Mold Inspection in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Mold test or mold inspection?
Either way, the first job is finding the water.
Our free inspection covers every room. A moisture meter shows us water inside walls that look fine. The written findings say where it sits and whether mold is growing on it. Lab samples are not part of the visit. If you need them, we explain why and who to call.
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What is the difference between mold testing and a mold inspection?
Testing sends air or surface samples to a lab to identify the mold. An inspection looks for growth and uses a moisture meter to trace the water feeding it. The lab can name the spores, but only the inspection finds the leak you have to fix.
Mold Inspection in Fort Lauderdale
What we check in Fort Lauderdale homes
Most of the firms that come up for mold testing in Fort Lauderdale are independent assessors. The top result goes further and calls a free mold inspection from a remediation company an unethical practice.
That worry fits a company that samples the air and then sells you the removal. Florida law keeps those jobs apart. Under section 468.8419 an assessor may not remediate a structure it or its company assessed in the past 12 months. The same rule bars a remediator from assessing a structure it remediated.
Our free visit takes no samples, so it is not a mold assessment under section 468.8411. It is a moisture survey by a licensed remediator. You keep the written findings whether you hire us or not. If you want lab results, we tell you what to ask an independent assessor.
Moisture Coming Up From Below
With the water table a few feet down, moisture in a Fort Lauderdale house can arrive through the slab. We take readings near the floor along each outside wall and at the edges of tile and wood floors. Cupped floorboards and dark grout lines near an exterior door are common signs.
When a Lab Report Earns Its Fee
Lab testing makes sense for a dispute with a landlord or seller, a doctor's question about a specific mold or a musty smell with no visible source. Where mold is already visible, EPA guidance treats sampling as usually unnecessary. Our free mold inspection guide covers the rest.
Findings You Can Use
The written findings list where we measured moisture, what we saw and the likely source. Owners hand them to an insurer, answer a buyer with them or use them to decide whether an assessor's lab report is worth ordering on top.
Who can do what under Florida mold law
Florida licenses mold assessors and mold remediators separately and keeps the two jobs apart on the same house. Our free visit sits in the table too.
| Who | What they do | Samples for a lab | What s. 468.8419 bars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed mold assessor | Samples and evaluates mold growth over 10 square feet to work out where it came from, what it is and how far it has spread | Yes. Sampling is part of a mold assessment | Remediating a structure the assessor or the assessor's company assessed in the past 12 months |
| Licensed mold remediator, such as Bullfrog (MRSR5565) | Removes, cleans and treats mold growth over 10 square feet | No | Assessing a structure the remediator or the remediator's company remediated in the past 12 months |
| Our free inspection | A walk of the whole house, moisture readings and written findings you keep | No, so it is not a mold assessment | Nothing, since no assessment takes place |
| You, on your own home | A residential owner may assess or remediate mold on their own property without a license | You may | Nothing. The law exempts owners working on their own home |
Source: Florida Statutes s. 468.8411 (definitions), s. 468.8419 (prohibitions) and s. 468.841 (exemptions). Certified Division I contractors are exempt from the 12-month rule.
Our Process
What happens at a Fort Lauderdale mold inspection
- 1
Outside First
We start outside and check the grade against the house, the gutters, the downspouts and the slab edge. Water travels, so the stain you called about can sit some distance from where the water gets in.
On a canal lot we look hardest at the side facing the water.
- 2
Readings in Every Room
Inside, we put a moisture meter on the walls, floors and ceilings of every room, including the ones that look dry. A high reading behind a dry-looking wall means water is sitting inside it.
- 3
Where Mold Starts
We check the places mold usually starts in a Florida house: the air handler closet, closets on outside walls, bathrooms and the attic. If the house smells musty, we follow the smell to the room where it is strongest.
- 4
Written Findings
You keep our written findings and a plan to stop the water whether you hire us or not. We take no air or lab samples, because Florida law makes sampling part of a mold assessment by a licensed assessor.
If there is mold, the findings come with a written estimate covering the removal and the water behind it.
Mold Inspection and Testing Questions From Fort Lauderdale
How much does a mold inspection cost in Florida?
Can the company that tests for mold also remove it?
Will insurance pay for a mold test?
I am buying on a street that flooded in April 2023. Do I need a mold inspection?
Does a house on a canal need a different mold inspection?
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Inspection for Homeowners
Our mold work runs under Florida mold remediator license MRSR5565. Our foundation waterproofing carries a lifetime warranty against water coming through the section we treat.