I have a mystery.

I have a mystery. I have a resident (college student) who has been having severe allergies only when inside the unit. The carpets were steam cleaned, deordized prior to move in and then again after. We got them a special furnace filter (it's a townhouse and residents are responsible for changing them.) I ozoned it as well. The kid has an air purifier in the room. The kid is just miserable. He had no allergy issues when he was home over the summer, but the minute he returned to college and the unit, same issues. I feel so terrible and I'm running out of ideas. I have offered to clean the carpet again as that seemed to help for a bit. I also asked if they could identify WHAT he is allergic to so that I can further research and the mom was not quite willing to pay the $ for the allergy tests, rather just has him on allergy meds, although I guess he has a doctor appointment next week... Obviously I cannot replace carpet in an occupied unit, it would be so hard and they are going on their second lease term there. Has anyone ever heard of this happening?? I'm so lost here. He's a great kid and they are fantastic residents, I'm just running out of ideas of what to do without knowing what he's allergic too. My boss and I discussed duct cleaning, but again, that's no guarantee either and would be very expensive. We want to do the right thing of course but I've just never had this type of thing happen.

Clean duct work, coil on ac

I’ve offered to change carpets in occupied unit. Tenants were responsible for moving their items out for the day…. Or maybe transfer to another unit if you have one available

I think you have done an awesome job trying to find solutions to your residents issue. At the end of the day, YOU are the only one trying to help them. They sound like they are unwilling to help themselves. The ball is in their court. They need to decide to invest in their own health. You have basically been shooting at fish in a barrel, looking for the cause, without any help from the person WITH the problem.

What kind of trees, shrubs, plants, etc are outside of the apartment? That can play in to it too? I’m from the south and I hear this a lot from people who move from other areas. Pollen is everywhere all the time- so are outdoor molds and mold spores.

This actually happened to me once and I am not allergic to anything. They cleaned the ducts and it worked.

Honestly, without them finding out exactly what the resident is allergic to, you’ll be hard pressed to remedy the situation. It seems they’re assuming the issue is in the apartment and that may not be the case. Short of checking for mold possibly created from excess moisture I can’t think of anything else you can do.

Could there be mold in the walls from a previous (or existing) leak? My daughter is allergic to mold and will have issues as soon as she walks into a place where mold is present.

That's a good point. Prior to them moving in we had a huge rain storm last summer and the basement was a bit musty, be we cleaned and ozoned and it was better. I just read something about an air scrubber. A mold test would not hurt, but I think if it was mold, the other two roommates would also be feeling sick?

Not necessarily. I am allergic to mold get sick immediately and normally know it’s around. You can purchase a mold test at Home Depot they work. If the basement was musty there could have mold in the air.

Clean the duct work and if that doesn't work offer a transfer.

I would bite the bullet and do the duct cleaning.

He could be allergic to the deodorizer or shampoo from the carpet cleaning. I have issues with those kinds of things.

Test the unit for mold

Clean the duct work, clean your coils, take care of ALL ac parts. I have a severe mold allergy. I can immediately feel it. It tends to be hvac pretty frequently

Get an air scrubber. Had this issue last year, I had cleaners come in and deep clean the apartment every week for three weeks and had an air scrubber running - he had no issues after that!

I am allergic to carpeting. Perhaps at home they dont have it as tile/wood very much in now.
Also it could be the type of folage that’s different outside. I tested off scale to Oak trees! Allergies fall in Categories. Some are more allergic to some things than others. The only other alternative might be some hidden mold or mildew between the drywall and the studs. Possibly from previous leaks.

That’s rough. It could be something in the walls or something filtering in from other units. Like a scentsy, cigg smoke, etc

Do you allow pets! It could be pt dander, I would hire a company to mold test his unit

The tenant should get an allergy test, but obviously, that isn't on you.

Idk where he went but his allergies could be regional. I know my allergies go crazy when I go to TX from the PMW

With allergies it could be anything. If he's using different cleaning supplies/shampoos/laundry degergent than he uses at home that could do it too.

