AUSTIN, Texas — Austin is starting the process of creating city rules for testing and addressing mold in residential properties, as officials consider stronger protections for renters.
The Austin City Council passed a resolution in August directing city staff to develop possible regulations. Council Member Vanessa Fuentes authored the measure.
“When we talk about healthy homes, mold often comes up as an issue of concern,” Fuentes said. “And there just wasn’t strong enough enforcement mechanisms for the city, for our code officers, to really lean in and to be able to have these unsafe situations addressed more quickly.”
Renter describes mold problems
Larry Phelps lived in a South Austin apartment until last summer. He said he first noticed water coming through his bathroom floor.
Phelps reported the problem to apartment maintenance, but he said workers initially attributed the water to splashing from the bathtub. They installed floor-drying equipment and barriers around the tub.
Phelps said he later experienced dizziness and other health problems. Months after his initial reports, maintenance workers opened the wall behind the toilet and found a broken pipe.
The leak had damaged the wooden structure and created mold, Phelps said.
“The frustrating thing about it was it was like my voice was not being heard,” Phelps said. “Like I was not taken seriously when I kept reporting, ‘hey, there’s an issue.’”
Phelps eventually ended his lease and moved to San Marcos.
City considers broader protections
Texas currently requires landlords to address mold when it covers more than 25 contiguous square feet in a residential property with at least 10 units.
Fuentes said those requirements do not cover enough rental properties, including smaller apartment complexes and single-family homes.
“It is going to be a process, and it is going to be something that we develop along the way,” Fuentes said. “And I hope that we can set a standard for how we want our homes to be for Austinites here in our city.”
Shoshana Krieger, project director of Building and Strengthening Tenant Action, or BASTA, said mold remains a difficult housing issue because visible mold can indicate underlying structural problems.
Krieger said determining the source of moisture and fixing the underlying problem can become expensive.
She said stronger local regulations could help landlords and homeowners address mold safely and prevent it from returning.
Over the next several months, the city manager and staff will work with housing providers, mold experts and tenant-rights groups to develop potential changes.
The city manager is expected to present proposed changes to the City Council in May.
