Mold, mold, mold

In South Florida mold is a challenge and if you can t get it removed it can become dangerous It got so bad for one woman she had to move out That s when she turned to Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser Buying a home has been called the American Dream At least it is in the beginning Tracy Pereira It was supposed to be my sanctuary my home Tracy filled her townhouse with wooden pieces of art that caught her eye Tracy Pereira My favorite is Crazy Man Number Six over there But now one big predicament Tracy Pereira The concern is I have mold due to a leak It began when water started pouring down from the apartment above Tracy Tracy Pereira The entire bathroom was so wet that a wood vanity that was anchored into the wall fell off the wall urgent the toilet tank sending all that water downstairs The leak was apparently fixed but left behind water damage in the upstairs bathroom The bedroom is so damp Tracy says it caused the wooden ceiling fan to droop mold in another bedroom the water dripping from a rusty pipe stained her floors and more damage downstairs Tracy Pereira I ve just been so overwhelmed and I just feel so defeated Tracy says she contacted the property manager Tracy Pereira Started with phone calls Constantly dismissed put off As time passed Tracy noticed a change in herself Tracy Pereira There s not one moment of the day where I feel normal There s double vision there s dizziness Tracy then hired a mold inspection company to check out her home Patrick Fraser What did they find Tracy Pereira Mold At least four different types of mold Tracy says she sent that record to the association When nothing was done she had to rent an apartment to protect her wellness Tracy Pereira To pay out two different places My life is totally different Tracy doesn t have insurance because her townhouse is paid for But after an hour in her home the mold even had an effect on us Tight chest coughing in what used to be Tracy s dream home Tracy Pereira I felt very defeated I need help Mold Step in Howard Howard Finkelstein First thing stop the water leak and that seems to have been done in Tracy s situation Next determine who is responsible If it s a neighbor or the association and they fix the leak rapidly you have to take care of your damage Now if the leak is not fixed fast the neighbor or the association is responsible for your mold removal and any property damage Instead of contacting the local property manager I contacted the regional boss He reported he was not aware of Tracy s mold predicament He sent a company in that certified the mold and required to pay a different company to take care of the trouble Tracy declared that was not enough because that price wouldn t cover all the work that demands to be done Tracy Pereira He wants to come out and cut out a moldy patch of a wall If you don t clean the mold and remediate it it s just absolutely pointless We then did a three-way call with Tracy and the management company Nothing could be worked out Tracy says she will now have to sue the association to get the work done the way she wants Tracy Pereira It s devastating Not what she expected when she bought her dream home Tracy Pereira It s the exact opposite of everything it was for the last years We were able to help Tracy get things moving towards a remedy but it may take a judge to resolve this We ll keep an eye on this event for you and let you know what happens And even if your place is paid for you might want to get homeowner s insurance to cover things like mold A damp concern left you swamped Wanna leak out the details Pour it into our laps so we can soak up a response With this Help Me Howard I m Patrick Fraser News CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD Email helpmehoward wsvn comReporter Patrick Fraser at pfraser wsvn comMiami-Dade - -WSVNBroward - -WSVN