Mold Remediation After Water Damage in Syracuse

What does New York require for mold work?

New York Labor Law Article 32 requires state licences for mold assessors, mold remediators and mold abatement workers, in effect since January 1, 2016. The Department of Labor administers the licences, and the licence should be checked before the work begins.

The licence categories are set by the state. An assessor evaluates the mold and the moisture, a remediator carries out the cleaning or removal, and an abatement worker performs the removal work under the rules. The categories are different, and a person licensed in one may not be licensed in another.

Ask for the licence number and the category, then check it with the Department of Labor. A licence that is not current, or that does not cover the work on the scope, should be taken as a reason to stop until the question is answered.

Does every water damage job need mold work?

Not every water damage job needs mold remediation. A job needs mold work where growth is present or where the drying record shows that the moisture stayed too long to leave mold unlikely.

The drying record is the main tool for making the decision. When the readings fall quickly and stay dry, mold is less likely to take hold. When the readings stay high, the wall or the subfloor may need to be opened and checked before the question can be answered.

Visible growth is the clearest sign that mold work is needed. An odour or a stain without visible growth can still mean moisture is trapped, and an assessment by a licensed assessor will say whether growth is present.

How is the drying kept separate from the mold work?

Drying and mold remediation are separate jobs. The drying removes the moisture that feeds mold, and the remediation removes the growth that has already formed. Keeping the two clear makes the record easier to follow.

The drying is done first, because the mold work cannot succeed while the materials are still wet. The crew reads the building at each visit, and the readings show when the drying is complete and when the remediation can begin.

The remediation is recorded as its own step. Its containment, its removal of material and its clearance readings are logged, so the owner knows which parts of the work were mold work and which were drying.

• Drying: removes the moisture and is logged as water damage work
• Assessment: records where the growth is and what it covers
• Remediation: cleans or removes the growth under containment
• Clearance: confirms the area is dry and the work is complete

What should be in the file after mold work?

The file should hold the moisture readings, the photographs, the assessment, the containment record, the list of removed materials, the clearance readings and the licence details of the person who did the work. Those documents answer the questions a buyer, insurer or future owner will ask.

The assessment states what was found and where. The clearance readings show the condition at the end of the work. The licence details confirm who did it and under what category.

Keep the file with the water damage records. A complete file is easier to hand to a lender, an insurer or an adjuster than a verbal account of the work.

How does insurance treat mold after a water event?

Insurance treatment of mold depends on the policy and on how the water entered. Many policies limit mold coverage, and the cause of the water often decides whether the mold is covered at all.

Ask the insurer to show the mold terms in writing before a claim is made. The terms may distinguish between mold that follows a sudden covered event and mold that follows a long or excluded one, and the wording decides the claim.

For a dispute, the New York State Department of Financial Services is the state regulator for insurers. Keep the readings, the photographs and the assessment as the record of the event.