My friend was renting a tiny studio apartment in a little beach town.
I went to visit one summer and when I walked in, I knew that something was not right.
There was a strong scent and it seemed to be everywhere in the apartment. I did not want to be a rude guest, so I ignored the smell and did not ask about it. She mentioned it later that night and said that it had been there since she moved in and nothing seemed to get rid of it. I advised her to have a mold specialist come out and take a look, just for safe measures. She had her landlord contact a mold specialist the following week. When he arrived at the apartment, the first place he checked for mold was in the air conditioning ducts. He almost immediately found the problem. Apparently there had been moisture building up from the humidity at the beach along with the cold air coming from the air conditioning unit. This was a breeding ground for dangerous mold. The air conditioning ducts had to be completely cleaned out. I was very happy that she was able to get this sorted out because having mold in the air vents can cause serious illnesses. The HVAC technician that did the cleaning told her that this is a common event among that specific community and that he had cleaned out much worse. The HVAC technician told the landlord that they HVAC unit would need a total replacement if the mold returned and that it would be best to have a monthly maintenance plan in place for this specific property.