Stale problem: get the mold out

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Stale problem: get the mold out

By Maureen ston

RECORD STAFF WRITER

http://hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?

AID=/20060413/NEWS12/604130963/1029

Northville Record - MI

This is one tax season Wayne Titus will never forget.

Owner of AMDG Financial, the accountant is facing eviction from his

Main Street offices, battling the building owner about correcting

mold conditions while trying to maintain a professional service

level for his clients.

But building manager Bob Badgero, a Northville Properties, LLC,

partner, said Titus has exaggerated the extent of the mold problem.

He said the conflict comes down to Titus' failure to pay the past

four month's rent.

" We're in a legal dispute with Wayne, " he said. " He has not paid his

rent since November.

" We've had a payment issue with Wayne going on a year and a half. "

He said, he said

Titus said he has placed the rent payments in escrow with an

attorney until the mold situation at the 102 W. Main St. basement

office is cleaned to his satisfaction. Badgero said he has not been

notified of escrowed funds.

" We're in the process of evicting Wayne from the building, " Badgero

said. " I'm sure we're going to end up in court.

" He's overblown the entire situation. "

Both have retained environmental experts to evaluate the conditions.

MoldQuest, an air quality investigator Titus hired, found in three

indoor locations a substance often referred to as " black mold. "

Titus said the exterior work Northville Properties contracted in

January didn't solve the problem.

Leak identified

Badgero conceded there was unsuitable conditions in the basement

offices Titus' staff of six occupies.

" An environmental contractor told us we had a leak in the existing

foundation of the building, " he said. When informed of the leak

problem this winter, he said he paid a crew double-time to correct

it.

" I own the building, " Badgero said. " I'm aware of mold issues.

" There was wet drywall and wet carpet. We removed some wet dry wall.

Now we're just going to do some paint and remove carpet.

" We brought in a group that knew what they were doing. Everything

was handled properly. "

Badgero said he does not yet have results back from a second round

of air quality testing. But he said none of the building tenants

should be concerned about a lingering mold problem.

" It's not even close to what Wayne has been reporting to everyone. "

Intervention?

Badgero said he was aware that Titus had asked City of Northville

building inspector Rick Starling to intervene in the matter.

" I've got to be able to follow a law in order to cite someone, "

Starling said. " I looked at the dangerous building act. It's more

toward structural issues. "

There aren't any state codes or laws pertaining to this type of

situation, Starling said.

" There's really not much we can do to help the man, " he said. " It's

absolutely troubling.

Aggravation continues

Titus said heavy rains last November aggravated the situation,

adding to the water leaking in through the western wall.

" We had a significant amount of water standing in the back area, " he

said. " I told him, 'You're going to need to replace stuff.

" I asked for a rent suspension as construction continued. "

Titus said he started withholding rent in December, asking for a

written plan to correct the building's condition. Correspondence

went back and forth between the parties, via attorney and certified

mail, but never a written plan, Titus said.

" This was a much bigger issue than painting the stairwell, " he said,

adding he sent a copy of the MoldQuest report to Northville

Properties. The six-page report recommended specific remediation

steps.

" They basically put me on notice they're going to evict me, asking

for the full rent, " Titus said. " This is a legal bullying tactic in

my opinion.

" These guys are putting my office, my business, my staff at risk. "

Personally, Titus said he's had to step up his medicine for

allergies.

" I don't know if anyone else has had respiratory issues linked to

this or not. "

Titus said he has been in the building for five years, the past two

on the lower level. And he had hoped to amicably resolve the issues.

But Titus now wonders if the next round of financial advice he

offers clients will be from a new location.

" I don't want to be evicted, " he said. " I'm a CPA. I'm in the middle

of tax season.

" If I have to move, that's a significant cost. I love the building,

and they shouldn't treat it this way. "

Maureen ston can be reached at (248) 349-1700, ext. 103, or via

e-mail at mjohnston@....

Originally published April 13, 2006