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Mold Library Combination
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Real Estate and Mold Problems
To read more real estate mold Q & A, please visit: More Real Estate Mold Problems.
Mold Questions & Answers, Avoid Real Estate Mold Lawsuits,
Commercial Property/Employer Mold Problems

         Q. We have recently completed a complete remodel of our home after finding mold.  We went down to studs and started over. Our mold test showed Aspergillus and Penicillium.  This mold sample was only taken from only one room.  We found mold under the baseboards through out the house. The garage still has mold growth. My husband spends lots of time working in the garage.  My husband is only 36 years old and  was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Our entire family has symptoms that are associated with mold exposure, however my husband is the worst. We have just completed a 2 year remodel project and are finally returning to a "normal" life style after living in a 26ft RV.  We are concerned now with our health which has deteriorated over the past 2 years.  If our house is mold free, and the garage still has mold of a toxic nature, what are our chances of keeping the house mold free?  Do you have any expert advice for us on how to proceed?  There is so much to our story, we should write a book.  I gave you only the brief highlights. [March 22, 2005]
         A. You need to know for sure the mold status of your home after mold remediation. The still-moldy garage is going to mold cross-contaminate the rest of your house even though you just completed mold removal there. Most mold remediation efforts [including by mold contractors and mold remediators] fail because of job shortcuts taken and the use of inadequate mold remediation procedures. Learn the 25 steps for safe and effective mold remediation. You should mold test everywhere in your home, including the air flow out of each heating/cooling duct register with either a Certified Mold Inspector, or by using do it yourself mold test kits from a large hardware, home improvement, or safety store.. This is especially important in clearance testing now because you only took one mold test before you did the mold removal job. Read mold inspection and mold testing tips. To help your family recover from your mold exposure, follow the advice of the in-depth book Mold Health Guide. Among other useful mold information in the book is an explanation of available medical diagnostic and treatment procedures.

         Q. We are considering purchasing a home and I went under the house to check it out with the home inspector and I came across some white "mold". Please advise what you suggest be done. I think we are going to require the homeowner to clean up the mold. Is the cleanup something we can do ourselves? Please advise what you suggest? The mold was caused due to the vents in the crawl space are at ground level so the water is draining under the house. We know how to fix that but need to know what to do with the mold. [Jan. 4, 2004]
         A. Crawl space mold can easily grow into the floors and walls above. In addition, airborne mold spores from the crawl space mold can travel in air currents to enter your home through open windows, doors, and the fresh air intake of the heating/cooling system to mold contaminate the entire house and its heating/cooling system. You should have the entire home and its heating/cooling system mold inspected and tested by a Certified Mold Inspector. Learn the 25 steps recommended for safe and effective, do-it-yourself mold remediation. Once you have mold remediated this home in its entirety, you will still own a house with a mold history that you are most likely going to have to reveal to prospective buyers and tenants in the future. Don't rely on the effectiveness of mold remediation done by the seller or a mold contractor hired by the seller. Most mold remediation is done poorly because of untrained personnel and job shortcuts taken which leave big-time mold problems in the house AFTER mold remediation. You would have to have the mold removal work of the seller or mold contractor evaluated by thorough clearance testing all around the house by an independent Certified Mold Inspector [uninvolved in the mold remediation itself].

        Q.  I recently placed a contract on a home and the inspection found Aspergillus mold. The current owner told us that her kids had terrible asthma and allergies, and now my wife and I are not sure what we should do. Do you have any advice? [November 16, 2004]
        A. Aspergillus mold is the second most dangerous indoor mold species, and it is also a known cancer-causer. Don't buy the house if you value your health and wealth. Learn the 25 steps for safe and effective mold remediation. Successful mold remediation can cost from thousands to tens of thousands of dollars especially if there is hidden mold growth inside walls, ceilings, floors, heating/cooling equipment and ducts, attic, basement, etc. Even if you find and remediate all hidden mold problems, you would still own a house with a mold history which you would probably need to disclose to prospective buyers and tenants. You would be wise to have a 21 day environmental inspection clause in any purchase offer you make for any house or other real estate property you purchase, and then have the house/building thoroughly inspected and tested by a Certified Mold Inspector. Become your own effective mold expert to improve your personal home or apartment environmental safety and/or the environmental health of your investment properties by reading all three of our mold advice, email delivered books [Mold Health Guide, $15; Mold Legal Guide, $15; and Do-It-Best-Yourself Mold Prevention, Inspection, & Remediation, $15].
        Q. What is your opinion of treating mold with extreme heat?  One of the mold restoration companies we have had give us a bid have told us they specialize in using heat and it is the most thorough way to kill mold....  Thank you for your help. [June 22, 2004]
         A. Extreme or high heat can only kill mold that it can reach. The biggest problems are fire safety concerns and the fact that the worst mold problems are mold infestations hidden INSIDE walls, ceilings, floors, heating/cooling ducts and equipment, crawl spaces, and attics, where high heat cannot be effectively and safely utilized to kill mold. Extreme or high heat is NOT recognized as an acceptable mold remediation procedure by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or the Professional Certification Institute [Certified Mold Inspectors]. What you need to do is to follow the steps required for safe and effective mold remediation that are explained at Mold Removal.
      
