water damage on wall?

Question

on the wall n my apt it began looking like water damage. i took pictures and was assured by LL that it would be fiixed.. how ever i have heard nothing..
now the outlet on that wall has water damage and black around it from the water damage.. could it be mold??
the molding on same wall has water damage and paint is cracking.. what could happen if outlet is used? could i get sick? this has been goin on 6 months

Answer 1

Any water leak needs to be addressed within 24-48 hours or "organic" growth can occur. You mention black around the outlet, if the black is directly on the outlet to the top side all within 3"-4" it could be smoke from the outlet shorting out, check to see if any breakers are tripped. If you are sure there is water/moisture in or around the outlet I would not plug anything into it. Nicely put I would tell the landlord you have concerns about potential mold and further damage to the wall that you do not want to be responsible for. Keep notes documenting everything very well, follow up with a letter referencing your phone call, dates & times. You need to protect yourself. If nothing happens after the letter you may then contact a local health advisor. They frequently can be hammered by a lot of petty issues, be polite but firm.



Home Inspector & Landlord

Answer 2

I would say the black is mold. If your outlet is used and has water in it, you could get a really bad shock or worse, but I don*t think you would get sick from that alone. You can get sick from the mold , I would call again, and report it, and if nothing is done go over the head of that person.

6 months is a long time to get something done.

Answer 3

Get on the LL backside. Tell him it is either gonna be a health issue if it is mold or a safety issue with electrical shock hazard. making it an unsafe building.

Check you agreement that you signed, they are suppose to hop on problems immediately. The LL works for the "Owner" of the building. He can be fired if he is not doing any work on upkeep.