Ladies and Gentlemen, we now have our Gordon Freeman. Check the shot at 2:00.

Casting directors take note.

Just wanted to mention, I went through a horrific flood experience with a literally-hope-she-AND-her-loved-ones-die-painfully landlord c-rag about four months ago.

A big consideration in our withholding of the rent was a rainstorm flood that revealed patches of dark mold underneath the carpet and in the bathroom. I had already called DoH and an inspecter was sent, and although he noted certain points of damage, he refused to write down anything about the mold. Why? Because the proper methods to test for mold are time-consuming and expensive, and the only people who would do it in a housing case are either loaded with disposable income or certain they are gonna get an enormous payday, but it's doubtful. Either way, the DoH themselves will only fund such an inspection if anybody gets deathly ill and they're hand are tied (at least, this was the case in Upstate NY were the laws tend to favor landlords).

Even the insurance agent who came and inspected the house pointed out the mold and wrote it down in her report. Truth is, however, neither of them could have been 100% certain about the mold.

I find it interesting that a state worker wouldn't indicate it as such and an insurance agent would.

The point of this long post, is that toxic mold is often a catch-22. Do you spend the large amount of money to find out it's not toxic or "black" mold? or do you sit in your house and inhale the fumes getting sicker and sicker? How do you legally withhold rent when you can't be sure? How do you prove to a judge you broke a lease or withheld rent when you can't bring any proof of health concerns aside from a few racy pictures of mold porn (and your own sick family I suppose)?

In our case, we got screwfucked. I think our Legal-Aid lawyer put it best when she gave this advice, post-settlement: "Don't be a tenant in Upstate NY."

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It IS our most modestly priced receptacle...