Can a Landlord Charge for Mold or Water Damage?

Mold and water damage can be expensive, but causation matters. Landlords may try to charge tenants automatically, even when the root cause is building maintenance. A dispute should focus on evidence, timeline, and cause.

When the charge can be legitimate

• There's evidence tenant actions caused water intrusion (case-specific)
• Tenant failed to report an active leak causing preventable damage (case-specific)
• Damage is tied to a specific tenant-caused incident and documented

Red flags

• No report identifying the source of water intrusion
• Charges include building repairs unrelated to the unit's condition
• No photos, no timeline, and no causation explanation

What to ask for

• Inspection reports identifying source and timeline of damage
• Photos and remediation invoices describing what was done
• Any prior maintenance history for the affected area

How to dispute

1. Request evidence identifying the source and timeline.
2. Dispute any charges not tied to tenant-caused actions.
3. Ask for itemization separating remediation from unrelated repairs.

Start with the dispute template, then escalate to a demand letter if the landlord won't correct it.