Mold in apartments worries families with young children, newborns

HOUSTON – A family living in a northwest Harris County apartment complex reached out to KPRC 2 over concerns about whaty they think is mold in their daughter's bedroom.

The family said they first noticed the tiny, black spots in the closet a couple of weeks ago.  They live at the Peppermill Place apartments located off Easton Commons Street. 

"We went to go tell the office about it, 'Oh, this is an emergency. We'll get someone there right away,'" Steven Woodland said the property managers told him. 

That was last month and he told KPRC 2 there had been no attempt to clean the mold. 

"It's been a little over a week and the spots are growing all over the walls, all over the bags and clothes and stuff," he said.

Woodland and his wife Kaitlyn are mostly concerned about their family's health. Not only do they have a 2-year-old daughter, but Kaitlyn is about to give birth to a baby boy. She's due next week. 

"I know mold can be really dangerous," she said. "I don't want to bring him here because I'm worried what can happen to a newborn with all this mold that is happening."

Another family who lives in an apartment just one building over told KPRC 2 they are dealing with the same thing. They have the same concerns about their baby.

"He's six months old now and I'm concerned about his well-being," Sean Lowry said. "All I've asked is for them to clean the duct system. That's all I ask."

Like the Woodlands, Lowry said his complaints have also been ignored. 

KPRC 2 reached out to the Peppermill Place apartments, but no one got back to us. Shortly after our calls, someone from the complex did show up at the Woodlands door. 

"They said they'd take care of it tomorrow," Kaitlyn Woodland said. "You know, I find it really odd they came out as soon as you called. We've been trying for weeks to get them out here."