This happens to me with cats and dogs. We never realized the dog part until I went away to college we thought it was just seasonal allergies

Could it be what they are cleaning the carpet with?

The last time I had it steamed with NON smelling special cleaner (we have a great company we use who are well versed in smells and odors) and that seemed to work for a short time. I only ever hear from the mom, not the resident so I feel i'm not getting info timely until it's really bad, which doesn't help me.

Maybe the allergies are other things, the bedding maybe? Or paint? Was a pet in the apartment previously?
Mom should spring for the test before moving to a different apartment. The medical reason can be explored now or later regardless of the cost.

The last time I had it steamed with NON smelling special cleaner (we have a great company we use who are well versed in smells and odors) and that seemed to work for a short time. I only ever hear from the mom, not the resident so I feel i'm not getting info timely until it's really bad, which doesn't help me.

Maybe the allergies are other things, the bedding maybe? Or paint? Was a pet in the apartment previously?
Mom should spring for the test before moving to a different apartment. The medical reason can be explored now or later regardless of the cost.

Suggest he be allergy tested so you can identify the source of the issue to fix it. Also pull carpet and check padding underneath. May be issues you can't see.

Allergy testing is key - I have severe allergies to almost everything. When I saw my allergist two weeks ago (new one as my other one retired) she said to immediately remove the carpet from our bedroom. She said the bedroom is the most important place to keep as allergy free as possible - remove carpet, no dogs can sleep in there (ours still do but I bought wipes to wipe them down each night), use an air purifier, have allergen pillow and mattress covers and wash sheets in hot water weekly. Dust mites are the biggest culprit and there are millions in carpet and beds/pillows. It’s really disgusting if you think about it.

Sounds like mold is affecting him

I agree with the others that while it’s a big expense, cleaning the ducts and especially the coils is a miracle worker. I would also consider that it’s possibly not the apartment. It could be anything from something at school to something just in the environment that are causing these allergies to flare up. Just because the allergies are more noticeable when he’s in the unit, doesn’t mean it’s not being triggered in other places like college or just the general area. His parents need to consider that as an option

You can do an air quality test.

Could it just simply be outdoor allergies that's the issue? I live in Ohio and my allergies are horrible. When I go to Gulf Shores to stay with my parents, I have no issues at all. I could easily blame it on my house but it's definitely outdoors. When you say "he goes home for the Summer" is home nearby or far away?

I work for a flooring company and we have done carpet replacement in occupied units, usually over a few days one area at a time. Talk to your flooring vendor and I’m sure they’ll work with you and the resident to minimize the inconvenience to the resident.

You mentioned it’s his second lease term - is that in the same unit? If so… was this unit closed up for a period of time while he was home?
If it was… was the AC kept at a certain temp? (I’m in Florida asking this, fyi) Could there be “discoloration” somewhere that hasn’t been noticed? Was it a little dusty?

I had a person I worked with who was allergic to the carpenters glue used to assemble her cabinets in her new house.
Big $$$ to find that issue.
Offer transfer or if none available consider a lease break at no cost, just 30 days notice. It could work out to be the least expensive option.

We had a similar situation and ended up cleaning the ducts. It definitely helped. That being said, I've also seen this issue in a unit with mold that wasn't visible.

I rented a house and had my carpets steam cleaned. The bedroom my office is in was horrible. I would have headaches & be congested the minute I walked in. I hired another carpet company to come out (was only this room that bothered me) and they figured out the previous company had used too much solution & too much water (there was a sickly sweet smell in the room). I had them shampoo again and it hasn't bothered me since.

Our flooring company charges a little more but will do an occupied unit and move the furniture, tenants just have to empty/ box personal belongings... good luck sounds like you're doing everything you can

Carpets can be cleaned however there is still dirt, dust, and fibers in the air. I have seen what is under them when carpets are removed. Also cleaning the air ducts is a good idea. Also, maybe look under all sinks and any area with a water source for possible leaks that are growing mildew. That is all I have…