Mold problems are common. The only way I think the landlord would be successful at charging you for mold damage would be if you did something that caused the mold problem. Even if you had, how does your landlord really expect to prove that?? I don’t think you will be held responsible for mold abatement cost. The general rule is that it is the landlords responsibility to fix leaky pipes and such.

Not to call you out or anything, but if your landlord is going to the extreme of suing you in small claims court; you must have left the unit in much worse condition than when you rented it. If that’s true, expect to be responsible for any damage to your unit.

What other items do you think are not your responsibility? It would be interesting to see exactly what you are being sued for, this way we can better help you with your situation.

He is trying to charge me for a lot of things that I don’t think he will get in court. He billed me and I refused to pay, then he took it to small claims. This is more about his character ( or lack thereof) and not about any damage I did. I have been a renter my entire life and have never had a problem until with this landlord. He is basically trying to get me to pay for improvements to his crummy rental. He sued me for cleaning (the mold) and he said the cleaning cost almost 500.00. For example, the tile in the bathroom was gross with mold in the grout and this couldn’t be cleaned out even with bleach. Believe me I tried when I was living there…it was embarrassing to have it looking so awful. It needs to be re-grouted. The toilet leaked and caused some damage. He fixed the toilet but not the damage, now he is trying to get me to pay for that. He is demanding that I pay to replace batteries in smoke alarms,replace all the light bulbs, to re-key the locks, (I returned the keys). He says I damaged his cheap old curtains. They were just Target/Walmart type curtains made of cheap white cotton hung on wooden dowels, and they were old. He is trying to say they cost $300 to replace. I moved in in February (winter) and he had an ancient air conditioner sitting on the floor in the living room. It was from the ’70’s and rusty and dirty. It must have been almost 3 feet square. I asked him to please remove it. He had to get my son to help him carry it out, it was so big and heavy, he couldn’t carry it by himself. They put it in the basement and there it remained for my tenancy. Now he is trying to say I ruined it. Anyway, I could go on, there is more, but you get the picture.

There are several options. However, you will want to protect yourself by creating a clear paper trail. I suggest hiring an attorney, or filing a complaint with the RPA. Since you have had the mold tested and it did come back as the Stachybotrys strain, AKA: Toxic Black Mold, you should not be required to remain living there. The RPA will mediate with your landlord to help create a fair arrangement.

Thank you for your response, I do appreciate it. My landlord has been in contact with us and seems to think it’s just not a big deal, so we are going to have to kick it up a notch, unfortunately.