When filing a claim with your homeowner’s insurance it is usually best not to mention ‘Mold’ at the outset even if you have evidence of it. One reason is that depending on the company it can indicate that the issue has been occurring over time, meaning several weeks or longer. That may indeed be true regardless but insurance companies may use that to deny the claim attempting to categorize it has having been something ongoing which allows them to deny it. Keep in mind that if there is moisture/wetness found there will be mold and bacteria growth even if you don’t see it.
It is better to say that there is a leak you just discovered (even though it the evidence indicates it has been happening for several weeks or longer) especially if you have an inspector like myself find Elevated Moisture in some area of the home indicating a leak or water intrusion in some fashion. Remember that it is when you discover the actual leak that matters to the insurance company. You likely will have a plumber or leak detection company find where the leak is originating from though the inspection will likely indicate what the issue may be. Insurance companies want to see a ‘plumber’s report’ to help determine coverage on the claim. In some cases, it is not always feasible to get ‘eyes’ on the leak, so to speak, until a remediation has started to contain the problem area and the walls are opened under containment and the leak source can be readily seen. Many plumbers will not open ‘wet’ walls realizing that they can release mold and bacteria into the living space and be liable for it until containment has been set up properly, usually by a remediation company.
Steve Mullins (i.e. Mold Detector)
CMC, Certified Microbial Consultant
Moisture and Mold Detection, Inc.