Richmond woman fed up after leaky wall leaves musty smell in Richmond apartment

RICHMOND, Va. -- A Richmond woman said she was fed up after dealing with a water leak inside the wall of her museum district apartment in for the last 10 weeks. So she contacted CBS 6 problem solvers.

“It smells very mildewy, musty as if there is a big mold problem,” Heather LiBrandi said of her apartment.

Librandi showed us email communications about a water leak inside the wall that she had with her landlord about the issue starting on June 1.

According to the emails, the landlord said he would have the maintenance guy reach out to a roofing company.

Heather LiBrandi

But, 10 weeks later, and her wall was still wet and smelled like mold.

“I came home, it smelled worse, and there were bugs coming out of the wall,” LiBrandi said.

On the day LiBrandi reached out to CBS 6 problem solvers, the apartment’s maintenance guy came out and removed the wall covering which revealed rotted wood soaked with water.

LiBrandi said he told her he would tear out the wall, dry it and patch it, but she’s not sure if that’s the safest solution.

“Do you know any experts that can look at this for me and say yeah what they’re doing is fine or no it really should be done this way, I just want it done right?” LiBrandi asked.

CBS 6 Problem Solver Melissa Hipolit called LiBrandi’s landlord.

He told her he has a contractor getting rid of the mold and repairing the wall.

Immediately after our chat, the landlord called Librandi and told her he wanted to make things right.

“It was very ironic that all of the sudden he’s talking to me, and he’s really nice, and oh I’m so sorry.  It just made me more angry,” LiBrandi said about the call.

LiBrandi’s landlord called Hipolit after speaking with LiBrandi.

He said he planned to offer LiBrandi a hotel room to stay in for the next three nights, and he would discuss refunding her last month’s rent.