Mold is a four letter word, ammunition enough to break up even the most functional tenant-landlord relationship.
When the Eugene City Council met Tuesday to consider changes to the Rental Housing Code, mold was among the issues to be discussed. Councilors voted 6-2 at the meeting in favor of amending the Housing Code. The changes will ensure that landlords place locks on doors and windows and keep smoke detectors active and up to date.
But, although mold had originally been part of the safety measures to be voted on by the council, the issue was dropped. Why? Because when it comes to mold, landlord-tenant debate quickly descends into a blame game. Landlords insist mold is the fault of tenants. Tenants claim the mold was there when they moved in, or that it grew quickly despite their best efforts to prevent it.
Who is right? The truth is, it doesn’t really matter. Landlords have an obligation to ensure that their property is safe. Tenants have a responsibility to maintain the property so it stays that way.
Issues like mold, which fall under the category of renter health, deserve to be debated openly and publicly. This isn’t to say that such debates haven’t taken place already. Just last week, renters and owners alike met with the council to discuss potential changes to the housing code.
Currently there are no rules governing the regulation and elimination of mold, either at the state or the county level. A vote on the issue at Tuesday’s meeting could have written it into the city’s housing code, but instead the lack of regulation was maintained, ensuring that the blame game will continue.
Mold can be found growing wherever moisture is allowed to settle. Throughout older homes in particular, it can attach itself onto ceilings, bathroom walls, laundry rooms and closets. It is a highly allergenic compound and can aggravate most respiratory conditions, including asthma.
Given Eugene’s weather system, the problem of mold cannot be ignored in the housing code. Likewise, blame cannot be entirely directed at one side, whether it be at landlords or tenants. Landlords should be required by law to have their properties free of mold when tenants move in. For their part, tenants should be held responsible for mold problems that arise during their stay. Mostly, the City Council should continue with its plan to form a citizen committee and come to a much needed conclusion that will satisfy all parties involved.