I am a tenant and I needed help with mold in the basement of the apartment I am currently renting. When I called, their secretary was very polite and listened while I explained my situation, she insisted they could help me with my specific issue so I scheduled an appointment. I was sure to mention that the results from the inspection were to be presented in court and I was assured I had called the right company. Their website had even mentioned helping with tenants and the LTA so I was confident.
They were late on the day of inspection (apparently because of traffic) and didn't call to let me know; the call ended in a cancellation for that day as they were still quite a distance away. I rescheduled for the next day as they were extremely apologetic. They arrived on time for the rescheduled appointment.
When Robert arrived he was polite and apologetic, he also was adamant to assure me he would be extra thorough as his reputation was already compromised since I didn't receive a call explaining he was running late. When I showed Robert the condition of the basement he insisted that I would only need an air quality test, though I questioned him due to needing to be thorough as this matter would be before the courts. I even mentioned that cost wasn't an object as I would be going to court to recoup my costs. He told me that by the looks of things I had a good case without doing an infrared scan or additional tests so I followed his recommendation as he seemed to be rather credible. Their website had gone into detail of how they are able to help tenants so I was confident he knew exactly what needed to be done.
I waited the usual time for the results, I didn't have to wait to receive them. When I opened the email containing the results I was shocked to see only an attachment containing the results. There was no description to what I was seeing. I actually had to research what all of it meant! When I contacted Maple Leaf Mold to attain a better understanding of what I was being shown I was told exactly what I could read on the results, "NOT ELEVATED". NO OTHER INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED! I emailed them again only to be told...
"The air quality test conducted in the home did not find elevated levels of mold in the home at the time of the test. This is a fairly good result considering the age and condition of the home.
The report issued by the lab was concise and detailed in its explanation of the results themselves. Further verbal discussions with the client were attempted however we were unable to connect.
The balanced nature of the report may not offer the client an instrument with which a successful challenge can be mounted against a Landlord however it is a true picture of the quality of the air within the home at that time."
...sent to me by his secretary via a forwarded email from Robert. I also had to state that phone calls were not a feasible form of communication on the matter because it will be before the courts and that I will need written correspondence to be able to present the findings. I had even brought concerns to how UVC lights and air purifiers were being run just prior to testing yet no mention was made in return to my concerns. Robert basically just read the results word for word and offered no interpretation outside of the written results. I could have done the air test myself, tested it through a 3rd party company, and gotten the SAME results for a fraction of the cost. A true waste of a family's hard earned money.
His lack of thoroughness has cost me $475 plus tax and has provided me with nothing other than a growing problem (literally) and a bunch of disappointment. The biggest problem is now I cannot afford to have a truly qualified person complete another inspection since the problem is now worse, all thanks to the lack of thoroughness by Maple Leaf Mold. If you are a tenant or someone who prefers a thorough approach I strongly suggest finding a different company to tend to your mold complications.
NOTE: They no longer have written claims to helping tenants with complications regarding mold and the Landlord Tenant Act displayed on their website so I am no longer confident in anything that they claim. The removal of this information from their website definitely raises some questions to the validity of their claims in helping tenants.
ONE STAR given ONLY because the phone conversations were polite, as was Robert.