Montgomery Village landlord and tenant work together on mold problem in condo unit

Dan Gross/The Gazette

Jose Pineda, a technician with ServPro, examines the black mold in a closet of an apartment in Montgomery Village.

When tenant Tawanna King discovered mold in a corner at the top of her hall closet and beneath the kitchen sink in the condo she rents in the Center Court complex on Stedwick Road in Montgomery Village, she knew she had to do something.

King had developed breathing problems because of mold in a previous apartment in Burtonsville, and she didnt want to risk a return of the condition.

I fought too hard to get [better], she said. I dont need a setback.

But like many renters, she wasnt sure how serious the situation was or what to do about it. She said she hopes that talking publicly about her experience will help others.

I feel in my heart that a lot of people dont know about it, or who to call about it, she said. It needs to be brought to light.

Mold grows where there is moisture and functions like a fuzzy dandelion when disturbed, it releases invisible spores that spread in every direction.

If left to grow, which it quickly does in wet conditions, it can cause breathing problems, especially for people with asthma, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment.

King, who does not have renters insurance, called her landlord, Karim Atarzada of Montgomery Village, who owns two units in the 132-unit Center Court complex.

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Montgomery Village landlord and tenant work together on mold problem in condo unit