Mould, and the rule that protects you from the industry
Never let the company that tests for mould be the company that removes it. Florida issues two separate licences — mold assessor and mold remediator — and the assessor may not remediate what they assessed†, with a 12 months† bar between the two. Florida wrote that rule because the conflict is obvious, and it is the single most useful thing to know here.
A firm that both diagnoses and profits from removal has an obvious incentive to find more than is there. Florida did not leave that to professional judgement — it made them different licences and barred the assessor from remediating what they assessed. If a company offers to do both, that offer is itself the finding.
The two licences
| Mold assessor | Mold remediator | |
|---|---|---|
| Does | Inspects, samples, writes the report and protocol | Removes, cleans and rebuilds |
| Decides what work is needed | Yes | No — works to the assessor’s protocol |
| Can they do the other role? | No, for 12 months† | No |
| Licence needed above | 10 square feet† | 10 square feet† |
Below 10 square feet† no licence is required, which covers the patch of bathroom ceiling most people are actually dealing with. That is worth knowing before paying for anything: a small, visible area with an obvious cause is usually a cleaning job and a plumbing fix, not a remediation project.
Find the water first
Mould is a symptom. It grows because water is arriving from somewhere and staying, and removing it without fixing that guarantees it returns — usually within months, and usually in the same place. In Florida the source is nearly always one of a short list.
- A roof leak, often intermittent and only during driven rain.
- A plumbing leak behind a wall or under a slab.
- Air-conditioning: a blocked condensate line, an oversized unit that cools without dehumidifying, or ductwork sweating in an unconditioned attic.
- Humidity itself, in a house left closed and unconditioned — which is why empty second homes and rentals between tenancies are the classic case.
- Window and door flashing that has failed.
An oversized system cools a Florida house quickly and then switches off, which means it never runs long enough to pull the moisture out. The house feels cold and stays damp. It is a common cause of persistent mould in homes with no leak at all, and no amount of remediation fixes it.
What insurance does and does not do
The general position is that mould caused by a sudden accidental event may be covered, and mould from long-term seepage, maintenance failures or humidity is not. Florida policies also commonly carry a specific mould sublimit far below the main dwelling limit — which is why a large remediation can be nominally covered and still mostly unpaid. If you are claiming, notice is due within 1 year† of the loss.
- Read your own declarations page for the mould sublimit. It is a specific number and most people have never looked at it.
- Document before you touch anything. Photographs with dates, and the cause if you can establish it.
- Do not demolish before the adjuster has seen it. Removing the evidence removes the claim.
- Keep the assessor’s report. An independent protocol is far more persuasive than a remediation invoice from the firm that also found the problem.
Buying or selling with a history of it
Known mould, and known water intrusion that caused it, is disclosable. The duty from Johnson v. Davis (Fla. 1985)† covers what you know, materially affects value, and a buyer cannot readily observe — and mould inside a wall meets all three comfortably.
- If you are buying, a musty smell in a closed room is worth pursuing even where nothing is visible. Ask directly, in writing, about water intrusion history.
- Remediated properly and documented is not a problem. An independent assessment, a protocol, a licensed remediator and a post-remediation clearance test is a better position than a house nobody has ever examined.
- Ask for the clearance test, not the invoice. The invoice proves someone was paid. The clearance proves the work achieved something.
Related
Common questions
Can the same company test for mould and remove it in Florida?
No. Florida issues separate assessor and remediator licences, and an assessor may not remediate a structure they assessed within the previous 12 months. A firm offering to do both is telling you something.
Do I need a licensed professional for mould in Florida?
Above 10 square feet, yes. Below that no licence is required, which covers most small visible patches — those are usually a cleaning job plus fixing whatever is letting water in.
Does homeowners insurance cover mould in Florida?
Sometimes, and rarely in full. Mould from a sudden accidental event may be covered while mould from seepage, maintenance failure or humidity is not, and policies commonly carry a mould sublimit well below the dwelling limit.
Why does mould keep coming back after remediation?
Because the water source was never fixed. Roof and plumbing leaks, blocked condensate lines, oversized air conditioning that cools without dehumidifying, and closed unconditioned houses are the usual Florida causes.
Do I have to disclose mould when selling in Florida?
Yes, if you know about it. It materially affects value and a buyer cannot readily observe mould inside a wall, which is exactly when the disclosure duty applies.
Should I buy a house that had mould?
Properly assessed, remediated to a protocol by a licensed remediator, and passed on a clearance test, it can be a better-understood property than one nobody has ever examined. Ask for the clearance test rather than the invoice.
Mould-related services are licensed under Chapter 468, Part XVI of the Florida Statutes and administered by DBPR. Insurance treatment depends entirely on your own policy wording and sublimits — read the declarations page rather than general guidance.