DOCUMENTING A MOLD PROBLEM
INSURANCE MOLD DOCUMENTATION
If you have decided to file a claim for your mold remediation, you will want to get a fair reimbursement from your insurance company. You will want to make sure that all affected areas are covered in your claim, and the extent of the damage is reported accurately and fairly. The key to getting what you deserve is documentation of the situation, including a documented moisture investigation and air quality assessment of the affected area. Your licensed and certified QCI Mold Assessor is trained to determine the affected areas to make sure that all areas with airborne contamination are included in your remediation plan.
QCI’s licensed and certified mold inspectors use several industry-accepted methods to document your mold problem.
- QCI will take notes from interviews with the property owner regarding the history of the property, i.e. known and/or suspected water damage incidents; age of the home; roof leaks; air conditioning problems; odor complaints; etc.
- QCI will take several digital photos to document mold growth in the home or commercial building.
- QCI will record readings from its thermal imaging camera, particle counter, and moisture meter.
- QCI will capture tape lift surface samples from areas of visible discoloration and decay to quantify and verify mold growth.
- After performing these steps, QCI will be able to pinpoint specific locations and capture air samples to test for elevated mold spore counts.
QCI maintains strict confidentiality and maintains strict control of air samples to ensure that chain of custody requirements have been met. QCI sends its air samples to a certified independent testing lab for analysis. Results in the form of a confidential Mold Analysis Report are emailed to the property owner.
If you have decided to file a claim with your insurance company, you can forward your confidential Mold Analysis Report, along with photo documentation, interview summary, and equipment readings to your claims adjuster.
Your remediator should provide photo documentation of the progress of the mold remediation. Many times, the mold is only fully exposed once the drywall, baseboards, toe kick plates, appliances, and other building materials are removed. It is critical that your mold remediators capture evidence of mold on cabinets, structural building materials, and contents. This photo documentation should be forwarded to your insurance adjuster if you file a claim.
To be sure that your remediation was successful, QCI can perform post-remediation clearance testing. QCI will collect air samples of the remediated area after the remediation is complete. If the air samples come back clean, your remediation is generally considered successful. If your report comes back with elevated levels of mold, additional remediation work will be necessary. Clearance testing results should be forwarded to your insurance adjuster if you have filed a claim.
