New-build apartment smells so strongly of drywall it’s making me ill. May need advice, or just some hope.

Advice Needed

Moved into a smaller new-build apartment in April, first floor, not sharing walls with neighbors.
The building was finished around January. The off-gassing was intense for several weeks, but got better except for one bedroom. It was manageable at first, only appearing when very hot or humid. It’s been colder and humid for a few days now and the drywall smell is so strong it’s making me nauseated. We’ve also been dealing with a strong rotten egg smell coming from the water heater or the drain in the water heater closet, when we’ve both taken hot showers.
I’m also smelling other scents, like sweet paint and old wood and rubber. We had a grassy earthy smell behind our bedroom door, which I’m hoping is resolved by cleaning the washing machine that is just around the corner of the door.
I’ve cleaned well, take out the trash daily, ventilate a few times a day when weather permits, etc., and it persists. Some days worse than others.
The humidity sits at 50%, closer to 60% when raining, unless I run the dehumidifier.
My partner barely smells it, and just says the bedroom “smells like drywall”. It doesn’t bother him, but I feel ill and I’ve had a dry cough that’s lasted a few weeks.
Is this normal for a new-build? Will it go away? The room was suppose to be a bedroom but it’s empty because of the smell. I don’t see myself being able to use it, but just being in the living room I can smell it.
I wanted to make this space home; a fresh start, after moving out of a moldy house. With these smells, I feel just as unsafe as I did there. I will not invest anymore into this apartment, it won’t be my home. I can’t live with this unless it can be resolved. Which I can’t even think about, given the rental market and financial strain.
I’m going to email my property manager, he lives in the building. He’s great, but I’m not holding out hope for anything to be done (based off previous experience). Does anyone have a similar experience and if so, how did you handle it and were you able to determine the cause?

Posted Sep 6, 2026, 3:15 AM UTC

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