

We are taking the stance per the REIQ and other industry experts that the mould is the tenants responsibility unless it has been caused by a maintenance issue (e.g. leak). I do appreciate that the tenants aren't really responsible for it in this case either, since it's an environmental phenomenon, but we're working with the information we have.

Assuming you don't have major, chronic, unsolvable mould growth, the mould and the request for termination are two completely separate issues.

Your agent should make them aware of the statewide mould issues and advise what they have been advised from their peak body and experts. If the tenants disagree, you do still have a duty of care- I'd get it cleaned asap. Have a causation report made up by someone like mouldmen or mould cleaning australia. You could consider charging it back to them too, depending on the contents of the report.

If they insist they still want termination, you're more than happy for them to vacate- but you will be treating it like a standard break lease with all usual compensation payable.

That all being said - if they're painful people and you can get more rent, it might be worth just washing your hands of them. I've had that on a few occasions over the years, painful tenants screeching about mould growth (that they caused....), Landlords decided to let them go. We got better new tenants in and, miraculously, no further mould growth.

 

I've just had the same issue. One of the housemates apparently never turns on the exhaust while showering, resulting in mould in the shower cubicle and elsewhere in a newish bathroom (late 2020 renovation). I bought some Selley's Rapid Mould Remover, went there and sprayed it all around.

I've requested them to use sugar soap and scrub the area lightly after which we will repaint with an anti-mould paint. Have also sent them an email requesting them to ensure the exhaust is always turned on whenever the bathroom is in use. There is only so much one can do as a rental provider, tenants should learn to take some responsibility too.

 

After cleaning, I doubt this will be necessary.

 

I found using the dry setting on my air-conditioner helped massively with preventing mould when there was non-stop rain in Brisbane recently

 

Just an additional prevention measure

 

Mould issues can be tricky ones.
Some people are debilitated by what seems very innocuous levels, while others don't have problems at all.
Best to keep an open mind and stay on top of the situation.