A family in Renton said they have been living with what appears to be "mold" for months and their apartment complex is not doing anything to fix the problem.
Archana Banfal said she moved in to the Venue Apartments in Renton last March. It was about six months later when they started noticing dark spots in their bathroom which then spread to the bedrooms and other parts of the apartment.
“This is my son’s health and that’s why I am so upset,” said Banfal.
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Banfal said her 8-year-old son, Jameson, has asthma. Her parent who live with her also have health problems.
KIRO 7 spoke to Banfal’s mother Sushila.
“The manager came and the maintenance came, everybody came but nothing is done yet,” said Sushila.
Banfal said the worst problem is in the bathroom and that’s where the ventilation fan has also been broken for over two months.
‘Something needs to change now,” said Banfal. “We pay full rent, sewer and everything. I don’t know what the problem is.”
We went to see the manager at Venue's Apartments. He wouldn't comment and referred us to their parent company “New Standard Equities” based in Southern California.
The CEO, Julie Blank, gave us this statement.
"We are investigating any violations of our internal company's policy and procedures as it relates the issue of moisture or mildew build-up. We have not determined the issue at the apartment is mold."
KIRO 7 was also told the reason the ventilation fan is still not replaced is due to product's delay.
For Banfal, she said if her family doesn't get help soon, they may be forced to contact the health department.
“We will fix small things because we can handle it on our own,” said Banfal. “But this is not small things. Where do we start?”
Sean Marin, the Executive Director of the Rental Housing Association of Washington, also sent KIRO 7 a statement:
"Mildew and mold can be hard to differentiate and often appear during cold and damp Northwest months between November and May. It's important for the occupant to ventilate the affected rooms so moisture can't build up and cause issues. Under state law, renters always have the right to request repairs to their homes. And, if a property owner doesn't complete a repair, state law allows several options to address the issue or terminate the lease."