Blackmold in bathroom

Hello,

I am currently breaking my lease with my current landlord and will be taking the buyout option. I have had black mold in my bathroom for about 8 months.When I noticed it the first time, I cleaned it myself,it came back. I contacted the leasing office and they cleaned it with bleach.It came back. I have been experiencing some medical issues such as migraine headaches, pick eye and upper respiratory infections.I have had to take off work and have ran up some doctor bills.I didn't advise my doctor of the mold problem but what are my rights regarding getting out of my lease.I live in the state of Ohio.

Unless you have taken specific steps to gather evidence of the mold, it will not be sufficient to break a lease. You must get the mold tested by a professional to see what type of mold it is (if it IS mold - a bathroom usually indicates mildew, not mold) and to see the quantity (PPM in the air). You need a professional report to show these things. A drug store test for mold is useless in court since it doesn't prove that the mold present is dangerous (mold is everywhere, but only 1% of it is a dangerous strain) or at what level there is mold (since it is present in all air, you need to prove an elevated level of mold).

Seeing it is also not sufficient. You cannot tell mold from mildew by sight. Nor can you tell dangerous black mold from a benign strain by sight. (Many types look alike except under a microscope.) You cannot tell how much is in the air by sight or how deeply it has penetrated surfaces. A contractor is not qualified to inspect for mold (he has no training in mold). A city building inspector usually is traned in this. A health department could test for this or a private air quality company could do it. It will cost some money to get the testing done. But without these professional types of reports, you cannot even prove it is mold and not mildew. Without proof, how can you convince a court that your unit was uninhabitable?

BTW- mold does not cause pink eye. That is an infection, a bacteria. Mold is a fungus. They are not related. And without proof that your medical conditions are caused by mold, you cannot tie those to any mold you may have. Your doctor would have to do testing on you to show that your medical problems have been caused by mold. Those conditions could be completely unrelated.