One of the biggest benefits of living in an apartment or rental home is that you don’t have to worry about paying for any major repairs. If someone in the parking lot kicks up gravel with their tires and breaks a window in your apartment, your landlord has to fix that broken glass.
Nevada requires that landlords keep their properties in safe condition for both inhabitants and visitors. Unfortunately, landlords often want their units to generate passive income and would prefer to avoid making any major financial investments in their buildings when possible. If a landlord puts off repairing leaky rooms or dripping pipes, black mold may eventually develop.
Tenants could have grounds to take action against their landlords if that mold causes health concerns.
Black mold is dangerous for humans
There are many kinds of noise that grow inside human homes, and many of them are only unattractive and inconvenient. However, some kinds of mold pose known human health hazards. Black mold or Stachybotrys chartarum is among those molds.
Spores from this kind of mold can cause respiratory issues, especially in the very old, the very young and those with compromised immune systems or pre-existing respiratory issues, like asthma. When a landlord doesn’t keep their facilities in good condition and black mold eventually develops, tenants could end up thickened and in need of emergency medical care because of their negligence.
Tenants should not have to absorb the cost of battling black mold inside their unit, nor should they have to worry about whether they can afford the healthcare that the mold makes necessary. A premises liability claim may be possible when a tenant whose landlord delayed or refused to perform crucial maintenance later experiences medical and financial consequences because of black mold exposure in their home.
Given that the profit motive is largely what kept the landlord from tackling the issue in the first place, creating a financial penalty may be the best way to ensure they have better maintenance habits in the future. Additionally, the compensation you secure can replace your wages while you were sick and cover medical bills, as well as property damage costs if you had to replace items because of the black mold or the leak.
Knowing and asserting your rights as a tenant in Nevada might require that you pursue a mold-related premises liability claim because of poor maintenance on the part of your landlord.