Dear PoPville – “my neighbor has had black mold issues for the last 3 years and refuses to properly treat it”

Photo by PoPville flickr user Rich Renomeron

“Dear PoPville,

I live in a small condo on Ust, my neighbor has had black mold issues for the last 3 years and refuses to properly treat it. Instead, he essentially masks the smell in bleach whenever he has a new tenant. Eventually, the mold re-appears and his tenants decide to break the lease early. Each time, he refuses to return their deposit (since they’re breaking the lease) and blames the tenants for the mold. I’ve seen this cycle several times and he gets away with being a horrible land lord time and time again. I have seen multiple distraught tenants come and go, each one knocking on my door wondering if I have mold too. He lists the unit for a VERY low price so his tenants are typically very young, new to the city types that don’t know a studio on Ust doesn’t go for $1k. DC tenants rights office said that mold isn’t an issue they cover, any other suggestions???

Short of standing outside of his unit when he shows it to perspective tenants with a “DO NOT MOVE IN” sign, I’m not sure what I should/could do.”