PORTLAND, Texas — A woman has been forced to move out of her Portland townhome because her doctor told her to.
There's a serious mold problem in her unit, and it's causing additional health problems for the woman.
Traci Halliwell says she started noticing the ceiling in her townhome was leaking on Father's Day, more than two months ago.
The next day, a portion of the ceiling did collapse from the weight of what she described as 13-14 gallons of water that wound up in buckets she had set out.
About a week later, she says the ceiling was repaired.
But when the Troubleshooters saw it, there was plenty of mold on it.
There's also the issue of missing carpet on a stairwell.
Halliwell says when she pulled it up, it was soaking wet. Moldy. Nasty.
"Mold exposure. Loss of hair. Muscle cramps. Memory loss. A rash. These are all the signs that I've been having constantly," Halliwell told the Troubleshooters.
Halliwell already had serious health issues, including with her heart, before moving into this place.
The Troubleshooters asked if her doctor said her problems are being caused by an exposure to mold?
"Yes sir. He said the next step would be meningitis," Halliwell said.
In a report, following a recent visit by Halliwell, the doctor wrote: "If the mold is not being addressed that she needs to move as this can cause significant health problems."
Records provided by Halliwell show she began contacting the Portland Police Department and Code Enforcement about what was happening in May. Then again in June. And again in July.
She further insists she made management and ownership aware of what was going on in Unit G, but they've done little, if anything about it.
"Has anybody ever come out to do anything about remediation? No sir."
The property is part of Parkside Townhomes in Portland, and is owned by a company called Raybec, out of Chicago.
The Troubleshooters sent them an email on Aug. 20, 2020, then spoke with an individual at the company via phone on Aug. 24, 2020, who said they'd pass along our information. As of Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, the company has not responded.
Halliwell moved into this place a year ago. Pre-paid one full year's rent, but she's moved out.
And wants her money back.
That's at least $14,000.
"And they owe me money, by law, because it was a cover-up," she says.
An official with Portland Code Enforcement Division confirms to the Troubleshooters that they have an open investigation into this matter.
Halliwell tells us management gave her notice she was breaking her lease, and would be responsible for August's rent, plus late fees, all of which would total $1,080.
