The Landlord Lens - Mold

Episode Date: January 13, 2024

Mold is a common problem in rental properties. As a landlord, it's important to be aware of the dangers of mold and to take steps to prevent and remediate it.Mold can cause a variety of health problems, including respiratory problems, allergies, and asthma attacks. Renters with weakened immune systems, such as young children and the elderly, are especially vulnerable to mold exposure.Mold can also damage property, causing stains and odors. In severe cases, mold can even weaken the structural integrity of a building.On this episode of Be A Better Landlord, Jonathan and Krista discuss mold dangers, how to identify and remediate mold problems, and how best to communicate with tenants if a mold problem arises. 

I'm Jonathan, this is Krista, and we're here to help you be a better landlord. Today we're talking about mold. Mold can happen anywhere. Some places it happens more often than others, but it's always a scary thing. It's not only unsightly, it can also be hazardous. Yeah, so there are a variety of molds out in the world, some of which are more dangerous than others. Black mold is usually the one people think about when they're talking about deadly molds. But really, you know, the health ramifications span from something as simple as headaches, feeling disoriented in the space because people are breathing in these spores, all the way to disability and death. I mean, there are long-term implications that come with living in a mold-infested

area that can take months, even years to fully recover from, if you can. So every property is at risk, and it pays to know what to be on the lookout for. Yeah. So what are the signs that you have mold? So you're going to be looking for first and foremost, water damage, because of course, mold grows where there is moisture. So make sure that you are looking out for signs of discoloration on the walls, any kind of excess leaking, whether that's from a toilet or a sink. If there is a weird texture to the wall or flooring, it could look like bumps, it could look like divvits, just things that weren't there before, which is why it really pays to keep up on your inspections regularly, so you can assess these kinds of situations. So if there were signs of discoloration before from damage that you had resolved,

but it starts to grow or change color, that is a sign that there is something going on and you need to investigate quickly. Seems like also it would be a good idea to make sure you're taking pictures of anything like that. If there's a weird yellow spot on the wall, take a picture during moveout, during vacancy, during your regular inspections. And if that weird spot has grown or shifted, you probably have an issue. Exactly. So in addition to looking for signs, visually. It's very common to smell mustiness or stale air where there is mold growing. So be on the lookout. If you do see any of these signs, you need to act. Okay, so let's say you have mold and you have decided to deal with it yourself. How should you

do it? So mold can grow on anything. But for this example, let's say that it's on drywall. Okay, so first what you're going to want to do is cut away the damaged material, right? So do this carefully. Make sure that you're wearing a respirator. You don't want to be breathing this in. Send your tenants away. You know, do this at a time where they're not in the space if at all possible because it is dangerous to breathe in mold. So armed with your respirator, first open the doors and windows, create some cross breeze, and then of course remove the actual damage. So depending on the size of the damage, that'll dictate what tools you use. You don't really want to use anything that's going to kick up a lot of air because again, this is not something you want to be breathing in. So

think more manual, most likely. Once you've removed the infected piece, you can then create a mold killing solution. If you don't want to create it yourself, storebot is fine. You can get it at your local lows or your home depots, whatever you have. They should have some kind of solution. If you'd rather DIY it, we have a plethora of recipes in our blog. Link is in the bio. One of them is going to be one part bleach to three parts water. Only thing is, if you are creating your own mix, please please please be careful do not mix chemicals that are not intended to go together you will get hurt you could die so don't do that but bleach and water safe so you're going to mix that together put it in a spray bottle and then you're going to spritz the area that has been impacted by the mold okay so this is

not the damage piece of drywall that you've cut off this is anything behind the drywall this is the studs and you do not want to soak this area in fact it should be like one to two sprays if it starts running down the wall, you've sprayed too much because again, that moisture is going to contribute to the issue. So a couple spritses and then get some kind of scrubbing material, whether that's a sponge or something else, steel wool, if you really want to go at it and you're not afraid of damage, and scrub away all of the mold that you can see. Okay, this is really important. You want to try and get all of it gone because it's going to multiply otherwise. Once you do that, you should be left with a clean but damp area of the house.

and you want to make sure that you are bringing in air filters or other fans that you can dry that area as thoroughly as possible before you seal it back up. Now, I know you have some thoughts on the kind of system you could use to dry out this kind of area. I do. Yeah, air filters are really important. You've mentioned a respirator. You mentioned bringing in clean air.

