Indoor mould spores can be toxic and cause a variety of health problems including sneezing, runny nose and eye irritation. If you suspect there is mold in … Is It Okay to Buy a House with Mold in It? The experienced attorneys in our office handle calls from tenants fed up with their landlords' refusal to provide assistance. 1-5pm – Mon-Thurs. Tenant rights include specific rules that govern landlord and tenant conduct as well as remedies available to each when one party is in breach of the lease agreement. Tenant Rights Attorney San Francisco. We have clients throughout Northern California who have been victims of toxic mold in their homes. They float in the air and land on damp surfaces, where they begin to grow. Landlords, in turn, count on renters to maintain their units free of spills and to keep their kitchen and bathroom surfaces clean and dry. As a tenant, you have the right to have any issues in your apartment that lead to mold fixed and have any present mold cleaned out. Or call us at 415-703-8634 and ask for Tommi or Stephanie or email us at tmecca@hrcsf.org, if you want to volunteer at the Mission office. If after a reasonable amount of time she’s failed to respond and you’re concerned about your health, consider contacting the local health department. This booklet focuses on California laws that govern the landlord-tenant relationship, The Rent Ordinance provides rent control to tenants and secures tenant’s rights by requiring just cause for eviction. Tenants have rights when it comes to the accumulation of moisture and water inside your home, since these are the conditions conducive to mould growth. Counseling hours are Monday to Thursday, 1-5pm, at 1663 Mission St., Suite 504 (415) 703-8644 and Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 9am-12noon (closed Tuesdays) at our Richmond Office at 4301 Geary Blvd. He has written for internet websites and has developed business literature for different companies. Renters expect landlords to provide homes free of mold caused by leaky roofs and windows, faulty water pipes and contaminated heating and air-conditioning ducts. Welcome to the subreddit for the gorgeous City by the Bay! Click here for more info. Although there aren’t any federal statutes that specify permissible exposure limits to mold, a number of states have enacted legislation to address the matter. Anne Kemp - Updated April 17, 2017. It also states that the mold must be “visible or otherwise demonstrable.”. Your landlord can therefore be sued if she fails to clean up the mold. Counseling hours: Or call us at 415-703-8634 and ask for Tommi or Stephanie or email us at tmecca@hrcsf.org, if you want to volunteer at the Mission office. During humid summer months, run your air conditioner to lower the indoor humidity that would otherwise help mold grow. Students internships also available. Generally, the Rent Board controls what landlords can charge, how the eviction process works, and how rentals must be re-marketed if an eviction has occurred in the past. First, just like all San Francisco tenants in buildings built prior to 1979, SF subtenants whose tenancies began in May 1998 or later cannot be evicted without just cause. While many people aren’t adversely affected by molds, you may not be so lucky if you’re elderly or a high-risk individual with asthma or a compromised immune system. Whether the tenant is renting a room, an apartment, a house, or a duplex, the landlord-tenant relationship is governed by federal, state, and local laws. If you have Section 8 or public housing, you must call for an appointment. 415-947-9085 Many molds can be seen while others grow undetected in attics, basements, behind walls, air ducts and in other hidden areas. But, if the tenant is unable to repair and deduct themselves and cannot vacate, the tenant may want to consider this option. at 7th Ave 1663 Mission St, Suite #504 For information on some of the common issues tenants face, click the topics below. info@hrcsf.org ), we’ll do our best to help you. San Francisco Tenants Union | 558 Capp Street San Francisco, CA 94110 However, no one will be denied counseling without it. The San Francisco Residential Rent Stabilization and Arbitration Ordinance (Rent Ordinance) applies to rental units constructed before June 13, 1979. To volunteer at the Richmond office, call 415-947-9085. What you need to know about mold in a rental - mold laws, tenants rights, the landlord’s responsibility, the tenant’s responsibility, whether or not you can sue your landlord for mold and more! Richmond District Office: Mold issues often begin with some sort of water intrusion. San Francisco Tenants Rights Rent Control, Buyouts, Condo & TIC Conversions, Habitability & Repairs, Harassment by Landlord, Sales of Buildings, Security Deposits, Short-Term Rentals Sexual Harassment and Housing: Rights and Remedies of Tenants Prevent mold from establishing itself in your kitchen and your bathrooms by regularly wiping surface areas with a weak bleach solution or with an anti-fungal product. ... how it occurs, and can help you understand the tenant rights you have when dealing with a negligent landlord. Measures must also be taken to ensure the tenant's physical health and safety. Landlord Responsibilities for Mold Removal. Phone number is 415-947-9085. vi San Francisco Tenants Union–Tenants Rights Handbook Table of Contents Items and page numbers in italics refer to the text in boxes on the corresponding page. Residential Tenants’ and Landlords’ Rights and Responsibilities answers these questions and many others. BUT, under San Francisco law, a property owner can’t deprive tenants of eviction protection, even if the tenants “sign away” those rights in a written lease. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. Para información en Español, haz click aqui. ... 