Families in Delray Beach are living in mold-infested homes. The city says it is so bad their own code officer had to leave.
RELATED: See photos of the unlivable conditions
Condos in the Rainberry Woods were being checked by the city for an annual inspection. Over a dozen of the units are owned by the same landlord, Johnny Marcandy.
The city has seen four of the condos Marcandy rents and each of them are full of mold, broken appliances, and no air conditioning.
“The A/C is not working, the oven isn’t working, the refrigerator is not working, it is not good at all,” said one tenant who did not want to be identified. She said Marcandy refuses to come to fix any of the problems in her apartment.
The city said one unit had so much mold they called DCF and relocated the child to a safer place.
Patrick Adolphe is the housing rehabilitation specialist and has been working with the people living in the community.
“The landlord is responsible for the safety of the tenant and that is also the condition of the house,” he said.
“When I walk in and see these units, I cringe,” said Jamael Steward with the Delray Beach Community Improvement District.
He said the units they have seen so far violate the rights of the renters and they are looking to help the people living there with a rental assistance program.
“Whatever this guy is putting these people through, whatever we can do from the city side, we are going to do it to hold him accountable,” said Stewart.
Marcandy did say on the phone that the problems in the condos were the fault of the tenants because they didn’t clean.
The city said if anyone needs help to contact the code enforcement office at 561-243-8991.
