Kalamazoo woman looks for answers to black mold in apartment

from WWMY.com

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A Kalamazoo woman battling a black mold problem in her apartment turned to Newschannel 3 for help, saying she can't get answers anywhere else.


It all started two weeks ago when a pipe burst at Sage Terrace Apartments.

Ashley Wyman says black mold started growing during the clean-up process, and she claims her apartment complex won't fix the issue, leaving her concerned for her health.

Wyman tells Newschannel 3 she isn't trying to cause problems, but she just wants the mold cleaned up, or she wants a new place to live.

But in researching the issue, Newschannel 3 learned that there are not specific laws when it comes to mold in Michigan.

Wyman was surprised Thursday when she put her key in the door and it wouldn't turn--she tells Newschannel 3 her locks had been changed, and she was not sent a notice.

She had been searching for answers since April 1, when she was allowed to move back in after her apartment flooded.

Wyman says she asked management at Sage Terrace to make some further repairs after she went back in and saw mold.

An expert also turned up high levels of black mold and two other types.

"I went in there and told them what I found, they told me they weren't doing anything else to my apartment," Wyman said.

Since then, she says phone calls have gone unreturned.

Newschannel 3 went to the complex looking for answers only to have them tell our cameras to leave, walking away when we asked questions.

Their corporate offices have not returned our inquiries at this time.

In the meantime, Wyman is staying with friends, with everything she owns in a storage unit, and what won't fit now in the trunk of her car.

Wyman, who works for an apartment complex herself, says the battle is much larger than she expected.

"I don't know, I am frustrated," she said. "I have tried to contact several people, I contacted a lawyer this morning."

She went as far as filing a complaint with the state attorney general, only to learn that the state has no specific regulations on mold.

"I went to all these agencies and they said there is nothing to be done; there is no regulation," she said.

Now, Wyman is hoping to prove living conditions are unfit through state housing laws.

The health department says when it comes to handling black mold, it isn't any more dangerous than other types of mold in your home, but it can be toxic in the air.

Are you in need of a toxic mold lawyer?