Two men living in a small Sydney rental home say the property manager refuses to deal with a mould problem that is making them ill.

But the property manager said that's not the whole story.

The Reynolds' said with three dogs, very little money and now a bad reference from their property owner, they have not been able to find another apartment. (Joan Weeks/CBC)

Weldon MacIntosh Reynolds and his partner Mark Reynolds have lived in the home for about a year. They pay $650 per month plus utilities.

The men say it was spotless when they moved in but soon they began to see mould everywhere.

"There's no fan in the bathroom. There's no fan over the stove, no hood for over the stove," said MacIntosh Reynolds.

The couple has painted over the bathroom mould but say it keeps coming back. Reynolds said it's making him sick.

"I've been very tired all the time, I've [had a] headache constantly. Just achy, sore and my eyes burning. All I want to do is sleep," he said.

The men took down a door separating an unheated porch from the kitchen.

Priscilla Lotherington, the property manager, said the mix of cold and hot air is making it damp. She claims that the house is so filled with clutter, the air can't circulate.

"When they moved in they were told that — because the house was completely renovated with a whole new bathroom installed — it was a lot tighter and the insulation was upgraded. So they were told that, 'When you have a shower, you might have to crack the window open a little bit, or use the dehumidifier whatever.' And, they're not interested in doing that," said Lotherington.

The Reynolds' said, because they pay utilities, they don't want a window open and they were only given a dehumidifier two weeks ago.

Lotherington can't explain why the home's owner did not install ventilation fans when it was upgraded. She also said the tenants refuse to clear out some belongings so workers can clean up the mould.

Lotherington said she plans to evict the men for being $150 short on their rent.

The Reynolds' said with three dogs, very little money and now a bad reference from their property owner, they have not been able to find another apartment.