Your rights under D.C. law:

If there is mold in your apartment, you should send an email or a letter to your landlord about the mold.  After getting your email or letter, your landlord must:

• Inspect the mold within 7 days.  
• Remove any mold that is found within 30 days of the inspection.

The landlord must perform a visual inspection of the mold first.

• Before taking any steps to remove the mold, the landlord must perform an inspection to check for visible mold.  
• This inspection must be done before the landlord takes any steps to remove the mold.

Your landlord must use a professional to eliminate large mold problems:

• If a moldy area in your apartment is ten square feet or more, your landlord must use a licensed professional to assess the mold problem, and another licensed professional to eliminate the mold.
  • How do you know if you have ten square feet of mold in your apartment?  Use a ruler to measure the moldy areas in your apartment.  Multiply the height of a moldy area by the width of a moldy area.  For example, if a moldy area in your apartment is 5 feet high and 2 feet wide, you have “ten square feet” of mold. 
  • If you have ten square feet of mold, the landlord must use a mold professional to fix the problem.
  • The mold professional must remove the mold in a way that protects the health of you and your family.
• If the area affected by the mold is less than ten square feet, the landlord may fix the mold problem without using a licensed mold professional.  But the landlord still should:
  • Consult a licensed mold professional before doing the work.
  • Do the work in a way that protects the health of you and your family.
  • Follow guidelines for getting rid of mold written by the D.C. Department of Energy and the Environment.

Some things to remember:

• The landlord should not just paint over the mold.  This will not fix the problem.
• The landlord should fix any moisture or ventilation problems that caused the mold problem.  This will help make sure the mold does not come back. 
• The landlord must tell new tenants who are applying if there was more than 10 square feet of mold in an apartment during the previous 3 years unless the mold was eliminated by a licensed mold professional.

A Tenant Checklist: Steps You Should Take When Mold Is In Your Apartment

• Examine damp and poorly ventilated areas in your home for mold. 
• Get a ruler and measure the moldy areas to see if they are 10 square feet or more.
• Take photos of the mold – have someone hold a ruler against the mold while you take the picture so someone looking at the photo can see how large the area is.
• Send your landlord an email or letter describing the mold and asking the landlord to take action.
  • Remember: Put your complaint in writing (an email or a letter)!  The last page of this flyer has a form you can use.
  • Make sure to write the date in your email or letter.
  • If you give the landlord a letter, give the original to the landlord and keep a copy for yourself – have someone in the landlord’s office sign and date your copy so you can prove the landlord received the letter.
  • Remember: your landlord must inspect the mold within 7 days and remove the mold within 30 days of the inspection.
  • Remember: if the area affected by the mold is ten square feet or more, the landlord must hire a licensed mold professional.
• Always keep copies of any emails and letters you send the landlord. 
• Write down the dates of important events (for example, write down the date the landlord came to your apartment to inspect the mold) – you’ll need this information if you have to go to court! 
• Take your landlord to court if your landlord does not remove the mold within 30 days of inspection.