Maintenance playbook
Tenant reports mold: find the water first, then decide who fixes what
Updated
Every mold report is really a moisture report. Bathroom ceiling spots from a fan that is never run, a black bloom under a sink from a slow leak, a musty basement from grading — the fix is the water source, and the mold itself is the smaller job. Respond quickly and in writing: mold is the complaint most likely to escalate to a health department call.
How urgent is it?
Treat surface mold in a bathroom or on a window frame as P2 Routine (72-hour target). Treat it as P1 Urgent (24 hours) when the tenant reports it spreading, a musty smell through the unit, water damage alongside it, or a household member with asthma or respiratory illness. Any active leak found with it is a leak first — OwnAway's classifier files those as urgent or emergency on their own.
Ask for these before dispatching
- A photo with something for scale, and a wide shot of the room. Surface mildew on grout and a spreading stain on drywall are different jobs.
- Where exactly, and is it damp to the touch? Damp means an active source.
- Any leak, flood, or roof issue in the last few months, and does the room have a working exhaust fan or a window?
- Anyone in the household with breathing problems? This changes urgency and the tone of your reply.
What to text
Thanks for flagging this — I take mold seriously. I'm sending someone to find where the moisture is coming from and fix that first, then clean or replace the affected area. In the meantime, run the bathroom fan during and 20 minutes after showers and keep the area dry if you can. I'll confirm a time by [tomorrow].
Mold reported at [address, unit], [location]. Photo attached. I need the moisture source found and fixed first — check for leaks at [nearby plumbing] and whether the fan vents outside. Then treat/replace the affected surface. If it's more than about 10 sq ft or inside a wall, stop and tell me before proceeding.
Handyman or remediation company?
- Small surface area (a bathroom ceiling corner, grout, a window sill) with no hidden moisture: a handyman cleans, treats, repaints with mold-resistant paint, and you fix the ventilation.
- Larger areas, mold inside walls or under flooring, or anything after a flood: a remediation company, which will contain, remove, and document. The documentation is worth the price if the tenant ever claims health effects.
- Never just paint over it. The stain comes back in a month and the tenant now has a photo of you painting over mold.
Who pays
The landlord, in nearly all cases: leaks, roofs, grading, and inadequate ventilation are the building's. The tenant-behavior case — never running the fan, drying laundry indoors, blocking vents — exists but is hard to prove and rarely worth the fight. Fix it, improve the ventilation, and give the tenant written instructions so the second time is different.
Questions
Can a tenant break the lease over mold?
In many states, serious mold that the landlord fails to address after written notice can support a habitability claim or constructive eviction. The defense is a prompt, documented response: acknowledge, inspect, fix the source, remediate, keep the messages.
Should I test for mold?
Usually not for a small visible patch — you can see it, and testing does not change the fix. Testing is useful after remediation of a large area, or when a tenant reports symptoms with no visible mold.