Is it legal to rent a house infested with black mold and can the renter break the lease because it is causing health problems?

Answer 1

in my past experience.. i had a similar situation so i contacted a lawyer and was told what i needed to do was send a certified letter to the apartment complex stating the situation and giving them 30 days to fix the problem. if they fix the problem then you can not break the lease without penalty. If the apartment complex does not comply within 30 days on the 31st day you can move and legally can not be charged to terminate your lease. In the letter, it must include your name, address, a 30 day notice to vacant without lease penalty if the situation is not fixed.. you must be specific to what the situation is and include any other helpful information. I had to do that about 3 years ago and the apartment complex did not comply so i ended up moving and was never charged a lease fee. Hope that helps.

If they knew it had the black mold before renting it to you then yes its illegal and you could possibly sue for damages due to your health problems.

Answer 2

Maybe. It depends on the terms of the lease, applicable state law, and whether or not the mold makes the home inhabitable.

You should probably talk to a lawyer that handles this sort of case. Landlord/tenant is a fairly complex area of law.
Probably not. Check the terms of your lease and the laws of your state.

Typically, a tenant can break a lease if the home becomes inhabitable. However, the presence of a mole in the house is not likely to cause substantial health problems, nor is it likely to make the home inhabitable.

You can, however, request that the landlord provide pest control, unless you are required to provide this by the lease. A single animal in the house probably doesn't warrant pest control, but if you have an infestation, you'll need to figure out why they are coming in.