Black Mould (pictured under a microscope) can cause serious respiratory difficulties, asthma and dermatitis in people. It is definitely a health hazard.
Landlords have a legal duty to provide premises fit to live in. This applies not only at the handover, but also during a tenancy. For landlords, mould in rental house is a wealth hazard!
The law is: if mould appears, the tenant should notify the landlord to treat the mould because it may make the premises unfit for habitation. And the landlord should take steps to treat the mould and its source as soon as possible.
These are some actual case studies on mould affected properties from NCAT (the NSW Tenancy Tribunal) which illustrate the consequences of mould infestation:
- Townhouse at Waitara: The tenants moved out 2 weeks after moving in because mould was everywhere and they were suffering respiratory disruption. The landlord was ordered to reimburse the revivalist's cost of $1,741, refunded the rent paid in advance and the bond in full.
- House at Greenwich: The tenants suffered mould for a year before they stopped using bedroom 3, and notified the landlord. The landlord installed underfloor vents, but the mould remained. The day the tenants moved out, they had an expert's mould report done which stated that the mould had made the house unfit for habitation. The landlord was ordered to pay $15,000 to reimburse the cost of decontamination of personal possessions, a rent rebate of $230 per week for being unable to use bedroom 3, as well as a bond refund and a break fee for early termination of the lease.
For more details and more case studies, click on this link