How to Choose the Right Mold Inspector

You found something that looks like mold in your home or you’re experiencing a new cough that doesn’t seem to go away. You’d like to call someone to come perform a mold inspection but now you’re getting conflicting information from the internet and the people you call! We know it can be tough sorting it all out so we’ve put together a brief guide on what to look for in an inspection service.

1. Professionalism

The company you choose to inspect your home should be professional and have specific experience with mold and its potential health effects. You typically want to stay away from handymen and builders who are likely to dismiss mold growth as unimportant or give you an outdated home remedy. Find someone with specific experience with your individual situation.

Look for someone who can write protocols with specific instructions and parameters that a remediation company can work off of, and someone that can write detailed reports in a manner that you can understand. An essential (and unfortunately often neglected) aspect.

2. Communication

Often the client and inspector will have different ideas of what is needed in the inspection or what the end goal is. Make sure to communicate clearly why the inspection is needed and whether or not the inspector can meet those requirements. Whether you are fulfilling the need of an appraisal, concerned about your family’s health, or simply want a second opinion, the inspection will go smoothly when everyone is on the same page about the end goal.

3. Understanding Potential Bias

If you are doing a general test for home health, it is generally recommended that you hire someone who is a professional inspector and does not have ties to a remediation company. Cleaning for mold can be very expensive and if there is incentive to steer the client towards a large job, there is potential for conflict of interest.

If you know that you have a mold issue and the scope of work is straight forward, you may want to skip the independent inspection and start gathering estimates from qualified remediation contractors. If there is mold in the living space, it is recommended that a post inspection be done to ensure that mold has been remediated properly and that indoor airborne spore counts have been returned to normal. This should always be done by an independent, third-party inspector. Do not allow a mold remediation company to do their own testing!

4. Report Writing

Inspection results are only as good as the client’s ability to understand them. Report writing is a crucial role in this process. Reports summarize inspection findings along with lab results from any samples taken, as well as recommendations of anything that needs to be done. Reports should be technical enough to satisfy legal requirements and follow necessary protocols, but should be written in a way that the client understands them.

Conclusion

Ultimately you should hire a professional that has experience with mold and the specific situation that you’re dealing with; but you should also choose someone that is easy to get along with, makes you feel comfortable, and is willing to spend the time to help you understand the scope of your project and the testing and consulting that is needed to complete it properly. Taking the time to do the job right will help avoid costly mistakes- both financially and with your health.