Moving

I cannot describe how frustrated I am about this whole situation.

Last winter we told our landlords that we were worried about water damage from the swamp cooler. It had been a little leaky and we could see where the paint had bubbled up around the edges of the vent. The landlords said they would come fix it for us before the damage got any worse. A month later, the owners of our buildings suddenly fired the landlords and hired new ones. We had never had issues with the old landlords - they had always been so wonderful at making sure our home was well-maintained and responded quickly to any problem we ever had. We hoped that the new landlords would be just as dedicated and kind.

When the new landlords came to walk through our apartment, we told them of our worries and showed them the damage. They looked at us like we were idiots. "Swamp coolers use water. They blow moist air. There's no problem here," they said slowly, as if they were talking to a child.

We were sure there really was a problem, and frequently called and texted the landlords asking if they would at least look at the area and make sure everything was okay. Our biggest worry was that mold would grow in the wet wood and drywall. We had a little baby, and we couldn't risk exposing him to something as toxic as mold. Our landlords came a few times, but each time told us there wasn't a problem.

This last summer was a scorcher. We had to use our swamp cooler day and night (along with a separate air conditioner that we bought) all summer. The swamp cooler broke several times and sent water spraying all over our roof and back into the unit. After the summer faded to fall and the heat had cooled a little, we covered up the swamp cooler vent with plastic and started really bugging the landlords to please, please have someone come look at it. It took weeks, but they finally came. They still talked to us like we were crazy, paranoid fools who didn't know what we were talking about. They really thought we were being ridiculous.

C stayed at the house while they dug out the drywall around the swamp cooler. They could tell that there was, in fact, water damage, and that it would need to be replaced. After a little more digging they pulled out pieces of drywall that was - lo and behold! - COVERED with mold and dried mold. They pulled out soaked and moldy insulation. C felt around up there and could feel the wood framing was as wet as a washcloth. The landlords just shrugged, bought some new drywall and a bottle of "Killz" wood primer, and started covering up the wet areas. C kept trying to tell them that covering it up would not solve the problem, but would make it even worse, and that he really thinks they need to have a professional come in, test the mold, clean it up, and make sure the mold won't come back. We know from experience that mold is a big deal and does cause major health problems. They straight up told C that he was insane. They told us that they aren't going to fix it, so we might as well move.

Now we've been forced out of our home. I'm devastated. I loved my home. We lived there for just over a year, and had planned on living there much longer. I had to take E to an allergy and immunology specialist to make sure his infrequent wheezing wasn't a sign of a much bigger problem, like asthma, caused by the mold that he has been breathing for basically his entire life. Luckily E is fine. The doctor told me that I need to keep him out of that house - take him and run. I told the doctor the situation we were in and he was shocked that the landlords aren't going to clean up the mold, and that we are lucky E doesn't have any respiratory problems.

I'm so angry that these awful, awful people are being so horrible to us. We have always tried so hard to keep our house clean, keep the carport and driveway looking nice, and get our rent payments in on time. We've never brought any animals into the house, and haven't caused any damage to the house besides a few little nail holes from hanging up pictures. We never expected to have to pack up and leave. We are absolutely sick over the fact that we put our baby in danger, and I'm furious with the landlords for not doing their job.

So that's our story. Luckily we found another apartment around the corner. It's bigger, it has an air conditioner (woohoo!), and it's still in the ward. We'll be able to move in two weeks, and until then we are staying at C's parents' house. They were kind enough to let us turn their basement into our own little apartment, with E's crib and everything. I can't wait for this whole ordeal to be over and to have my own little home again. I'm trying hard to not be too angry or hold a grudge against our stupid landlords. We're not even all moved out yet, and they're already trying to show our apartment to possible new tenants. C is determined to warn the new people exactly what they're walking into - we don't feel comfortable being in the same ward as the new people and not telling them what issues we had and what they need to look out for. They can decide for themselves if it's an issue for them. We, however, have been warned by several medical professionals to keep our family out of there and avoid living in a place with water damage and mold, at all costs.

The end.