Mold has a distinctive musty smell. Most common molds will make the home smell old and unpleasant. You may notice the pungent nature of the smell increases as you run the air conditioner, particularly if mold spreads to the air ducts.
Check - My apartment stinks!
You Notice Visible Signs of Mold
The mold you find in an air conditioner often looks similar to the mold you find elsewhere in the home, such as an uncleaned shower or basement. The patchy black residue may or may not wipe off easily, and will require cleaning to remove permanently.
Check - See pictures below.
You Experience Recurring Respiratory Symptoms
If mold did not cause serious adverse health consequences, homeowners would not need to worry about its presence. However, mold can cause anything from mild irritation to serious respiratory illness requiring hospitalization.
Check - Itchy, burning eyes. Itchy skin. Headaches. Sometimes it was hard to breathe.
In addition to causing health issues, the presence of mold could affect the overall value of a home or building.
Source: Canoga Park Heating and Air Conditioning
Video of my mold infested apartment at:
If you live in Houston, Texas and you're considering moving into Memorial Towers Apartments, I will let you view, smell my place first. Please contact me through email. I am available anytime between these hours. 6:30 PM, CST - 8:00 AM, CST.
For your safety, please bring your own N-95 rated breathing mask, or respirator. (sarcasm, but not...)
Thank you. Have a great day!
I signed a year lease. I moved out within a week. I was becoming physically ill from the mold. I complained. Wrote a letter. Nothing was done. Well, they wiped off the vents and said I'd be fine. Unfortunately, for now, I'm still going to have to pay rent. It's vacant except for some bed linens and clothes. I don't sleep there.
The building is 50-years-old. The air conditioning unit is just as old. It blows damp air no matter what the setting is.
The sliding glass doors to the balcony or patio are a major problem.
Over the last few days, I have tried numerous ways to fix the mold, humidity issues in my apartment.
My last unsuccessful adventure was buying this dehumidifier.
I purchased this dehumidifier, Frigidaire - 70-Pint Dehumidifier on 05/29/2018.
I set it up and turned it on close to 7:00 PM, CST. Medium setting. I set the level to 45%. Six hours later, the reservoir was full. The dehumidifier never reached 45%.
After six hours and a full reservoir, 75% humidity remaining inside the apartment. 40% - 50% is normal indoor living conditions.
The first night in there, the smell was horrid. I thought the place just needed to be aired out because it had been vacant for awhile. I did my best to ignore the smell and continued to move my stuff in. The smell never went away. It only got worse.
After a week, I was becoming ill. Headaches. Itchy, burning eyes. Skin itched. It was hard to breathe. I could no longer get comfortable. The smell was off the charts!!! Worst smell I've ever encountered.
I reported the issue in writing to Jerry on 05/17/2018. I told him I suspect mold somewhere in the unit. I was then told, "to buy air fresheners and I'd be fine. The building is old." It is old, and I had already tried that.
Not satisfied...
I did some investigating on my own and found massive amounts of mold, dirt, and other fungus growing inside the AC vents.
David finally came up to the apartment on 05/20/2018. I showed him the vent in the living room. Next day, 05/21/2018 they bleached the vents and said problem solved.
Still not satisfied...
Cleaning the vents won't solve the issue. Sorry. It's deeper than that. The carpet needs to be cleaned. The walls and counters need to be scrubbed, etc...etc... The AC unit itself obviously has issues. I'd also like to mention there is zero weather stripping around the door in the living room where the smell and vent were the worst. There is a steady flow of hot, humid air just flowing into the apartment 24/7.
This is also important. Jerry and David aren't the ones to blame for this. The building really is old. I can't thank them enough for letting me move there in the first place. They gave me a chance nobody else would. I was thrilled and happy. This is not intended to bash Jerry or David in anyway shape or form. They are both awesome people. They were, are just doing their job. That being said, they aren't mold experts.
I have numerous pictures and video of all this available on request.
This is being published to warn others of the suspected mold hazard you may encounter if you decide to rent here at Memorial Towers Apartments.
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This is my review. It was blocked by Yelp.
