“Kristi Hoop says black mold is consuming her apartment, chewing away the walls and contaminating her bathroom.”
Statement From Waterway Apartments
“When a unit is rented, it is clean with fresh paint, clean appliances and free from any mildew, mold or dirt. We inspect units on a regular basis, but it is not our responsibility to keep a tenant’s bathroom or kitchen clean. If a bathroom is not cleaned during a year of constant use, mold and mildew will grow and get out of control. Cleanliness is a condition of the lease, and the tenant is expected to keep their home sanitary. As long as the apartment is returned to us in good condition, and so long as her rent is current, her deposit will be refunded.”
-Stacey Ryals, Landlord
This statement from a landlord is different from the usual denial of a mold problem. Blaming their mold infestation that is consuming the walls (and tenant) in their apartment building on the tenant allegedly not keeping a bathroom clean is ignorant. Mold infestations are in very clean buildings also. Mold can thrive on clean water. katy
Gulf Shores Renters Say Apartments Have Black Mold – Video
April 07, 2010
Pat Peterson
GULF SHORES, Alabama – From the outside, Waterway Apartments on Canal Road in Gulf Shores looks like a typical apartment complex…well-kept, nicely landscaped. But renters here say first impressions can be deceiving.
Kristi Hoop says black mold is consuming her apartment, chewing away the walls and contaminating her bathroom.
“This is horrible,” says Hoop. “Nobody should live like this. Nobody. I scrubbed and scrubbed and it’s all on the edges, it’s just horrible.”
Black mold is common along the Gulf Coast and is highly toxic. It can spread quickly in humid climates and can cause health problems. Hoop says she’s been sick several times recently and blames it on the mold.
“I want to come home to a safe environment, and this isn’t safe,” says Hoop.
Hoop says the problem has gotten so bad, she’s moving out and has contacted an attorney.
The owner of Waterway Apartments would not talk to us on camera, but landlord Stacey Ryals says the mold isn’t his fault or his responsibility. Ryals sent WKRG a statement Wednesday about Hoop’s complaints.
Statement From Waterway Apartments
“When a unit is rented, it is clean with fresh paint, clean appliances and free from any mildew, mold or dirt. We inspect units on a regular basis, but it is not our responsibility to keep a tenant’s bathroom or kitchen clean. If a bathroom is not cleaned during a year of constant use, mold and mildew will grow and get out of control. Cleanliness is a condition of the lease, and the tenant is expected to keep their home sanitary. As long as the apartment is returned to us in good condition, and so long as her rent is current, her deposit will be refunded.”
-Stacey Ryals, Landlord
New Action Committee – ACHEMMIC- Urges Transparency in EPA Policy Over Mold & Microbial Contaminants
Sociological Issues Relating to Mold: The Mold Wars
“Changes in construction methods have caused US buildings to become perfect petri dishes for mold and bacteria to flourish when water is added. Instead of warning the public and teaching physicians that the buildings were causing illness; in 2003 the US Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform, a think-tank, and a workers comp physician trade organization mass marketed an unscientific nonsequitor to the courts to disclaim the adverse health effects to stave off liability for financial stakeholders of moldy buildings. Although publicly exposed many times over the years, the deceit lingers in US courts to this very day.” Sharon Noonan Kramer
Information on Riverstone Residential, the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency, and the owners of Toxic Mold Infested Jefferson Lakes Apartments in Baton Rouge, Louisiana continuing to allow tenants to be exposed to extreme amounts of mold toxins
Toxic Mold Infested Jefferson Lakes Apartments managed by Riverstone Residential
Katy's Exposure 