Dealing With Landlords and Insurance Companies About Mold

Whether you rent an apartment or own your own home, mold can be a huge problem to have to deal with. Insurance claims adjusters will usually deny your claim simply because the vast majority of homeowner’s insurance policies simply do not cover the cost to remove mold from the home. Landlords presented with a mold problem in one of their units or in the home that they are renting out are sometimes quick to blame the problem on the tenant rather than admit that the problem is structural or was there before the tenant moved in.

There are a few insurance adjusters that will try to trick you into saying that mold has been around for millennia and that it is not the health threat that people are saying that it is or that the mold contamination in the home is somehow your own fault. If the infestation is obviously not your fault, do not say anything that suggests that it might be. If he/she claims that mold is not a problem like people say, point at the Bible. The scriptures in Leviticus 14:39-49 clearly tell how dangerous mold was considered to be in the time of ancient Judaism and tell how the homes were considered to be “diseased” or “plagued” by mold. It also tells just how these contaminated homes and belongings were dealt with. The rabbi inspected these buildings and determined what was to happen to them and the basic procedure was to remove all belongings from the home and take them far away from the village and people, to shut up the house for a week, and to examine the home again. If it was still not free of contamination, it was torn down and a new one built.

Landlords should be told the same thing if they tell you that mold is not a health threat. You need to provide the landlord proof that there is a problem via mold testing. The burden of proof is on you, not them. Test the home yourself and send a copy of the test results to the landlord via certified mail. If he/she does not respond, send another letter saying you are withholding your rent until the problem is fixed. Lastly, if that was ignored, send yet another letter via certified mail stating that you are re-locating and seeking legal action.


Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York water damage restoration and other states and cities such as
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