         Q. We are looking to purchase a home that might have mold in at least one of the rooms. Legally can we have the bank who owns the property pay to get it mold inspected and tested and the mold removed before we purchase it. The house is a foreclosed home so we are unsure as to whether or not by law this has to be repaired.  If this is a required thing in order for a house to be sold then how do we go about informing the Bank that owns the property to fix this immediately. We have not had the house inspected yet we just want to know if we can avoid paying to get this done if that is our only concern as to whether or not we purchase the home. [May 19, 2004]
       A. Whether a seller/lender is going to pay for anything including mold inspection, testing, and remediation [thousands to tens of thousands of dollars] is something you and your attorney need to provide for in the terms of your written offer to purchase the property. Although sellers usually have an obligation to disclose any mold problems or other problems about which they are aware, they don't usually have any obligation to pay for mold inspection, testing, and remediation. Either you get such provisions included in the wording of your purchase offer, or you will be the one to shoulder all of the expenses. Your first step should be to hire a Certified Mold Inspector to do a thorough mold inspection and testing of the property so that you have an independent, factually-based insight into the mold condition of the home. Many foreclosed homes have huge amounts of hidden mold infestation due to maintenance neglect and turned off utilities on the part of the foreclosed former owner and the new lender-owner. Learn what is required for safe and effective mold remediation.

      Q. Help!  I believe I have a rampant mold problem in my Massachusetts home.  During the warmer months I use a dehumidifier in my basement (which needs to be manually emptied).  Last August after being away for three weeks on vacation, I returned home to find a white "film" over my dining room set and a moldy smell.  (My #1 allergy is mold.) A few weeks ago, my water pipes froze and burst, resulting in a small amount of water damage to a crawlspace. Ever since, my allergy symptoms have been out of control. I contacted a mold remediation company who tell me that just the testing phase by an industrial hygienist will run anywhere from $1,000 - $3,000.  Yikes! My house was built in 1789, is situated on a slope, so that the basement walls are whitewashed field stone and there is a "walk out" in the back of the basement with a cement ramp which, when rains are heavy, result in the water coming into the cellar. After reading some of the fine points on your Web site, I realize that I've been living for the past 10 years in the "perfect house."  That is, if you want an example of what to do to ENCOURAGE mold growth.  Leaky gutters, clothes dryer not vented to the outside, attic not vented, crawlspace not vented, poor air circulation, etc. I don't have much money. Where can I start?  Will filing a claim with my homeowner's insurance help? [March 24, 2004]
       A. It is unlikely you can collect from your insurance company for mold which results from maintenance neglect over the years. Most insurance policies specifically exclude mold damage [and sometimes now even water damage] from insurance coverage. In the old days [2 years ago] before insurance policy mold exclusions, insurance companies would require that the mold be directly the result from the happening of an insured peril such as a sudden and accidental water line break, flood, wind roof damages, etc. Even when there was mold insurance coverage from such water accidents, insurance companies' claims adjuster and lawyers used every stalling tactic they could think of to keep from paying for mold damage. Since your budget is limited, your first affordable step to assess the mold damage to your home and the health threat to your family is to use do it yourself mold test kits from a large hardware, home improvement, or safety store to mold test the air of the basement, each room, attic, and the outward air flow from heating/cooling duct registers for the possible presence of elevated levels of airborne mold spores, in comparison to an outdoor mold control test which you should also do. To get rid of the mold infestation, follow the 25 steps for safe and effective mold remediation at Mold Removal.   Mold remediation is most affordable when you use the do-it-yourself approach.   

