Maria in Edison, NJ

Advertisement

In the last month of 2017, I moved into a low-income housing apartment complex as a result of fleeing a domestic violence situation. In January 2018, there was a major water line burst that occurred in the complex’s community room. The damage was so severe that it set off the fire alarm and the water poured from the ceiling in the community room. The property management failed to immediately repair the gaping whole and perform the restoration from water damage until late July 2018.

In early May 2018, myself and other tenants began to smell musty sewage coming from the air vents. Tenants started experiencing illness such as asthma, sneezing, skin irritations, chest pain, swelling joints, stomach pains, etc. Then, I started noticing lumps develop in the walls and above the entrance into my apartment unit. When I would sweep, I could feel something biting me which indicated possible dust mites. I know once a unit is affected with mold; dust mites start to be present.

In July, my symptoms started advancing towards memory loss, skin legions, muscle spasms in my legs, disruptions in my sleep, increased irritability, and the list goes on and on. As us tenants spoken among ourselves, we realized we all were experiencing the same illness as well as seeing development in our apartments. I immediately reported this to the town’s health department as well as the state’s codes and inspections department. Neither government investigators did anything to help and stated they don’t deal in mold issues. i have complained to other levels of government officials who did nothing. As of today in 2019, the property management has continued to deny their is a mold issue.

In my opinion, I believe the government inspectors and politicians are in the pocket of the property management. Hence the reason no one is doing anything to address the problem despite the fact of tenants children are being severely ill as well as two people have died.

Advertisement