All of this is kind of coming back to the way that mold kicks spores into the air, right? that's what makes it unhealthy to breathe in. So you want to make sure you're not breeding that stuff, not your tenant, not you, definitely have something over your mouth and nose when you're working, cleaning up any kind of mold. But I have an air filter like those that became so popular during COVID, worked great for mitigating COVID risk. Also works great here for cleaning the air and just getting those mold spores out of there

and not into your lungs. Yes, so critical. So pick one of those up if you don't already have one. It's a great tool. And again, you want to be as safe as possible given the potential implications for your tenant's health. So take it seriously. Once it's all dried up, you can then go ahead and reseal it with new drywall.

If you have any doubts or fears about your ability to do this, do not be ashamed to bring in a professional. Okay. With that being said, you want to be careful because it is a situation with a lot of fear and anxiety for folks. So don't get taken advantage of make sure you get multiple quotes from the contractor. Make sure that they can answer your questions. that they have the appropriate licensure that they need,

and then they will take care of them for you. Okay, so during all of this, let's say you have a verified mold problem and you've got to deal with it. What should you do with your tenant during that time? You want to make sure, of course, that you're in constant communication with your tenant. Whether they brought this issue to you or you saw it when you're on your inspection, you want to keep them apprised of every step of the journey,

because this is where they live. So if it's a quick fix, something that's just going to take, let's say, an afternoon, schedule that out, get it done, follow up with them afterward. That's going to be really important because if there was a leak situation, you want to know that it's fully stopped. If it's a more serious situation and they need to be out of the property for, you know, even overnight, it may be your responsibility to rehome them temporarily. That could look like getting them into a hotel or moving them into a different unit if you have a different open spot available. But make sure that you're letting them know the expectation, which includes the timeline and when they can be back

in the property because, again, it's their home. They want to be back there, but really, you should only let them back when it is safe to do so. Yeah, that makes sense. And it also seems important here to mention that you should not be blaming them for whatever happened. Yeah. Likely it was not their fault. These things do happen. It's not because they were unclean. It's not because they were trying to damage your property. It's just sometimes mold happens. Exactly. And that's why if you're conducting regular inspections with them, one, you can get a sense of what's going on. Maybe they've noticed a toilet leaking and it's just a little annoyance for them. But you know as a landlord that that can create real property damage.

So you can let them know. And you can also ask them about some of their habits. Like if they notice that the sink is running after they've shut it off when they're doing the dishes. Things that you can start to pick up on and act before they become a big problem, that is critical. Of course, there are also steps you can take to prevent this kind of thing as much as possible. And you should. Yeah. So let's talk about that.

How do you prevent mold? So first and foremost, it's being aware of your environment, right? If you're down in the swamps of Louisiana, you're more at risk for mold than you are in the arid deserts of Arizona. But everywhere is still a mold fodder, for lack of a better term. So that means that you need to be up on your inspections. Of course, we can't stress that enough. But additionally, you can do things like install moisture sensors. So let's say that there's a hole in the roof and moisture is kind of.

coming in. For some reason, you don't fix the hole. But instead, you could put in a moisture sensor so that at least you and your tenant are alerted the next time that moisture levels rise to a certain extent and you can take action accordingly. Inside the unit itself, is there anything you can do with the walls, for instance, to make sure that they're less susceptible to mold? Believe it or not, painting your walls can actually be a great way to prevent mold, because it acts as an additional barrier between the mold spores and your drywall. Once the mold spores get into drywall, they can really take it over and infest the whole thing. But if they have paint there, it's a lot harder for it to stick. So paint your drywall. Be sure that you're communicating with

your tenant signs to look out for so that they know if there's mold or water damage and to relay that to you. And of course, if you're super concerned, get moisture sensors. They usually, you know, $20 to $30 a pop if you get them on Amazon, non-spawn. And that way you can at least know. And again, acting quickly is going to be key with these situations so it doesn't spread and become a big health risk. All right, Krista, thanks for walking us through what we should look out for. I feel way more empowered to keep mold out of my unit. And if you out there think we missed anything, please drop it below in the comments. And don't forget to subscribe. TurboTenant is the all-in-one platform for landlords to manage their rental properties. From vacancy to

tenancy, we have you covered with industry-leading tools and expert advice. Landlord better from anywhere for free at turbotenant.com.