1747 Mason Street San Francisco… The San Francisco Rent Ordinance (SFRO), enacted in 1979, is recognized for having arguably the strongest pro-tenant protections in the country Download PDF: Click here View Bay Area Reporter Click here Tenants Rights Seminar for Chinatown Newcomers Center Mold damage is typically included in such insurance policies. Tenants should consult with a tenant lawyer with experience in San Francisco, Berkeley, Richmond, Hayward or Alameda to determine if filing a petition is an option worth pursuing. If the mold is rampant, leading to health or livability issues, you may have evidence of a nuisance under the San Francisco ordinance or that the unit is uninhabitable under California law. If mold is the landlord’s responsibility, send her a registered letter explaining the problem. Housing Rights Committee offers counseling on tenants rights issues in San Francisco only. Tenants and landlords share responsibility for controlling mold to ensure healthy living conditions. OAKLAND — Tenants who say they were living in Fruitvale mold-infested apartments with leaking ceilings, rodents and bedbugs will receive a total of $2 million in a lawsuit settlement. Ultimately, they met behind closed doors. If you don’t find the answers you need on this site, you can always call our hotline or drop into the office. Health and Safety Code section 26147 requires residential landlords who know of mold in their rental units to disclose it to tenants. San Fran’s rent control ordinances outline when and how tenants can be evicted, either for or without cause. Meanwhile, most of the mold found in apartments, even if it looks black to the eye, isn’t toxic mold. Ray Anderson is a professional freelance writer who was the monthly real estate columnist for the “Northern Virginia” magazine and the weekly business columnist for the Maryland-based “Metropolitan Tribune” newspaper. California’s natural humid climate is ideal for molds to grow on walls, fabrics, furniture, cardboard boxes and paper products. San Jose Landlord Tenant Rights. How to Keep Mold From Developing in a House, California Tenant Law: General Tenant Rights, Nolo: Mold In Rentals: Landlord Liability, Clean Up, and Prevention, Inspect A Pedia: What To Do About A Moldy Rental Apartment, Informing Tenants of Black Mold Protections. Mold is a common issue brought up by tenants, particularly because it carries a stigma of a dirty and unsafe environment. Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act Exception for Rent Also check the air conditioner’s condensation pipe, which is known to spill its condensate onto the basement floor, where mold can also grow. In a 2015 KPBS and Voice of San Diego investigation, one tenant said mold in her bathroom sent her son to the emergency room with an asthma attack. When mold is present in a unit, often it is due to improper ventilation in the bathroom or inadequate cleaning of the unit, both of which are controlled by the tenant. See the Texas Tenants’ Rights Handbook for more ... New York follows Department of Health ordinances, and San Francisco considers it a legal nuisance. Mold growth or a pest infestation are two examples of potentially uninhabitable conditions that pose a danger to the tenant’s health. San Francisco housing officials look on mold as a legal nuisance on the same level as trash accumulation or vermin infestation. Landlords, in turn, count on renters … Meantime, more tenants confirmed problems in the other units. It also requires landlords who know that mold is growing in their rentals to notify their tenants accordingly. Anderson is a licensed Virginia real estate broker and licensing instructor who studied electrical engineering at the University of Maryland. Call: 415-703-8644 San Francisco also maintains local landlord-tenant provisions. After breathing in or touching the mold’s mycotoxins, or toxic substances, you could experience any number of allergic reactions, including sneezing, a runny nose, red eyes, dermatitis, asthma attacks or possibly something more serious. Worse yet, most cities and states don’t have clear laws either regarding mold in rentals, although some cities like San Francisco view mold as a “nuisance” similar to trash and landlords are required to dispose of the nuisance or pay for their tenant’s relocation. If you live in another California county, try contacting Tenants Together which is a statewide organization, or search Google to find a tenants rights or housing rights group in your area. Simply put, yes. It authorized the state Department of Health Services to set permissible exposure limits for toxic molds and determine remediation standards for those molds. "The mold is a problem, a big problem," said Alanna Wise. A landlord’s failure to remove mold can cause him legal difficulties, including condemnation of the property if it tests positive for unhealthy mold levels. We understand mold, how it occurs, and can help you understand the tenant rights you have when dealing with a negligent landlord. Mold and its associated health risks are a concern for renters everywhere. Your landlord can therefore be sued if she fails to clean up the mold. Tenants Rights Seminar for Chinatown Newcomers Center. Students internships also available. Contact A San Francisco Toxic Mold Attorney Immediately. California was the first state to pass toxic mold legislation in 2001, which went into effect on Jan. 1, 2002. Renters expect landlords to provide homes free of mold caused by leaky roofs and windows, faulty water pipes and contaminated heating and air-conditioning ducts. San Francisco, California … San Francisco housing officials look on mold as a legal nuisance on the same level as trash accumulation or vermin infestation. Across the country, tenants have won multimillion-dollar cases against landlords for significant health problems—such as rashes, chronic fatigue, nausea, cognitive losses, hemorrhaging, and asthma—allegedly caused by exposure to "toxic molds" in their building.. SANTA ROSA, Calif. (KGO) -- Rats and dangerous mold are forcing nine families out of their homes at the Bennett Valley Townhomes. Contact … Article 11, section 581 of the San Francisco Health Code lists mold as a “health nuisance.”. Mold and its associated health risks are a concern for renters everywhere. Counseling hours: Tenant rights lawyer Eric L. Lifschitz shared how tenants can secure their livable rental agreement, including… If you live in San Francisco and you’re having a problem (such as an illegal rent increase, evictions, roommate problems, mold and other repair issues, etc. (10) Interfere with a tenant’s right to quiet use and enjoyment of a rental housing unit as that right is defined by California law; (11) Refuse to accept or acknowledge receipt of a tenant’s lawful rent payment; (12) Refuse to cash a rent check for over 30 days; (13) Interfere with a tenant’s right to privacy; The Toxic Mold Protection Act was codified under the California Health and Safety Code and the California Civil Code. Tenants and landlords share responsibility for controlling mold to ensure healthy living conditions. … Housing Rights Committee offers counseling on tenants rights issues in San Francisco only. BV Law serves clients in the San Francisco, California, Bay Area as well as the East Bay and South Bay communities. 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