Mold / Sydney Rental
Hello!!
Long time thread reader of the mold community, but first time poster! Eager for feedback about if I am being dramatic about pre-existing mould in my new Sydney rental or is this a major red flag?
My partner & I looked for six months, and the strain was starting to ruin our relationship. We finally cracked and opted to sign a lease on a place despite it missing a few of our key requirements (eg south facing instead of north or east even though I know those apartments can still be mouldy af!)
During the initial rental inspection, I noticed mould and explicitly asked if they could clean it before we moved in. The agent said they would have owners or strata do it and I can see they’ve made a crack at the balcony brick walls but it is still visible.
I’ve been burned badly by the Sydney rental market before so am extra cynical. I have an autoimmune condition and both my partner and I are highly sensitive to mould (like most, it triggers severe brain fog and fatigue for us). So I’m pretty prone to an anxious spiral the second I see a speck of it.
Details about the apartment:
- Built in the 1980s, top floor but the building is in and right next to wetlands/bushland.
- South-facing living room and kitchen. The bedrooms face north but get heavily shaded by tree cover.
- No windows in the laundry or bathroom, but the ventilation seems good and it has non-slip tiles. No visible mould in there yet, but have been amazed what a paint job can cover previously
- owners assured they’d never had any issues when I pressed rental agent to confirm.
My concern is the visible mould covering the entire underside of the balcony gutter, as well as on the internal walls and around the windows (including on the ends of the inside window sills). + a patch up job on the cupboard.
I am seriously considering paying myself to get a professional remediation team to clean it just for my own peace of mind, but I don't know if I'm being dramatic?
TLDR: should I hassle the agent to fix mostly external visible mould or just cop the cost myself so I can sleep at night? Is it to be expected in wetlands and an old apartment / how severe do you think it is?