I’m no doctor or expert, but I have personal experience with mold and health. Based on that I have a simple message: Please tell your friend to move out! Find a new place. Whatever it takes. Short of massive remodeling, this place will not be okay for her.
My wife developed asthma from a place we lived in that had mold. It took a while to figure out this was the issue. It took even longer for my wife’s asthma to subside to a manageable level, but even now exposure to mold causes her asthma to flair up. The longer your friend is exposed to the mold the more it will impact her immune system and the easier it will be for her symptoms to reappear.
When this all happened to my wife, we approached the landlord and basically offered that we would go quietly without fuss. (Cleaning the house on the way out) He thought for a minute then agreed. Hopefully, your friend’s landlord will be the same. The landlord is going to want her to move out rather than sue him over health issues caused by his apartment. (Which is an option) So, the landlord has some interest in settling this without legal wrangling.
But most importantly, if your friend has developed allergies and breathing problems she is now going to be much more sensitive and should look for a new place.
Some suggestions for allergy sufferers:
Slab construction rather than crawl space
Hard floors, no carpet.
Carefully inspect for any mold. (Back of bathroom cabinets, etc)
Minimal cloth curtains, shutters and blinds are better for allergies.
A hepa vacuum cleaner.
A good hepa air filter (Blue Air)
Allergies like this are a real pain as exposure to the allergens weakens the immune system and makes it easier to get colds and other symptoms.
