Owners of Gwinnett County apartment complex with ‘severe mold problem’ working to find cause

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — The owners of a senior apartment complex in Gwinnett County that residents say has a severe mold problem are working to uncover what is causing the mold infestation.

Last week, Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Ashli Lincoln reported that residents at Redland Creek Apartments in Lawrenceville said they’d been developing breathing issues after living in what they say are mold-infested units.

During the Channel 2 Action News investigation, Lincoln learned that Georgia officials determined one of the units is unfit to live in after failing an inspection.

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An inspection by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, which issues housing vouchers for the property, told Channel 2 Action News it had put some units in abatement due to the failed inspection on Aug. 22.

In their statement, DCA said:

“During the third inspection on August 22, 2024, it was noted that bio-organic matter was present in the closet and on the tenant’s belongings. It was observed that the bio-organic matter was not rectified within the designated timeframe defined by Dept. of Housing and Urban Development policies. Consequently, the unit was placed under abatement, effective 9/1/2024.  The tenant was immediately issued a voucher to relocate to a unit that meets Housing Quality Standards (HQS).”

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While residents say management at the property has done little to permanently get rid of the mold, the complex’s owners, Wilhoit Properties Incorporated, say they’ve now contracted three companies to evaluate concerns at the complex.

Mildred Amore, a resident at the apartment complex, told Lincoln that a worker had come to her unit to check on the air ducts, and was shocked by what he found.

“One maintenance man came in and said ‘ma’am, I don’t even know you’re doing it,’” Amore told Channel 2 Action News. “Your ducts are full of mold.”

Amore told Lincoln last week that she’d been suffering from blackout spells and dizziness and had trouble breathing. Earlier this year, Channel 2 Action News reported on mold growing inside multiple units at Redland Creek.

While renters said previously that management had hired a mold company to assess the units, the property had not released the findings to those living there.

“Everybody is getting sick as far as irritation, breathing, headaches,” renter Yolanda Jordan told Lincoln previously. “It needs to be called out.”

Tenants told Channel 2 Action News they hired their own independent company to investigate the mold and when Lincoln went over the report, it noted the presence of highly toxic molds.

Wilhoit Properties told Channel 2 Action News it’s working to get to the bottom of the issue and to find the cause of the mold problem and are working to resolve the issues with the residents.

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