Tenant raises mold concerns; council asks staff to follow up on rental inspection and enforcement

At the Moorhead City Council meeting a tenant who identified himself as Jamal Abiguez asked the council for clarity on who enforces habitability standards, specifically related to suspected mold in his rental building in south Moorhead.

Jamal said the building has had two floods in the unit and that only one was addressed by the landlord; he said a fire marshal described interior walls as "squishy" but would not test for mold and that the Minnesota Department of Health guidance discouraged spending money on formal mold testing. "My question for the city councilors today is, does the rental licensing regime ensure any level of habitability? If not, why not?" he asked.

City staff and councilmembers responded that the rental housing program is based on national housing quality standards and that Christie Leszewski, community development director, oversees the function. Councilmember Dan (city manager noted) said staff should follow up; Economic Development/Community Development staff said they would look into whether mold is specifically addressed in inspection standards and get back to Jamal. Council staff later confirmed they would investigate the enforcement pathway and contact Jamal with information about next steps.

The council did not make any formal determination or adopt new policy during the meeting; staff committed to providing follow-up about which city or county office handles mold concerns, the role of the building inspector and the scope of the rental licensing program.