This landlord didn't do nearly enough for black mold in this renter's bathroom.
You're likely familiar with the "landlord special" — a coat of paint over dead bugs, a hair dryer to dry a soaked carpet, or a stick to hold up the sink. But a coat of paint won't fix this shower nightmare, and the landlord won't either.
A frustrated renter took to Reddit to share their shower situation. "Water leaking from my bathroom ceiling while my upstairs neighbor takes a shower," the original poster wrote.
It's a horrifying sight. Water pours from a hole in the ceiling along a wall covered in black mold. And the OP's update on the situation isn't much better. The landlord had maintenance cut out a small section of the wall and spray some fungicide. With all that mold, a lot more of the wall needs to go. Otherwise, the problem will spread, wasting resources such as wood and water.
Unfortunately, landlords don't always make it easy to live safely or sustainably. From banning solar panels to gardens to air-drying clothes, landlords can get in the way of making money-saving, planet-friendly home upgrades.
If you have a strict landlord or harsh HOA, there are still plenty of eco-friendly home upgrades to make, including replacing incandescent bulbs with LEDs. And if you want to take it a step further, you can work to change your HOA's bylaws.
Commenters were shocked at the amount of mold and recommended immediate action.
"There very well could be some sewage in that water. Landlord needs to take immediate action and if they don't, get the housing authority involved. 110% unacceptable for any amount of time," one user said.
"That's not nearly extensive enough to even BEGIN addressing the rot problem that much moisture would have caused," another Redditor wrote. "That entire wall from the ceiling to the floor needs to be opened up. I guarantee you there is moisture pooled right around the footer and if the wall isn't opened up it's going to continue sitting there."
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Yes — often 😬 Some users debated whether the upstairs neighbor was liable, but it's unlikely. "As a licensed property adjuster I laughed and shook my head at that thread. … Liability in this case requires negligence. Based off what I've seen and read from OP, there is no negligence by upstairs tenant," a commenter explained.
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