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UofL student says she discovered her apartment was infested with mold

When Danielle Coats began the process of moving out, she says as she took down photos and other items, she discovered something that she says was not there before.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A student at the University of Louisville says while moving out she discovered she was living with mold in her apartment.

21-year-old law student Danielle Coats said she was already in the process of leaving Cardinal Towne Apartments, but when she made the university aware of the mold she was still expected to pay more than $5,000 to break her lease.

"We had found mold the first time on like the top of our little air vent thing in the living room," Coats said.

Coats says she moved into the complex in August 2020. She claims she dealt with mold issues during her stay there, but says it was never as bad as when it was time for her to move out this past summer.

In a statement, the university told WHAS11:

"A maintenance request involving possible mold in a Cardinal Towne apartment was received on July 6. The property manager and facilities manager were notified on the same day, and they directed their crew to take action immediately to ensure the issues were resolved, which they were on July 7. Reports of mold-like substances are taken seriously by university housing and are immediately investigated when reported."

Credit: Danielle Coats, Facebook

But Coats says "they weren't actually fixing the problem."

"All they were doing was cleaning it," she said. "So it was okay. But nothing really ever was done. It was just patched up and wiped off."

Coats says her rescue dog wasn't doing well in the apartment setting and showing some signs of aggression. So when she began the process of moving out, as she took down photos and other items, she discovered something that she says was not there before.

"The mold was just so bad. Whenever you took it down, you literally couldn't breathe. So then after that for my last two weeks of staying there," she said. "Me and my dog were sleeping on the living room floor."

However, when she tried breaking her lease, Coats says she was ordered to pay thousands of dollars. 

"I had to pay them that $5,000. I had to," she says. "Because they put it on my student account and they've already taken it out."

Credit: Danielle Coats, Facebook

Coats says she loves UofL, but this has tainted her view of the university.

"I love it, I feel like UofL is so diverse, so inclusive, and it makes you feel, you know, feel welcome there. But it's just like, housing seems to only care about money," Coats said.

She said she's now looking to turn towards attorneys to see if someone can help her with her claims.

WHAS11 also reached out to the Louisville Metro Public Health Department about any issues they may have heard coming from this apartment. 

Officials tell me they have no complaints coming from here but encourage any renters who may be experiencing problems to submit them through the Metro 311 program.

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