Maintenance Email Transcripts
Sept - Oct 2022
by Ollie Swasey
<9/3/2022>
To: onebostonmanagement@outlook.com
From: gsbard11@gmail.com
Subject: Possible mold?
Body: Hi, I live at 112 St. Stephen Street in apartment 8, and I’m writing because there’s some powdery black stuff in the corner of my bathroom behind the toilet. I noticed a musty smell a little while ago which I thought was my shower curtain at first, but now I think this stuff is the source of the smell. I’m attaching a photo, it’s a small area but it wasn’t there last week. If someone could please come take a look at your earliest convenience, that would be great. Thank you!
<9/10/2022>
To: easternpropertyrealty@outlook.com
From: gsbard11@gmail.com
Subject: Mold issue??
Body: Hi, I live at 112 St. Stephen Street in apartment 8, I reported this issue last week but was told that my building had apparently changed management companies without notifying me. There is an area of black stuff on the wall behind the toilet that has gotten a lot bigger since I first noticed it; I’m attaching two photos to show you. The first one shows that it was about the size of my palm, and now it’s grown to the size of a dinner plate. It also smells strongly of wet wood and mildew in the bathroom now—I’ve been keeping the door open with a box fan on (there is no built-in fan) and have avoided turning the water hot enough to cause condensation on the walls, but it doesn’t seem to be getting better. If someone could please come take a look at this soon, I would really appreciate it. Thank you.
<9/22/2022>
From: gsbard11@gmail.com
Subject: Mold needs maintenance attention
Body: Hello, I live at 112 St. Stephen Street in apartment 8 and I’ve been struggling to get a helpful response from any maintenance person for a few weeks now. I found your name on the website of the property management company that’s supposed to be managing our building. I hope you’ll be able to help me, or forward this to someone who can.
There is a large patch of black mold on the wall behind the toilet in my unit (see attached; the area has grown considerably from my last email so now the affected area is the size of a cookie sheet, and it looks like it’s getting bigger every day). I’ve been doing everything I can to mitigate this, including renting a dehumidifier to try and keep it from getting worse, but nothing seems to be working. The wall where the mold is growing is now soft to the touch, and the paint around it has started to bubble. I’ve also developed persistent headaches and a cough, which I believe are most likely associated with the mold growth as the musty smell has pervaded my whole apartment. It is imperative that someone come take a look at this issue as soon as possible before it gets any worse. Please write me back to say you’ve received this.
<10/2/2022>
To: pilgrimpropertymanagement@gmail.com
From: gsbard11@gmail.com
Subject: URGENT: MOLD REMEDIATION NEEDED
Body: For the last several weeks I have been trying to contact a maintenance person to come take a look at a major mold problem in my bathroom at 112 St. Stephen Street, apartment 8, but it seems like our building has changed hands several times, and I’m struggling to reach anyone who can help me. My landlord lives out of state and just maintains a P.O. box in the city, so I have no way of contacting him personally except for mailing my checks. The last person I reached out to gave me a number to call, but when I called that number a woman on the phone told me I had to call a *different* number—but the number she gave me was the same one I called to reach her. If my research is to be believed, Pilgrim Property Management is the new company in charge of maintenance of my building, which is why I’m emailing you about this.
As you’ll see in the attached photos, the mold area has grown considerably since I first photographed it. It now takes up almost the entire wall behind the toilet, and is showing signs of spreading to other walls in the room. I have tried a few different home remedies and solutions from the hardware store, but nothing seems to be helping. The wall is almost totally rotten and reeks of mold, and pieces of it crumble off at the lightest touch. I now suffer from almost-constant headaches and a painful cough, and I have developed a rash over much of my body that I believe is caused by the mold spores. This issue is impacting my life negatively in every possible way, and has forced me to miss work days due to illness. I haven’t been able to think clearly, either—every minute that I’m home, the thought of the mold growing behind my back consumes me like an itch. At night I lay awake in bed wondering how much worse it will be when I get up in the morning, and when I do manage to sleep, I have nightmares about mold turning my whole apartment black. Sometimes I even find myself sitting on the bathroom floor and staring at it, like watching it will keep it from growing. But that doesn’t seem to help, either.
At this point my apartment is almost unlivable, and so I will be forced to withhold rent until someone comes to fix this issue. Because I have no way to directly contact my landlord, please pass this message along to him so he is aware of the issue and knows why I will not be paying rent for October. Please send help as soon as possible.
<10/14/2022>
To: bostontenantsunion@outlook.com
From: gsbard11@gmail.com
Subject: My apartment has mold and no one is listening
Body: Hi there, I’m a renter at 112 St. Steven street apartment 8 in Boston. I contacted you before and was told there wasnothing you could do but i wanted to see if oyu could check again for me please. Behind my toilet the wall is black with mold, almost to the ceiling, and so is the wall next to it . My efforts to contact a property mangement company who can help me has been futile. It feels like everytime i reach out to someone the stupid building has changed hands again and my absentee landlord is just that. I didn’t pay my rent on the first to see if that would get someone to come but all i got was a notice of a late fee i have to pay now. I have nowhere to go and i am so sick. A deep red rash like a port wine birthmark covers most of my torso and arms and legs and neck. The itching is so intense i can barely sleep and my cchest hurts all the time from the coughing. The wall has caved in on itself in a few places so now i can see into the dark interior of it and i think its letting bugs in because i keep finding them in my bed. The one good thing is that the mildew smell is mostly gone but i’m worried its just because i’m used to it now. my friend who had rats said i should try to contact you guys again because I have legal options but ive missed so much work from being sick that i can’t afford a lawyer. I don’t know what to do. If there is anything you can do to help me please write back so i know this isn’t just going into the ether like all the rest. Thank you
<10/29/2022>
From: gsbard11@gmail.com
Subject: [no subject]
Body: last night i woke up in my apartment 8 on st stephen street and the rot had caved in on itself and the wall was open. when i looked down into it i saw the ancient wood and rusted pipes and spiderwebs and dead mice all covered in thick black mold. i didnt turn on the light because the last time i did that i looked in my mouth and it was black in there too. no one has come to help me so i guess i need to figure it out myself. i think that if i could just get to the source of the mold which i dont think is my apartment since ih ave done everything to dry and scrape and spray it away and nothing happens then i might be able to stop it. with the wall gone it almost looks like a door now so it should be pretty easy and anyway i know its a door because thats what all the dreams are about now. if possible please send someone to take a look soon im going to do my best but i cant make any promises. thank you
<11/5/2022>
From: pilgrimrealtyco@gmail.com
Subject: Non-Payment of November Rent
Body: Dear Ms. Sullivan: This letter is to inform you that your rent is overdue at the time of this notice. Per the terms of your lease, a late fee of $350 has been applied to the total amount due. Including the late fee for non-payment of your October rent, your balance due immediately is $4800. Your prompt attention to this matter is required to avoid further consequence. Failure to pay may lead to eviction proceedings, and you may be responsible for charges, such as legal fees, in addition to past-due rent. Please remit prompt payment upon receipt of this message. Sincerely, Pilgrim Realty Co.
Ollie Swasey (they/them) is a writer based in Boston. Their fiction appears in Diet Milk Magazine, Olit Magazine, God's Cruel Joke, and on the Creepy podcast, with work forthcoming this fall in Reader Beware. When not writing, they enjoy spending time with their wife, who is also a writer, and their cat, who is not. They can be found on Tumblr, at metaphorfordeath.tumblr.com