Community Chat

[LilacTree]

On 4/9/2015 Ugh said:

Hi Ford, It sounds promising. Glad they located the source of the leak and I am very impressed that you were able to stand up for yourself and take action. Best of luck.

I have always stood up for myself. A woman alone with four children learns that very fast. I have not always won, but I have always tried my hardest. They look at me now and see an old lady I guess. While I may look fragile on the outside, inside I am made of steel when it comes to certain issues.

The only people who can get away with things with me are my kids!

[sfnative]

On 4/9/2015 Ford1224 said:

On 4/9/2015 Ugh said:

Hi Ford, It sounds promising. Glad they located the source of the leak and I am very impressed that you were able to stand up for yourself and take action. Best of luck.

I have always stood up for myself. A woman alone with four children learns that very fast. I have not always won, but I have always tried my hardest. They look at me now and see an old lady I guess. While I may look fragile on the outside, inside I am made of steel when it comes to certain issues.

The only people who can get away with things with me are my kids!

Regarding the bolded language, I'm with you there. If we don't, we get steam-rollered for sure.

I'd like to tell you what occurred in my work place when I worked for the feds. If there was evidence of mold, of any kind, or if there had been a water leak, they ALWAYS sent crews out to mediate the situation. The main O.R. was 5 floors above my office and once experienced a rather large leak in a pipe, the water of which ended up in my office. Funny how water travels in large buildings. In order to insure zero mold growth, I was relocated for 5 months and my office completely torn down and re-built.

Best wishes for an outcome that will keep both you and your daughter healthy.

[LilacTree]

On 4/9/2015 sfnative said:

On 4/9/2015 Ford1224 said:

On 4/9/2015 Ugh said:

Hi Ford, It sounds promising. Glad they located the source of the leak and I am very impressed that you were able to stand up for yourself and take action. Best of luck.

I have always stood up for myself. A woman alone with four children learns that very fast. I have not always won, but I have always tried my hardest. They look at me now and see an old lady I guess. While I may look fragile on the outside, inside I am made of steel when it comes to certain issues.

The only people who can get away with things with me are my kids!

Regarding the bolded language, I'm with you there. If we don't, we get steam-rollered for sure.

I'd like to tell you what occurred in my work place when I worked for the feds. If there was evidence of mold, of any kind, or if there had been a water leak, they ALWAYS sent crews out to mediate the situation. The main O.R. was 5 floors above my office and once experienced a rather large leak in a pipe, the water of which ended up in my office. Funny how water travels in large buildings. In order to insure zero mold growth, I was relocated for 5 months and my office completely torn down and re-built.

Best wishes for an outcome that will keep both you and your daughter healthy.

I heard back from management and they said the charges would be approximately $450 for the testing using their company. The company I talked to is charging $100 less than that. So I told them I would use my company. Management keeps referring to it as "mildew," so I guess we shall see.

Your workplace went out of their way to keep you safe and I admire that very much. Mold is just not acceptable. So I am paying for it myself, but at least I will be sure it is a valid outcome. I'm not so sure using their company would be trustworthy and in our best interests, and if it comes out "non-toxic," I would still have to pay $100 more.

[VioletEyes]

Ford, I had written a lengthy post but after reading it..it sounded bossy on my part...

Please, please, just call the Board of Health. You shouldn't be paying for this.

[LilacTree]

On 4/9/2015 SoftRaindrops said:

Ford, I had written a lengthy post but after reading it..it sounded bossy on my part...

Please, please, just call the Board of Health. You shouldn't be paying for this.

SR, I know you're right and I haven't been ignoring your advice. My little daughter doesn't want to do that quite yet because she is afraid of turning them off so badly that they won't renew our lease. She had looked for a place for many, many months and couldn't find one that would lease to her because of her divorce putting her in a bad credit situation. It became a desperate situation for her. That's why we did it this way, combining our households with me as the paying tenant (even though she is contributing half).

