Apartment Review for Merrimack Landing Apts - Norfolk, VA

We moved in after getting married and after only two weeks of living in the apartment we started having severe health problems. My husband had to go to the ER 9 TIMES IN A MONTH!!! He had the worst symptoms ranging from headaches ,excessive vomiting , diarrhea , nosebleeds, slurred speech , loss of motor abilities , memory problems ,weightloss ,night sweats ,subnormal temp and fatigue. I had a skin rash I STILL can't get rid of , trouble breathing , chest pains , sneezing coughing , running nose and fatigue etc. (Symptoms vary from person to person.) After his 9th trip to the ER I got fed up and was trying to figure out why my husband seemed like he was being slowly poisoned. I had noticed a patch located in the living room that seemed very odd it looked like a bad repair job on some type of water damage. It had just been slathered with drywall and repainted. I cut a hole in the ceiling where the patch was located it was COVERED in black mold!!!!I sealed the hole with a trash bag and duct tape shut off the a/c and immediately moved me and my husband out that same night into a hotel.Next morning we notified the manager that we would like a mold test run and that we had removed a piece of the ceiling. Nothing was done but them repatching the hole!!!So I called a remediation and testing company. When they came out it cost $1230.00 of our own money. All the manager was concerned about was lead exposure which was already a problem due to the paint they use which peels off in the summer. While awaiting test results and still living in a hotel out of pocket I received a voicemail from the manager telling me that there is abestos in the apartment and not to re-enter it!!! I asked her what she would do about providing us with a place to stay she replied "nothing at this time has been confirmed I must speak with the owner in regards to the asbestos." I ran out of money and became literally homeless my husband is military and we reported everything to his cheif. We were able to get temporary barracks but we still had to pay. It was confirmed that there are asbestos tiles in the ceilings but not where we cut like it makes a difference where it is!!! That was not disclosed in my lease ANYWHERE!!! Then I received a copy of the mold addendum located on the last page of the lease stating basically the it was my fault because I didn't clean it!!! How do you clean something inside the wall you can't see!!! If we didn't comply we would be evicted!!! My test results came back positive for black molds (stachybotrys) in my living room and bedroom!!! It was possibly caused by not properly repairing the leak which may have been caused by the gutter at some point backing up into the wall!!! There was also a number of other molds throughout my apartment one being Aspergillus/Penicillium. My husband is deathly allergic to penicillin however his symptoms are identical to toxic black molds. When these results came back and was reported the management there was a whole different tune. Suddenly they wanted to provide us with another unit. Of course I refused because at this point all of my belongings are biohazard furniture , clothing , & shoes to say the least why would I want to live in another unit and without furniture and appliances. I've lost all of my sentimentals my wedding dress , pictures etc. I am still awaiting answers to my questions asked last week regarding us still having to pay rent in an unhabitable place that I'm not living in , are they going to replace my belongings (mold is covered by some not all insurance companies and the ones who do cover it it is seperate from renters insurance. In my case the insurance company does not offer it and it's not covered under my contents do to it being the apartments fault they are liable.) will I be re-paid for all of the hotels , clothes , food and other necessary cost to live that would not have been necessary had this not happened etc. I am very lucky that I am not having to file a wrongful death suit.It was determined that my husband could have died had we stayed.His symptoms cleared up within a week of leaving there. We did not have children but PLEASE especially if you have children elderly , or even animals living with you do not move here because it can be catastrophic to them. It may be close to base and be cheap for young couples like ourselves but , trust me it's not worth it.I still can't break my lease because of my belongings still being in there. I can't find a apartment or rental house that will lease to us without us breaking the ohter lease nor could I afford it since i'm still paying rent and utilities at that death trap I once thought was home. We are in between having to stay with friends and in our car. Trying to find a lawyer that can even take on this case is hard to find. I know we are not the only ones with these problems just probably the only ones to tke serious actions against lawson realty. Just fyi If ound that Merrimack landing alone had 6,246,325 dollars in 2003 provided by the government for repairs among other loans someone isliving nice but it's certainly not the tenants of Merrimack Landing!!! It is at your own risk whether or not you decide to live here but in my opinion it should be torn down!!! Please visit www.saleensolutions.com/Important Facts About Your Health.htm for full discription of health problems.