A 72-year-old Orlando woman is begging for compassion from her condominium association and code enforcement after a leak from the unit above hers made her home uninhabitable.
That leak knocked out power to half her unit and created a dangerous mold problem. WFTV-TV saw the problems firsthand and found out the woman couldn’t smell the mold growing in her place because she’s missing part of her brain.
Around her ground-level Thousand Oaks condominium, Judy Young leaves herself reminders. Those notes include details such as when she’s scheduled to meet with her pro-bono lawyer. They pieces of paper are scattered alongside the mold that’s been growing out of sight in her walls for just over a year.
“That's when all those leaks started,” Young said.
The notes and visible damage help her remember the danger she’s living in every day.
In 2013, part of her brain was removed, along with a tumor, taking with it her short-term memory and ability to smell. That means she did not know how bad the mold problem was until it was too late.
>> Trending: Malibu wildfires destroy Norman Timbs Special, 30 other rare cars
“All this mold, I don’t smell it. And I’m not able to sleep,” Young said.
The water damage from her upstairs neighbor has caused Young’s ceiling to sag, and even knocked out power to half her unit.
“No air conditioning, no electricity in half of her unit. Just deplorable conditions,” attorney Andrew Lannon said. Lannon is helping Young pro-bono.
Now, Young is facing a code enforcement case and a demand letter from the Thousand Oaks Condominium Association. Despite acknowledging in the letter that the deplorable conditions are not Young’s fault, the association wants her to pay more than $6,000 to make repairs to her hazardous home.
“Unless they fix what's upstairs, whatever we do down here will get wet again, if they don't fix the upstairs,” Young said.
No one was upstairs when a WFTV reporter was inside the gated complex Monday, and the reporter was later told the person in charge was out of town when she tried to speak to someone from the association.
“When I look at the mold, and I realize I didn't do it, and it came from upstairs, what would you do?” Young asked.
WFTV reached out to the attorney Yeline Goin, who sent the demand letter on behalf of Thousand Oaks. She responded Monday afternoon.
"As you may be aware, every owner moved into the Condominium agreeing to maintain their Unit in accordance with the Condominium Documents. Under Florida law, the Board is required to enforce the Condominium Documents, and has been pursuing enforcement against both Owners. That being said, the Association is reviewing Ms. Young’s circumstances," Goin said in an email.
Young’s attorney admits his client doesn’t have much of a legal claim, but he’s hoping someone will step in to help her find a new place to live or make the repairs, which she cannot afford.
Young is scheduled to appear before Orlando's Code Enforcement Board in January, and the owner of the upstairs condo is scheduled for later this week.
About the Author
