Mold found during a home inspection: what to do next
Mold on your inspection report means two jobs: remove the mold and fix the water behind it. What removal costs, and what to ask the seller for.
Updated · By 
Ben Sikes
What happens when mold is found during a home inspection?
Mold found during a home inspection means two jobs: remove the mold and fix the water that fed it. Before your deadline, get a written bid from a mold remediation contractor, and one from the trade that fixes the leak. Then ask the seller to cover both, as a repair or a credit.
The water fix is not optional. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that if you clean up mold without fixing the water problem, "most likely, the mold problem will come back." If the report notes an active leak, get the plumber or roofer out before the deadline, ahead of any money talk.
Key takeaways
- "Black mold" is not a species, and EPA says a lab test is usually unnecessary when you can see the mold.
- Professional removal typically runs $10 to $25 a square foot, and where the mold sits is one of the biggest cost factors.
- EPA's do-it-yourself line is about 10 square feet. Past that, or after a lot of water damage, get a remediation contractor's bid.
Is black mold found during a home inspection dangerous?
Color doesn't change the plan. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says: "No matter what type of mold is present, you need to remove it." EPA's mold course says: "'Black mold' is not a species or specific kind of mold, and neither is 'toxic mold.'" The news uses those terms for molds that may produce toxins, or for one mold, Stachybotrys chartarum.
EPA is plain about the risk: "Molds have the potential to cause health problems." It adds that "Inhaling or touching mold or mold spores may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals," and that molds "can also cause asthma attacks in people with asthma who are allergic to mold." Mold exposure "can irritate the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs of both mold-allergic and non-allergic people."
If anyone moving in has health concerns about mold, ask a health professional. EPA sends health questions there too.
Do you need a mold test before you negotiate?
Usually not, if the mold is visible. EPA says that "In most cases, if visible mold growth is present, sampling is unnecessary." There are no EPA or federal limits for mold in indoor air, so a lab result has no legal line to compare against. If a house tests positive, the plan is the same: remove the mold and fix the water.
Mold testing falls outside the home inspection standards of the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI). A separate mold inspector takes air or surface samples, and a certified lab analyzes them.
A test earns its cost when the mold may be hidden. EPA says to suspect hidden mold when a house smells moldy but you can't see the source, and to consider an experienced professional. One remediation company, ATI Restoration, says a mold inspection may cost $200 to $600.
To get the remediation bid itself before your deadline, see how to get repair estimates during the inspection period.
How much does mold remediation cost?
Where the mold is drives the price, because hard-to-reach spaces cost more to work in. Two published price lists, side by side:
| Where the mold is | Servpro, from HomeAdvisor data | ATI Restoration |
|---|---|---|
| Bathroom | $500 to $1,000 | Not listed |
| Basement | $500 to $3,000 | Same |
| Crawl space | $500 to $2,000 | $500 to $5,000, crawl space or attic |
| Attic | $1,000 to $4,000 | Same row as crawl space |
| Drywall | $1,000 to $20,000 | Not listed |
| Heating and cooling system or ducts | $3,000 to $10,000, whole system | $2,000 to $6,000, ducts or vents |
| Whole house | $10,000 to $30,000 | Same |
Sources: Servpro, ATI Restoration.
Both put professional work at $10 to $25 a square foot, so the size of the patch matters too. Servpro's figure for replacing damaged drywall afterward is $1,000 to $2,900, separate from the removal itself.
Worked example: a musty finished basement with staining at the base of one wall. The smell says the mold may run behind the drywall, so a mold inspection makes sense here. A mold inspection at $200 to $600, basement removal at $500 to $3,000, and drywall replacement at $1,000 to $2,900 add up to $1,700 to $6,500. Servpro says a finished basement will likely cost more than an unfinished one, and its drywall row runs to $20,000, so treat the low end loosely. That total leaves out the leak. A plumber's written bid prices that line.
Most reports carry more than mold. Kept prices every line of an inspection report for $79, usually under 4 hours, and marks the ones that need a professional quote.
What should you ask the seller for?
Ask for the mold and the moisture source together. A request line names the scope and the trade, then points to the bid: "Request: basement north wall, remove mold and replace affected drywall by a mold remediation contractor, per the attached written quote. Repair the leak feeding it, per the attached plumber's written quote."
If the seller does the work, put three conditions in writing:
- An experienced contractor. EPA says to make sure the contractor "has experience cleaning up mold," check references, and ask them to follow EPA's remediation guide.
- No paint over mold. EPA says "Do not paint or caulk moldy surfaces," and paint over mold "is likely to peel."
- A check afterward. EPA says surface sampling "may be useful to determine if an area has been adequately cleaned or remediated." InterNACHI notes new samples are typically taken after remediation. Ask for the invoice and those results before closing.
If you'd rather hire your own contractor after closing, ask for a credit at the bid total. See what to ask for after a home inspection for how this line sits with the rest, and the buyer repair request letter template for the wording.
What if the seller says no?
If the seller says no, you still have three choices: accept the house and budget for the bid, counter with a smaller credit, or leave. If the bid covers the whole house, or no one can find the leak, weigh leaving seriously. See when to walk away after a home inspection before you decide.
Your contract sets the exact deadline and whether you can cancel, so confirm both with your agent.
Can you clean up a small patch of mold yourself?
You can clean up a small patch of mold yourself after closing, in most cases. EPA says that if the moldy area is less than about 10 square feet, "in most cases, you can handle the job yourself." It sends anything bigger, or any case with a lot of water damage, to its professional remediation guide. If sewage or other contaminated water caused the damage, EPA says to call in a professional who has experience with contaminated water.
How do I know what the rest of my report is worth?
To know what the rest of your report is worth, price every line before you write the request, not just the mold. If your report also flags radon or asbestos, see high radon level on an inspection report for how that line compares. The mold line needs a contractor's bid. The smaller lines don't need to wait for one.
If mold is one line among many, upload your inspection report to Kept and spend your remaining days on the mold and leak bids.
Sources
- EPA, A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home
- EPA, Mold Course Chapter 1
- CDC, About Mold and Your Health
- EPA, Mold Testing or Sampling
- EPA, Mold Cleanup in Your Home
- InterNACHI, Mold Testing for Home Inspectors
- InterNACHI, Air Sampling for Mold Inspections
- Servpro, How Much Does Mold Remediation Cost?
- ATI Restoration, How Much Does Mold Remediation Cost?
Cost figures are modeled from public wage and materials data unless a line says observed. Kept is accountable for the numbers on this page, and corrections go to support@usekept.com. How we price.