I'm going through the worst possible scenario and need some advice. I've got a basement suite and the tenant first reported some mold along the baseboard. They used this to break their lease and move out. During the move out they informed my property manager of health issues. So I got an environmental assessment ASAP and just got the results... The mold that leads to black mold and its pretty much all around the perimeter of the suite. So they are recommending 4'of drywall to be removed from just about the entire suite. So the kitchen and bathroom will have to be removed. But that's not the only bad news the tenant has called Alberta healthy and the secondary suites. So I have to decide between decommissioning the suite or dealing with the mold and pulling a permit to bring it up to code... And I've only owned this property for 8 months, not quite what the plan was! Has anyone gone though a full suite remediation? Or death with health issues that may not be covered by insurance? My plan right now is to get the remediation done and figure out what has caused the mold obviously fix it. But I'm tempted to decommission the suite, until I'm sure that the mold is not coming back. If I do this does anyone know if I can then apply for the cornerstone grant to put the suite back in and get it up to code? Or if decommissioning puts me in the it's a new suite which the cornerstone will not help absentee landlords? Thanks for any advise with this!

We ran into a similar problem last year, where slow water infiltration had caused mold to grow.  The important thing before removing the mold is to ensure you have pin pointed what has created that problem and fix it at the same time you will remove all the drywall and everything else.

 

We were really lucky with our tenants.  They were already contemplating the idea of moving out to a bigger apartment, so we broke the lease without the required three months notice.  Since they were excellent tenants, we thanked them by writing them a recommendation letter to help them with their search for a new apartment.  They really appreciated that simple gesture.

 

After they moved out, we took the hit and got everything fixed.  We also used this opportunity to improve the apartment (new floors, counter tops, paint) and raised the rent before bringing in new tenants.  At the end of the day, it was a tough pill to swallow initially but it was well worth the investment, and generating this loss made a difference on our next tax return.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Jerome

Right now the unknown is scary and I'm hopfully worrying about things may not happen. Our tennants are as much of a problem as the mold. The basement tennats broke their lease and moved out, which I allowed them to do and returned their full damage deposit. But since contacted the secondary suites and Alberta Health.

I just bought the property but its a fairly new suite, within 2 years old... So this work will only to get it back in the condition it was so I won't see any upside to the rent I can charge.

I have some guesses as to where the mold has come from, but I'll be able to confirm it once the drywall is removed. I'm hoping to be able to deal with the problem from inside the home and not have to dig down to the weeping tiles but I'll know within a few weeks.

Was your suite an above grade apartment or in a basement?

Basement.  I was lucky enough that I was able to do most of the work myself.  It really brought down the overall cost.

I haven't seen your property, but if there is a problem in the basement, it will eventually make it to the main floor and then you will lose your second rent payment.  It's probably better to bite the bullet now and provide your tenants with quality housing before the situation deteriorates even more.

If you finally decide to spend the money, make sure you solve the problema nd not just cover it up in hope it won't surface again for a couple years.

Good luck.

Jerome

Can I ask who did your environment assessment?  and what was the assessment?  air testing , sampling, or visual?  Was Alberta Health Services involved?

-Usually if the sq. footage is extensive, the guidelines call for remediation and that is the most expensive option.

-If you can do the work youself , like cut out drywall, without remediation,  you have it lucky.  By this I mean no external agency has required you to hire mold professionals.

-Edmonton's cornerstone grant is not an option anymore.

 

Kir.

 

 How extensive is the mold growth?
Many people see a little bit of mold and freak out> it may not be as bad as you think.
However the fact that you have mold around the entire perimeter is concerning. Probably moisture is coming from outside in which case you need to dig and water proof from outside before you start spending money and fixing the inside.

Or your walls are not properly insulated and or you do not have vapor barrier which creates moisture inside the wall, which creates an environment for mold to grow.

Figure out what creates the moisture, fix it and then fix the inside or do it at the same time.

The downstairs tenants called Alberta Health services and I've had Cascade environment do a air test both downstairs and upstairs and wall cavity test. Since Alberta Health is involved I have to get it certified, so a remediation company is currently setting up a negative airspace downstairs to contain the spores for the upstairs tenants. I have been told there is no health issue for them and communicated that to them but also given the option of moving without any notice if they do not feel comfortable there. I still havn't seen their quote to remove the drywall and clean the mold. 

Once the place gets the certification that its clean I can start making trips up to edmonton to start dealing with where the moisture came from and getting the place back together.

 If you need another advice, try Advance Remediation.

If you have been told there is no health issue for the basement folks, then it might just be a easy clean up job.
If this is the case, I wonder why you would need the contain the air. 

Personally, I would get to the bottom of the water penetration before anything else and you don't necessary need any mold expert for that.  If you decommission your suite, I think AHS might not have a leg to stand on, so they might not be able to order you around.  However, you do have a top tenant and you don't live there.....so decomissioning may or may not help (it's a grey area).

Good luck,  I have been there as well. 

KIr


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