Toledo woman says mold and water damage forced her out of apartment

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - A Toledo woman says she was left with no choice but to move out of her apartment after she said water and mold damage infested her unit.

Pictures and videos taken by Radyus Coogler, a now-former tenant at the Sunnydale Estates Apartments, show mold growing on windows, walls, and the belongings inside her apartment. Coogler told 13 Action News, she’s had to throw away about 75% of her items.

“They would give me fans to dry stuff off or pretty much just paint over the water damage that was on my window,” said Coogler.

Cooger said she moved to Sunnydale Estates in 2021 and it wasn’t long into her lease when the issues began.

“Within the first month of me living there, I started to experience flooding coming through my window,” said Coogler, who added it took about a month for contracters to fix the headers and windows. However, she said they didn’t fix them properly.

“It’s caused water to literally leak through my window. It was coming through my walls and coming up through my carpet,” said Coogler.

As a result, Coogler said mold began to overtake her home. Coogler said the mold made her decide to move out and break her lease.

“At the rate that it was building up at, I would clean something off and the very next day I’d see mold growing on it again,” said Coogler, who moved out last week, “I left my TV there after I moved out and when I came back the following day there was a mold patch on my TV. My son’s toys... a lot of my clothes... my books were all destroyed.”

13 Action News reached out to the Sunnydale Estates Property Manager, who said they’ve “taken all the steps necessary with work orders and reports.” The property manager said he could not disclose if they are doing anything for water or mold damage at the complex.

“To have somewhere clean to live... you shouldn’t have to fight for that. If I’m constantly telling you about this issue and you’re neglecting it... you’re pretty much saying I’m just a check to you,” said Coogler.

Coogler told 13 Action News she does plan to take legal action against Monarch Properties, the company that owns Sunnydale Estates.

The City of Toledo is also holding a free legal clinic for tenants of any apartment complex in Toledo. The event is set to take place on Tuesday, October 24th from noon to 4:00 p.m. at the Toledo-Lucas County Main Library.

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