How to prevent buying a mold infested home in Toronto
How To Avoid Buying A Mold Infested Home?
Mold Infested Home: Buying a house with a mold problem is a big fear for many people looking to buy a new home. Mold spores can be incredibly difficult to detect in certain situations and might even be hidden behind a wall or other enclosed area. Asking the seller about any potential or past mold or water damage issues is very important when buying a home.
The Problem with Mold Contamination
The biggest challenge with finding mold in a home is the many different ways that it can look, many times mold is confused for dirt or debris. When searching for mold it is a common misconception that all mold has a strong odour to it, but that isn’t always the case, because of the many different types of mold that exist it’s essential to be extra cautious with anything even slightly resembling mold.
Mold is most often found in wet or damp areas, so be sure to check any areas that seem wet or damp for visible mold. Be sure to ask the seller if the home had ever experienced any water damage in the past, as mold is a common symptom of water damage that wasn’t treated properly.
Some common areas where you can find mold include:
It’s very important that you carefully search all these rooms for any visible mold, but keep in mind that it’s not uncommon for mold to hide behind walls, under floors and in many other hidden areas in a home. For the best tips on detecting mold in a house, you can look at the other posts on our blog. You can also see the dangers of mold on our blog.
If you have the home inspected by a home inspector, make sure to ask them if they see any mold or signs of previous water damage. Home inspectors are not required to search for mold or water damage, although in most cases they will mention it if they notice any. You can also request the home inspector to include any information about past water damage or potential mold in their report, some may not want to do it in order to avoid liability for mold problems, but they will almost always be willing to talk to you about anything that seems suspicious.
If you’re thinking of making an offer on a home but are afraid it might have mold issues, you can add a mold related contingency to your offer. If it is accepted you can have a mold inspection conducted by a certified team and if any mold is found you will be able to back out or negotiate a better deal for the home, taking into account the cost of mold remediation. We highly recommend that you don’t purchase a home with known mold problems if you don’t intend on taking care of it immediately, especially if anyone in your family has asthma or if an elderly person or baby is going to be living in the home.
GTA Restoration provides mold inspections in the Greater Toronto Area, our team is certified and incredibly experienced, give us a call at 416-358-6666 to learn more.
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