Quick answer
Mold work in Mott Haven and Melrose is almost entirely in rental buildings. The usual causes are leaks from the apartment above, roof and parapet leaks, old bathroom plumbing and condensation on cold exterior walls. We work with owners and managing agents to find and fix the cause, remove the mold inside sealed containment, dry the framing and keep the records tenants and HPD inspectors ask for.
Updated September 2026
Local conditions
Why mold here is a landlord issue
Only 9.0 percent of homes in Mott Haven and Melrose were owner-occupied in 2021, and the district logged 127.8 serious housing code violations per 1,000 privately owned rental units that year. Nearly every mold problem here is a rental problem, reported by a tenant and corrected by the owner.
The Bronx had the most mold complaints to 311 of any borough every year since 2019, about 112 per 10,000 renter-occupied units in 2023. More than half of New York City housing units are in buildings from before 1947, and old buildings hold water in roofs, risers and party walls.
Local Law 55 requires owners of buildings with three or more apartments to inspect for mold every year and fix the underlying cause. HPD gives a mold violation 90 days under 10 square feet, 60 days from 10 to 30, and 24 hours at 30 square feet or more.
Jobs we do most in Mott Haven and Melrose
Rental buildings and violation deadlines drive most of our work here. Each job has its own page.
HPD Mold Violation Remediation
Correcting open violations before the deadline, with records.
Apartment Mold Remediation
Containment and removal inside an occupied unit.
Wall Mold Removal
Growth on cold exterior walls and behind furniture.
Hidden Leak Detection
Tracing water to the roof, the riser or the unit above.
Ceiling Mold Removal
Top-floor and below-bathroom ceilings opened, dried and closed.
Indoor Air Quality Testing
Air testing when a household wants numbers after the work.
Working with owners and managing agents
Many buildings here have a managing agent rather than an owner on site. We agree access, hours and hallway protection with the agent first, then schedule the tenant, so the job happens once and on time.
Each apartment gets its own record: the cause found, the repair made, the area removed and the final readings, with photos. The owner can send it to HPD to show the violation was corrected, and the tenant can see what was done in their home.
More in The Bronx
Nearby areas we also cover
Concourse & Highbridge Manhattan University Heights All coverage
Questions from Mott Haven & Melrose
The building owner. The law requires them to fix the cause and remove the mold.
No. Paint does not stop the moisture, so the mold returns until the cause is fixed and the growth removed.
Yes. We can record what we find and where the water comes from; the repair is the owner's responsibility.
Fixing the leak, sealing the work area, removing the growth and wet material, then drying and cleaning.