I am holding off because of her fear of us being labeled as troublesome tenants. If they give me a raw deal, that will be a different story. However, so far it looks as though they are taking it seriously even though they are still taking advantage of us financially if this issue is found to be non-toxic and they make us pay. It angers me no end, but I do have to let her have some input, she thinks I have been too strong already.

The representative from the environmental company is going to be here around 6 PM tonight to do the inspection, which he said would take 45 minutes to an hour. He will then send the samples to a lab and we should get the results within three to four days. If the tests show toxicity, then management will be forced to make the required remediation at their cost. If it shows the opposite, non-toxicity, they will still have to make the repairs that need to be made and that they have already agreed to make. If they refuse, then I will bring in the Board of Health. We can't have water building up under the slab whether it is causing toxicity or not. And even if it's just mildew they have to clean that up as well.

[VioletEyes]

Ford, judges in New Jersey do not like landlords who try and strong-arm their tenants to pay for repairs that are not their responsibility. You would have nothing to fear if you called the Board of Health. Now because you are paying for something they know legally they should be paying for, I worry that they will take advantage of both of you in the future when and if something else goes wrong. They count on tenants not knowing their legal rights and are aware most in your situation will not call an attorney. That is why the Board of Health could be a saving grace for both of you. The management of your building knows what it is responsible for and the Board of Health would be a third party to help enforce it.

I will wish you luck. I have said too much already and just wish you weren't fearful of being evicted when your lease comes due.

[VioletEyes]

Ford, here is New Jersey's law on tenancy..

http://www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/codes/publications/pdf_lti/grnds_for_evicti_bulltin.pdf

[esmeraldagooch]

On 4/9/2015 Ford1224 said:

On 4/9/2015 sfnative said:

On 4/9/2015 Ford1224 said:

On 4/9/2015 Ugh said:

Hi Ford, It sounds promising. Glad they located the source of the leak and I am very impressed that you were able to stand up for yourself and take action. Best of luck.

I have always stood up for myself. A woman alone with four children learns that very fast. I have not always won, but I have always tried my hardest. They look at me now and see an old lady I guess. While I may look fragile on the outside, inside I am made of steel when it comes to certain issues.

The only people who can get away with things with me are my kids!

Regarding the bolded language, I'm with you there. If we don't, we get steam-rollered for sure.

I'd like to tell you what occurred in my work place when I worked for the feds. If there was evidence of mold, of any kind, or if there had been a water leak, they ALWAYS sent crews out to mediate the situation. The main O.R. was 5 floors above my office and once experienced a rather large leak in a pipe, the water of which ended up in my office. Funny how water travels in large buildings. In order to insure zero mold growth, I was relocated for 5 months and my office completely torn down and re-built.

Best wishes for an outcome that will keep both you and your daughter healthy.

I heard back from management and they said the charges would be approximately $450 for the testing using their company. The company I talked to is charging $100 less than that. So I told them I would use my company. Management keeps referring to it as "mildew," so I guess we shall see.

Your workplace went out of their way to keep you safe and I admire that very much. Mold is just not acceptable. So I am paying for it myself, but at least I will be sure it is a valid outcome. I'm not so sure using their company would be trustworthy and in our best interests, and if it comes out "non-toxic," I would still have to pay $100 more.

That is good, you may need them if this goes to court. Since you were the customer they will be on your side not the landlord.

[LilacTree]

On 4/9/2015 SoftRaindrops said:

Ford, here is New Jersey's law on tenancy..

http://www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/codes/publications/pdf_lti/grnds_for_evicti_bulltin.pdf

[LilacTree]

On 4/9/2015 Ford1224 said:

On 4/9/2015 SoftRaindrops said:

Ford, here is New Jersey's law on tenancy..

http://www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/codes/publications/pdf_lti/grnds_for_evicti_bulltin.pdf

I read the above and copied it to my desktop. It seems I have plenty of protection in the State of NJ as a tenant. NJ is also a state which protects women and children in divorces. I am lucky to be living in NJ.