The manager for an apartment community where I normally provide HVAC repair services called me on Monday to schedule a repair call.
The customer in apartment 405A was complaining about a weird smell coming from the AC.
The manager got some information from the client and then she immediately called me to schedule the service. About an hour later, I picked up keys to the apartment and went to the fourth floor to check on my problem. I really didn’t expect to find anything out of the ordinary. As soon as I opened the front door, I could smell the most awful and terrible odor coming from inside.I didn’t have to check on the AC to understand the smell was coming from a terrible mold issue. There was an inch of black mold all over the top of the kitchen, living room, and bathroom. It appeared to me like the AC had been broken for a very long time. The mold problem was extremely bad, but the smell from the refrigerator was even worse. The entire kitchen was filthy with dirty dishes and garbage on the counters. There was rotten food sitting on the floor and the sink. I didn’t want to open the door to the fridge, but the worst smell was coming from that direction. When I opened the door, I saw flies, maggots, and more mold. I immediately left the apartment and called the manager. I knew she needed to look at the apartment before I got started with the repair. That sort of problem only happens when you neglect your apartment for a long time.