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YOU ASK. WE INVESTIGATE. Woman takes control of apartment mold problem

Posted at 6:47 PM, Mar 03, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-03 21:47:46-05
Kelsey Brod first called 13 Action News several years ago, after her car was stolen from her old apartment. We helped her get out of her lease, but her new apartment came with a new set of problems. 
 
"It's not like I'm a mold expert or anything, but mold can be quite dangerous if it's inhaled or anything else," said Brod.
 
Brod said there has been mold all over her bathroom and patio since the day she moved in to the apartment near Alexander Road and U.S. 95.
 
"Maintenance actually told me, he's like, 'they're old apartments, what do you expect?' And I was like, 'oh ok, well I kind of expect it to be gone considering it's illegal,'" Brod remembers. "But they didn't want to fix it."
 
She said they went as far as to tell her they did not have the tools to get rid of the mold.
 
"I feel like they were almost lying, like they just didn't want to take the time to do it," Brod said. 
 
Brod said she sent as many as ten work orders with no results and then called 13 Action News. We connected her with the Civil Law Self Help Center, so she could take matters into her own hands.
 
"You have to send them a written notice, they have 14 days to fix the issue," she explained. 
 
She learned all about her rights as a tenant and took action. She sent them a letter demanding a clean up, and it worked. Brod said management promised to get rid of the mold and fix several other things while she's on vacation. 
 
"It makes me feel better about the situation that there's actually things that I can do about it, rather than just sit here and pretty let them walk all over me," said Brod. "I'm not going to allow that anymore."