          Q. I am trying to find someone who can help us renters here in Huntington Beach deal with our landlord. My bathroom is full of mold by the shower, I tore off the wall the other night to discover it was covered in black mold and rust. I do not know what to do. I have been very sick with a really bad cough that will not ease up-I have seen my Dr three times for this problem, he thought it was allergies or a cold.....but it isn't getting better. [May 26, 2003]
        A. Your first step is to move out of the apartment so that you don't harm your and your family's health. When you are already experiencing health problems and you have already uncovered serious mold infestation, you need to get out. Don't move any of your personal property and clothing until you have first done mold decontamination in accordance with the standards and techniques explained in the ebook Do-It-Best Yourself Mold Prevention, Inspection, Remediation, & Testing. Second, before you relinquish possession of the apartment have it thoroughly inspected and tested by a Certified Mold Inspector. If you cannot afford to have pro mold inspection, use do it yourself mold test kits from a large hardware, home improvement, or safety store. Next you need to find out what legal rights you have against your landlord. Buy a one hour consultation with an environmental attorney in your area. Read the in depth ebook Mold Legal Guide.

        Q. Just yesterday, we  had sewage water spilling into our condo.  We used a water vacuum machine that the condo association supplied and got up most of the standing water.  This was a major undertaking.  We started at 7:40 a.m. and didn't stop until 3:00 p.m.  We had water all through our bedroom, in our bathroom, down our hall.  We had to tear up our carpet and padding.  We have cement floors underneath.  We live in a basement unit.  We also had to tear up our new Pergo floor. Today, Sunday, we walked outside our front door and there was more standing water in the hall seeping into our unit. We were standing in the water all day yesterday to clean up the place.  The condo association tells us they will send in a sanitation crew. We have a cat and after reading the news article on Mr. McMahon, I am REALLY WORRIED about the cat's health and ours.  Can you please give us some advice on how to handle this situation.
[May 17, 2003]
         A. Sewage contamination can cause both massive mold infestation and deadly biological contamination of your condo. Insist upon the following remediation steps, and get an environmental attorney if necessary to pursue your legal rights [ http://www.moldlawyer.com ]. Any building materials such as walls, ceilings, and materials and timbers INSIDE your condo's walls that were wet for more than 24 hours can now be experiencing massive mold growth. You need to insist that that at least any wall areas that were flooded be stripped of drywall [strip at least 2 feet higher than the flood level]. All insulation in such exposed areas needs to be discarded. The wood timbers will have to be cleaned with either a power planer or with a wire brush attachment to an electric grinder. Learn the 25 steps for safe and effective mold remediation. Use do it yourself mold test kits from a large hardware, home improvement, or safety store.

           Q. We recently had a home built and moved in about 2 months ago.  The top of the split level is completely finished but the daylight basement is just ruffed in.  It had been insulated after framing was completed, however.  My husband and I are now working on beginning to finish the basement.  While running some additional electrical wires we happened to pull back some of the insulation and discovered that the plywood was covered with mold.  It seems to be most prominent in the 2 north facing bedrooms.  We have not found any mold in the other areas of the basement.  There is no evidence of any leaks and the bedrooms are not even located under any of the plumbing.  Is there a possibility that some of the materials could have been wet when the insulation was put in?—this would have been about 4-5 months ago in November.  How fast would the mold have spread?  The mold is seems to be very dark green to black in color and I am concerned about various health issues.  Should we be concerned that there may be mold behind the drywall upstairs? I can’t believe that we are dealing with this problem already. We contacted our contractor immediately and he agreed to come take a look at it.  What would you recommend? [April 24, 2003]
         A. It is very possible that mold-contaminated building materials were used in the building of the home. It is also likely that the building materials got rained on while waiting to be used or during rough framing, especially since your house is not even closed in yet. Also high humidity [60%] at any time during the past construction period can drive mold growth. All of the mold contaminated building materials need to be removed, thrown away, and replaced with new, mold-free materials after the cleaned out area has been mold cleaned and treated. Learn the 25 steps for safe and effective mold remediation. The other areas you are concerned about can be viewed internally with the use of a fiber optics inspection device. It would be very wise for you to have your home carefully inspected and mold tested by a Certified Mold Inspector. Also visit: New Home Mold.    

