An expat living in Australia has detailed her “concerning” and unexpected health battle since moving Down Under, explaining severe hives and skin reactions have consumed her body since living in her current property.
Sophia, from the US, moved to Sydney from Los Angeles in February 2020 and eventually settled in the city’s eastern suburbs in September last year. But within six months, she began noticing severe skin reactions when inside her home.
“I got rashes all over my body that were not going away, I had to take antihistamines every four hours of every day for the first two weeks. But the hives were ongoing for three weeks,” she told Yahoo News Australia.
When things “weren’t getting better” a doctor prescribed her steroids in oral form until, eventually, the hives began to go away. But last month, the hives came back with a vengeance, she said.
“I just didn’t understand what it was from. Then one day, I noticed that there was black mould in the [spare] bedroom,” she explained.
Expat discovers cause of her severe hives and skin rash
While living in California years earlier Sophia learned she was allergic to mould and dust through testing. So right away, after seeing the black mould spread across her ceiling, she suspected it was the cause of her ills.
“Before I moved here, no one ever talked about mould, but since moving to Sydney I’ve heard a few people mention it,” she said.
“When I moved in, they’d painted the walls so it all looked fine. But my neighbours mentioned recently [the owners] had previously fixed the ceiling due to mould — so they were aware.”
Sophia broke out in hives all over her body including her back, chest, arms and legs. Source: Supplied
Renter forced to move out after ‘blowing up like a ballon’
She convinced her real estate agent to send a mould specialist to clean the room before flying out to the US where she stayed for a few weeks. During that time she said her symptoms eventually went away. But not long after returning her “face blew up like a balloon”. She was experiencing another allergic reaction.
“My eyes were swollen, my face was swollen but I hadn’t eaten anything [that could cause a reaction]. So I thought ‘okay there’s definitely something wrong with my apartment’,” she said.
The following day Sophia realised her entire bedroom ceiling was covered in mould. This time a different specialist came to inspect the property, and what he said left her “shocked”.
“He was like, ‘you need to move out’. He didn’t even say, ‘Oh, I can clean this and everything will be fine’. So now I’m in the process of moving out,” she said.
In addition to her skin reactions, Sophia, the founder of a swimwear brand, said mould has ruined many of her belongings. Clothes, shoes, bags and even her guitar which was “sentimental”.
“It’s just insane. It’s everywhere.. in every room and every ceiling”, she said.
The expat has resorted to throwing most of her belongings away while attempting to clean some. “I really hope they [the agent and landlord] compensate me for what I’ve lost,” she confided to Yahoo.
Others experience similar health battles from mould exposure
After detailing her issue on social media Sophia said she’s been “so shocked” by how others have experienced something similar. “It’s just crazy that we’re not educated about this because it’s such a huge problem in Sydney,” she said.
Sophia discovered mould had taken over her ceiling and belongings, including her guitar. Source: Supplied
Another Sydney couple previously shared their experience living with mould. For 18 months, Katie Williams, an ex-beach sprinter, and contestant on Big Brother Australia, suffered from physical symptoms including “rashes on my eyelids and really bad asthma”.
Meanwhile, another Sydney tenant documented the “poor living conditions” she was made to endure as mould quickly began taking over the home just two months after moving in.
Mould is ‘common’ in Aussie homes, especially in Sydney and Melbourne
The issue of mould is a common dispute between renters and landlords, according to Leo Patterson Ross, the CEO of the Tenants’ Union of NSW.
“We often see these kinds of disputes coming out of basically a dispute about whether tenants are treating their property well,” he previously told Yahoo.
Sophia is now forced to moved out as the hives continue affecting her. Source: Supplied
“Unfortunately it seems that lots of people are told that it must be them and their behaviour, even when it’s pretty clear that there’s a problem with the building”.
Parts of Victoria, where it’s colder, have a similar issue. It often comes down to older homes having improper heating and ventilation, Dr Nicola Willand from RMIT explained earlier this year.
“Many people are unaware of the health risks associated with cold homes,” even in summer when mould can still form,” she said.
“Sydney has got a little bit more moisture outside. It’s a little bit warmer than Melbourne, but I think the conditions that produce mould would be very similar in various cities”.
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