A female resident files a lawsuit against her Landlord for moving in with Toxic Molds. She discovered later after moving into her new apartment that several symptoms were appearing in her body. The symptoms she noticed included; localized skin irritation, facial tingling, ear pain, fatigue, and skin infections. After all this signs, the tenant decided to file a lawsuit against her landlord for negligence. In her suit, she cited the cause of her symptoms were toxic molds arguing that these molds were allowed to infest the property without any attempt to settle the problem before she could rent. Furthermore, the landlord never gave any information about toxic molds in the apartment in the recent past. ABC7 eyewitness news video here.
In his defense, the landlord denied all the allegations. He argued that the property was well treated to remove all the molds and any toxins. He added that this was done before the plaintiff moved into the house. In the defense of the landlord, the presentation was that the tenant had complete awareness of the house history before actually moving in.
It was also revealed that the previous tenant was evicted because he failed to pay a study fee. He allegedly reported to the landlord about water damage in the apartment. This seemed to be facilitating the growth of molds in the house. In responding to his complaints, the landlord hired an Air Quality Company to do a study on the possible growth. It was their fee that the old tenant could not raise that saw his eviction.
The jury found that on all the accounts, the case was presented in favor of the landlord.
Based on the above suit, it is, therefore, important to learn how to avoid lawsuits from tenants. Below are useful reminders and significant tips on how to keep tenants happy and in turning your rental property intact.
- A Good lease agreement.
- All Fire alarms should be working
- Good communication with tenants
- Good routine maintenance
- Compliance with Insurance companies in the region
- Joining landlord association in your region
