Lots of ways . Didn ' t know the leaks existed . Can ' t afford to repair them . Nobody ever told them about the dangers it happens a lot unfortunately . they are physically or emotionally incapable of dealing with the problem for whatever reason . Heres something interesting . If you ask someone who lives in germany or france about black mold , they will be confused . It ' s only in litigious America that there is a mold paranoia because of a high profile lawsuit . The truth is that it ' s probably not the mold or mold spores themselves that are going to make you sick in a situation like this . It is the totality of the air quality inside of a home that has failed in this manner that is likely to make you sick . We haven ' t had much luck quantifying the specific items that cause sickness . It is better to say that a black mold infestation this bad is a strong indicator of an environment that is likely hazardous to your health .