LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Las Vegas mother is speaking out after she says her family was living with mold in their apartment while property management allegedly failed to properly address the issue.
Melody Tobias and her family lived at the Sedona Ridge Apartments near Tropicana and Jones for almost 3 years before recently moving out at the end of her lease.
VIDEO: Jhovani Carrillo talks to a Las Vegas mother about apparent mold issues in her apartment
"I'm so stressed, and it's so hard, like I don't sleep anymore," Tobias said.
She claims her property manager didn't properly address her concerns about mold in her unit, which she believes resulted from recurring flooding issues and water damage.
"It's just-- it's very frustrating cause nobody should have to go through this. Like we are literally victims of this," Tobias said.
One of the most recent incidents occurred in April when water began leaking into her home after her upstairs neighbor's boiler room flooded. Tobias reported the incident to property management but says the response was inadequate.
"He was just like, 'Yup, that's still wet' and patted it and he was like, 'Oh, just leave your windows open and it will dry naturally,'" Tobias said.
After noticing an odor, Tobias and her husband arranged for a free water damage inspection from a local company.
"So when he did come, he said there was still standing water two feet up the wall and three feet out of the wall. And so I asked him if he can check the other area, and our bathroom, it was still wet, and that was two years ago," Tobias said.
The inspector recommended a mold test, which Tobias requested from the property manager. After receiving no response, she obtained a professional test on her own that came back positive for mold. At that point, she began withholding rent.
Tobias says the landlord finally responded by sending someone to test the unit, but she claims she never received those results. The property owners did replace the carpet in her children's room, stating that everything is satisfactory.
Unsatisfied with the response and concerned about transparency, Tobias paid for another mold test, which also came back positive.
"All we were asking them to do is do the right thing and take care of us, and they couldn't even do that. They are treating us like we are nothing and we don't matter," Tobias said.
When contacted for comment, Sedona Ridge Apartments provided the following statement:
"Our community members' safety is our priority. We take this situation very seriously and have been working with our community member since April, when we had a water heater leak in an apartment above her. Upon notification of the issue, we immediately responded, replaced the water heater, and assessed for any remediation needs through a third-party contractor. While not necessitated by their findings, out of an abundance of caution, we did remove the carpet in her apartment. Throughout this process we’ve prioritized her and her children’s safety as well as their comfort, making multiple offers for them to move out early without penalty, as well as rental concessions – all of which she declined. We will continue to reach out to her and seek resolution.”
Taylor Altman, a staff attorney at Legal Aid of Southern Nevada, advises tenants facing similar situations to take specific steps.
"We recommend sending a habitability letter by certified mail, putting the landlord on notice. And also what we recommend for tenants who have a serious mold problem is to look into getting a mold test," Altman said.
Altman explains that landlords normally have 14 days to respond to such letters. If they don't, tenants have several options.
"So number one is withholding rent. Number two is called the repair and deduct method, where you get someone to fix the problem and deduct that from the rent. Another thing the tenant can do is terminate the lease and move or sue the landlord for damages," Altman said.
If you or someone you know, the Nevada Legal Aid said you can give them a call at (702) 386-1070 or also pay them a visit during their walk-in hours Monday through Thursday, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
