Click the play button on the video window to the right to see the storyWhen Gail Tucker first rented a Gilbert house in January, she thought she had found the perfect home.
Things have changed.
"I've had nothing but hell in this house since I moved in," Tucker said.
The 55-year-old grandmother is disabled and gets rent assistance from the county through the Section 8 housing program.
The place has been nothing but trouble, she said, with structural deficiencies piling up and dangerous molds and funguses growing in the home.
To get help, she's tried the property owner, realty company and even the Maricopa County Housing Authority with little success.
"I feel I haven't been given a fair shake from Section 8," Tucker said. "They are supposed to be there to protect me."
The problems started just days after Tucker and her four grandchildren moved into the residence near Germann Road and Ranch House Parkway.
A folding door fell off and landed on her shoulder and the toilets immediately began to overflow - almost everyday.
If you look closely around the home's bathrooms, you notice the wastewater had collected on the floor in the past and turned into mold, raising serious health concerns.
"It's been very scary," Tucker said.
The county housing authority sent an inspector to look at the home on June 3.
After, the department wrote in a letter, "The unit does meet the minimum inspection requirements."
Tucker wasn't convinced the home was safe or healthy.
To prove it, she had air-born mold samples taken from several different spots around her house and sent to a private lab.
The results found several dangerous molds.
And Tucker believes some of them may be infecting her grandson's eyes. Gray sores can be seen underneath both of his eyelids.
"It's started since we've been here," she said. "It's gradually getting worse."
Since taking the offensive, the county and rental company, Golba Group, Inc., have let her out of the lease.
But Tucker says, that will cost her hundreds in moving fees and it also misses the point.
"I shouldn't have to move," she said. "All I'm asking is that they fix it because from what I understand, it all can be fixed."
The Maricopa County Housing Authority is closed on Fridays, and officials couldn't be reached.
However, I called Golba Group, Inc. to get answers.
I spoke to one woman at the company who was familar with the situation, but refused to go into specifics or tell me her name.
After a few minutes, she redirected me to a voice mailbox. That message was not returned Friday.
Tucker said she is considering legal action and preparing a civil lawsuit.
Have you had a similar problem? Email me:
dbiscobing@abc15.com.
