Many people ask me if the ‘Mold Inspection’ I do for them is covered by insurance. Quite simply, it depends. When I do one of these inspections, I am looking for elevated moisture in the home that should not be there. That is because mold starts to grow in 1 to 2 days after water/moisture is present from some source such as a pipe leak or water intrusion from outside.
Keep in mind that ‘mold’ is defined in California Senate Bill 655 as ‘microorganisms or fungi’ which includes the microscopic bacteria along with fungi that starts out microscopic and both can have a bad affect on your health.
If the elevated moisture found is from a plumbing leak of some sort, then in most cases insurance will pay for cleaning up the mold and damages with it. That would also include the fee paid to me/my company for the inspection. However, customers generally will have to pay out of pocket for the initial inspection and when it is found that the cause of ‘a leak’ is covered by the insurance then the insurance company will reimburse you for the inspection fee.
But you won’t know that until a moisture issue is found and then the cause of that moisture problem is identified. Most of the time the insurance adjuster needs to see a ‘plumbing report’ about the cause which helps them determine if it will be covered.
Steve Mullins (i.e. mold detector)
CMC, Certified Microbial Consultant
Moisture and Mold Detection, Inc.