My East Flatbush basement flooded in a storm. What should I do first?

Stay out of standing water near outlets, take photos, and get the water out and drying started within a day.

Is a finished basement in a row house more likely to grow mold?

Yes. Drywall, carpet and paneling hold water, so they grow mold quickly after a leak or flood.

My landlord has not fixed the mold in my East Flatbush apartment. What can I do?

Report it to the owner in writing and call 311; HPD can inspect and issue a violation.

Do you remove mold in rent-regulated apartments?

Yes. The owner remains responsible for the repair, and we work with both owner and tenant.

Apartment Mold & Basement Water Cleanup in East Flatbush, NY

Quick answer

Mold work in East Flatbush splits between rented apartments, where leaks from above and old plumbing are the usual causes, and row houses with finished basements that take on water in heavy rain. We trace the water, pump and dry where needed, contain the work area, remove the growth, dry the framing and give the owner and tenant a written record of the cause and the work.

Updated September 2026

Local conditions

What drives mold in East Flatbush homes

East Flatbush logged 217.7 serious housing code violations per 1,000 units in 2019, among the highest rates in the city. In 2009 the district had about 151,000 residents, and 49.6 percent of its rental units were rent-regulated, so most mold is found by a tenant and fixed by an owner.

Brooklyn holds about 30 percent of the city housing units, one- and two-family buildings make up 26 percent of them, and 69 percent of occupied units are rented. In East Flatbush that often means a small owner in one unit, tenants in the others and a finished basement below.

Storms are getting heavier. City sewers are generally built for 1.5 to 1.75 inches of rain an hour, while Ida brought 3.15 and the September 29, 2023 storm 2.5. When the sewer cannot keep up, basements take the water, and HPD gives a mold violation 90, 60 or 24 hours to correct depending on its size.

217.7Serious code violations per 1,000 units, 2019

49.6%Rental units that were rent-regulated, 2009

69%Brooklyn occupied homes that are rented

1.5-1.75 inHourly rain city sewers are built for

Drying a flooded basement in an East Flatbush row house

Jobs we do most in East Flatbush

Rented apartments and storm-soaked basements make up most of our calls here. Each job has its own page.

Apartment Mold Remediation

Containment and removal inside a rented unit, hallways protected.

Flooded Basement Cleanup

Pump-out, tear-out and drying after storm water gets in.

Basement Mold Removal

Growth on basement walls and framing left by earlier water.

HPD Mold Violation Remediation

Correcting the cause and the mold before an HPD deadline.

Sewage Backup Cleanup

Floor drain backups cleaned, disinfected and dried.

Hidden Leak Detection

Tracing a wet wall or ceiling to the pipe or unit above.

Working with small owners and their tenants

Many East Flatbush buildings have an owner upstairs and tenants below, sometimes in the basement. We schedule around both households, keep the work inside sealed containment, and explain to each what we found and where the water came from.

After a basement flood, we pump and dry before deciding what comes out. Porous material soaked by sewer water is removed; everything else is cleaned, disinfected and dried to readings before anything is rebuilt.

Apartment mold and basement water cleanup in East Flatbush, Brooklyn