NOTE: Most states do require building and remodeling
contractors to be licensed. Though being a licensed building contractor does not
automatically qualify a contractor to do mold remediation, it should be a
minimum requirement when considering any person or company for repair work.
2. CONFLICT OF INTEREST:
NEVER use the same company to perform both
mold inspections and mold remediation. Think about it!
At AMI, we believe it is a serious conflict of interest for a mold
inspector to profit in any way from the mold removal and repair work. The
potential for corruption and abuse is extremely high. A mold inspector who
doubles as a mold remediator can potentially find a great deal of expensive
repair work for himself. With the cost of professional mold remediation
work, you must have absolute confidence that your inspector has no
motivation to find problems that don't exist.
NEVER let your repair contractor provide his own clearance testing.
Any time a contractor bids a job for a flat fee, his goal is to get the work done
right the first time, and rightly so, since any additional time spent on the job adversely
affects his profit margin. Many contractors offer "FREE CLEARANCE TESTING" to
make sure their works passes and they get paid. This is never in your best
interest. If your job calls for
post-remediation clearance testing, (and every remediation job should), it is
always in your best interest to have the
original inspection company provide the clearance test. If the original
inspector is not available, hire only a third party inspector with no
relationship to your contractor.
3. COMMON MOLD SCAMS:
1. Sample Loading:
As the phrase implies, "sample loading" is what dishonest mold
inspectors do to bump up the price of their bill by selling you more samples
than you really need. They offer a lower price per sample than the national
average then make up the difference by frightening you into believing that your
situation is worse than it actually is. The scam is perpetuated by convincing
you that the only way to know for sure whether or not your personal belongings
are contaminated, (i.e. furniture, carpets, clothing, heirlooms, etc.) is to
collect samples from each one.
How to protect yourself from Sample Loading:
First of all, understand that mold is everywhere, on everything, indoors
and outdoors, and it is not always problematic. Just because there is mold on
your couch (and rest assure there is) that doesn't mean "sky is falling". The
important thing to determine first is; what is in the air and how much of it.
Unless there is a reason to know what kind of mold is on a surface, rarely is it
actually necessary to collect surface samples. For
more information collecting samples, click here.
2. Sample Swapping:
This is a common scam to make your test results look much worse
than they actually are. Instead of submitting your actual sample(s) to
the lab for analysis, the person collecting the sample submits one
that was collected from another location where mold levels are purposely kept extremely high. Again, the purpose of this scam is to
mislead you into believing that your that your mold problem is much
worse than it really is so they can grossly inflate the cost of
repairs.
How to protect yourself from Sample Swapping:
First of all, you can avoid this scam by hiring a mold inspector
who has no personal interest in your test results. Other than profiting from
your misfortune, there is simply no reason why someone would want you to
believe your results are worse than they really are. This is why we cannot
stress enough, never use the same company to perform both
mold inspections and mold remediation AND never let your repair contractor provide his own clearance testing.
Secondly, an accredited laboratory requires that all mold samples submitted
for analysis be accompanied by a "Chain of Custody", a document that
identifies samples by serial numbers so they can be linked to a specific
location, with a specific address, at a specific time, on a specific date. Insist on seeing the actual serial numbers
of each sample collected at your job and the Chain of Custody after it is
completely filled out with your name and address. Make sure the form is
completely filled in. If possible, make a copy of it before the inspector
leaves. If making a copy is not possible, write the serial numbers down on your receipt
and include the
corresponding sample area. For example:
Spore trap serial # 100425 Kitchen Air Sample
Take great comfort in an inspection that gives you a carbon copy of your
Chain of Custody.
3. House Cooking
"House cooking" is an old scam designed to get the worst possible test
results by turning on the furnace and ceiling fans in order to elevate the
number of mold spores in the air before taking samples. Some unscrupulous
scammers will even beat pillows and pat down furniture to get the air as
dirty as possible.
How to protect yourself from House Cooking:
If you see this being done, ask the person to leave your property
immediately. The only purpose in doing such a thing is to cause high levels
of detectable mold to justify expensive mold remediation work. You can avoid
this scam by hiring a certified mold inspector who has no personal interest
in your test results.
4. Ozone Generator:
Ozone schemes claim that tenting a home or building and then
injecting massive amounts of ozone gas into it will kill all of the
mold in the structure. Ozone can only kill what it comes into
contact with. Ozone cannot kill what it cannot reach, such as mold
growing inside walls, carpeting, upholstered furniture, wall
cavities, ceiling cavities and floor cavities. Besides being
ineffective at killing hidden mold (the worst type), ozone readily
damages all rubber and plastic parts it comes into contact with such
as rubber and plastic components of appliances, electronics of all
types, exposed electrical lines, extension cords and HVAC controls.
Ozone is also unhealthy to humans according to the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.
DON'T GET SCAMMED!