         A. Your first step is to get at least a 30 day extension time period for your closing this purchase to enable you to arrange for your own mold inspection, testing, and obtaining mold remediation bids so that you will know the truth about the mold problem of the house in question. Second, hire a Certified Mold Inspector to do a very thorough mold inspection and mold testing of the entire home including all hvac [heating, ventilating, air conditioning] ducts and the hvac equipment itself. The $2,000 reduction in the purchase price for you to take care of the mold problem is totally inadequate to pay for the job which could run from many thousands of dollars to more than the house is worth, depending on whether the mold contamination has spread into ceilings and walls from the attic, and into hvac equipment and ducts. Yes, it would be advisable to replace the hvac equipment and ducts, but only after mold growth and mold spores have been removed from the entire home first. Mold remediators will seal off all of the return air ducts and supply air ducts during mold remediation so that the moldy hvac will not cross-contaminate the rest of the home as it is mold remediated. Learn all of the steps required for effective and safe mold remediation,. Mold will not grow back after effective mold remediation as long as there is no future water problem to drive mold growth. Preventing roof leaks, siding water intrusion, plumbing leaks, and high indoor humidity [above 50 to 60% humidity] are all essential to preventing future mold infestation. All mold present in your home needs to be removed. Good mold removal and mold remediation leaves no remaining mold [which can live millions of years in a dormant state waiting for future moisture to start growing again].

          Q. During our pre-purchase inspection last week, our inspector (who is also certified as a mold remediator) found mold growing on the joists under the house (especially under the sunken living room). In your experience what is the frequency of such growth also entering the space between the walls? There is evidence of repairs made to previous mold damage - so it has been cleaned once before. There are also water marks up to a foot high on the water heater. The homeowner disclosed a "previous moisture problem" that was repaired by installation of a sump pump (which she had placed outside of the home). Other than water marks under the house, and a need to re-grade part of the yard, there is no other indication of water damage to the home (nothing on the walls or in the attic). The interior of the house is spotless - it has not been lived in for the past 6 months, we've had unprecedented rains the
past 2 months, and there is no indication of growth in the bathrooms or kitchen. We are testing the mold colony to determine if there are toxic molds there. My husband has asthma, and we have a 2 year old son - so I am now uncertain of the wisdom in purchasing the house. [April 6, 2003]
          A. Mold growth in crawl spaces and on joists under homes can easily spread into the floors and walls above. With your husband's asthma condition, the present house mold problem, the evidence of mold remediation having been done in the past, and evidence of serious water problems in the past, it would probably be wise for you to find a mold-safe house to purchase. Please remember that a house with a mold problem history is difficult to re-sell, and that mold problems in the past must be disclosed to all prospective buyers should ever wish to re-sell this home in the future.

          Q. I have lived in a rental unit for a year and a half.  About 5 months ago discovered a pretty bad case of black mold in a room which was leaking severely. My landlady did not do anything about the issue until 2 months later, when she scrubbed the mold with a sponge and then painted over it and replaced the carpet. We are about to move and while removing books from the bookshelf that was against the wall in the adjacent room (my bedroom) I discovered that the mold was in the wall and had infested my book case and I happened to breathe it in (a musty and spore like smell). I now have asthma like symptoms and have had to get a prescription for an inhaler so that I can breathe at night.  I have a runny nose, I am constantly tired, and my lungs hurt, not to mention that I have pain in my shoulders and neck. I would like to get an inspector to come out here to check it out.  In live in Napa Valley, California. I have documented the case of mold since the very beginning when it was found.  The landlady did not seem to think that it was a big deal but i don't want to be afflicted by this for the rest of my life. [April 7, 2003]
           A. You should collect samples of the visible mold utilizing the Scotch tape lift tape method of mold sampling. You can also document possible elevated levels of airborne mold spores in the air using do it yourself mold test kits from a large hardware, home improvement, or safety store. Do self-analysis of the resulting mold growths, or send the collected mold samples in the kits to a mold laboratory for mold analysis and mold species identification. If you would like your rental unit to be inspected and mold tested by a Certified Mold Inspector. Besides finding a mold-safe place to move to, it is important that you not move your clothing and personal possessions until they have been effectively and safely decontaminated of mold spores and mold growth. How to remove mold from all types of personal property is explained in detail in our mold book Do It Best Yourself Mold Prevention, Inspection, Testing, and Remediation Guide. Once you have the lab proof of the mold contamination, you can consider hiring an mold attorney to represent you in regard to your health damage and damage to your personal property.

To read more Q & A, please visit: More Real Estate Mold Problems.