Metro Atlanta couple says black mold in apartment sent them to hospital nine times
A Stockbridge man says he was hospitalized multiple times after being exposed to fungus in his apartment, forcing him and his girlfriend to move into an Airbnb while continuing to pay rent. He is now calling on property management companies to do more.
Tamar Clarke said he believes the mold problem at the Southwinds Point Apartments began in August.
“I was hospitalized over nine times,” Clark said.
he told Channel 2’s Erin Rogers The problem started in the bathroom. He believed there was a leak in the unit above, which then spread throughout the apartment.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
His girlfriend, Lisa Voltaire, said they first contacted management after noticing mold in the unit.
“There was mold in the tub, so we put in a work order,” Voltaire said.
The couple said maintenance work has been completed, but their health concerns remain. They eventually hired their own mold tester, who found multiple types of mold in the apartment.
“There are said to be six different varieties of mold, with black mold being the biggest problem,” Clark said. “It’s located in the kitchen, bathroom areas and air conditioning units.”
Earlier this month, the couple posted a video of themselves in the hospital on TikTok, which went viral and has been viewed nearly 4 million times. Clark said the sleepover was his turning point.
For weeks, Rogers tried multiple times to contact the property management company, Pegasus Residential, by phone and email, and even visited in person, but received no response.
“It’s terrible. It’s painful,” Voltaire said.
The couple said they moved out of the Airbnb earlier this month because they didn’t feel safe returning to the apartment. They said they are still paying rent on the unit.
Popular stories:
“I don’t think you should be in your apartment wearing a mask, especially when you’re paying thousands of dollars,” Clark said.
Clark said when the couple first returned to the apartment Wednesday, they found a letter from the management company’s attorney saying all issues had been resolved. However, Clark said he still sees ongoing issues inside the unit, such as broken smoke alarms. Clark said he contacted Henry County law enforcement.
Clark also showed Rogers a nearly $3,500 bill from his most recent hospitalization. He said he hopes the property management company will reimburse them for the bills they rack up in this situation.
“Hospital bills, prescriptions, having to pay out of pocket to rent a room on Airbnb, it all set us back,” Voltaire said. “We literally had to completely change our lives and start from scratch. We had to get rid of all our furniture, all our clothes.”
Channel 2 Action News Pegasus Residential was contacted for comment but had not received a response by the time of publication.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
