A tenant claims a very common problem in her rental has left her sick... now she's taking the fight to her landlord: 'I'm living in a zoo'
Ksenia Pavlovskaya, 43, moved to Australia from Russia to study at the Australian Institute of Fitness and work in wellness nine years ago.
She moved into a granny flat at North Curl Curl, on Sydney 's leafy Northern Beaches, in 2022 where she planned to raise her 15-year-old son.
Ms Pavlovskaya claims that in January this year, her son noticed his mattress and bedroom in the back of the property was beginning to grow mould.
'The smell was so horrible inside. It was already like a swamp,' she told Daily Mail Australia.
'My son's bedroom was affected the most, like he noticed it first. He started telling me the carpet smells. It's hard to breathe.'
Ms Pavlovskaya's son then moved to live with his father, who now receives child support from the personal trainer.
The mother revealed that she was diagnosed five months later with an illness potentially related to mould.
The horrifying diagnosis has prompted her to take her landlord to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT).
The 43-year-old has suffered fatigue, coughing, chest pain, and anxiety since the beginning of the year.
'Usually, I'm the one who wakes up at 5am, and it's been easy for me, but not any more, because of my situation,' Ms Pavlovskaya said.
'When I started to feel low energy and getting sick, my income dropped because I could not perform the same amount of physical work.'
Ms Pavlovskaya said she raised the issue in January with the property manager and her landlord - who lives in the main residence of the Curl Curl property.
She claimed she was told to simply open the windows, which has not helped at all, as the mould has since spread to the ceilings, furniture, and air conditioning unit.
Ms Pavlovskaya said she believed the mould issue stemmed from the flat's porous sandstone foundation and shaded position at the back of the property.
Inside, she said the granny flat resembles a 'zoo' with ants everywhere and a 'musty', 'boggy' aroma.
The 43-year-old (above) has suffered fatigue, coughing, chest pain and anxiety since the beginning of the year
Ms Pavlovskaya went to the doctor in June, who linked her symptoms and critically low ferritin levels to mould exposure.
Further battles with the homeowner then led to an anxiety diagnosis.
'Whenever I politely ask them, they always try to tell me that everything is my fault.'
'They always try to tell me, "We've done so many things for you." But they didn't fix the issue. The issue is still here.'
Ms Pavlovskaya said patch fixes, including 'fogging', done after moisture is removed, and a cleaning company's efforts to 'wipe away' the mould were ineffective.
She said the $780-per-week flat was not fitted with adequate ventilation or preventative features, including a fan underneath the property and dehumidifier, which Ms Pavlovskaya claimed were only provided recently.
Ms Pavlovskaya was offered the option to move out of the flat and the landlord would waive the fee for breaking the lease.
Instead, she has decided to pursue the landlord and property manager not only for herself, but for other renters who find themselves in similar situations in Sydney.
'I would like to achieve justice because I see that this is a big issue,' she said.
'So many of them are suffering, but they're scared to speak up. They don't want to go to tribunal because they think the landlord will screw them.
'But if they see I was able to protect myself, maybe they will speak up when they have a problem.'
The ordeal has shocked even friends who are living overseas.
'Everyone is telling me, "I can't believe this is happening to you. Oh, my God, I can't believe this happening in Australia."
'It's the type of thing to happen somewhere in Russia,' she said.
Daily Mail Australia contacted the landlord and homeowner for comment.
The homeowner declined to comment ahead of the NCAT hearing, but said 'there are always two sides to every story'.
The parties will head to mediation on Tuesday.
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