Mold is typically not covered by your homeowner’s insurance policy, especially if the mold growth is due to negligence. Mold is generally covered if it is determined to have come from a recent water damage event within your policies coverage limits. Even in this scenario coverage issues may be challenged. Groundwater intrusion, sewer related backups, high humidity and poor ventilation are likely not to be covered claims if mold were to develop. Any mold determined to have come from an ongoing leak, high humidity or improper ventilation will likely be denied by your insurance company based on negligence. Most homeowners insurance policies state that you have an obligation to care for your home and not allow any condition that leads to a mold environment. Since mold isn’t damage that happens immediately, your insurance company will typically deny the claim.
To ensure insurance coverage you should always remedy any water intrusion, high humidity or improper ventilation immediately. If you do experience a water intrusion event you should file a claim as soon as possible to your homeowner’s insurance. Here is a link on how to file a homeowner’s insurance claim: https://www.usnews.com/insurance/homeowners-insurance/how-to-file-a-homeowners-insurance-claim
Should you find mold in your home, document it, take pictures and contact your homeowner’s insurance. An adjuster will be sent out to inspect the damage and determine coverage. Remember, you can increase the chances of your mold damage being covered with the more knowledge you have as a customer, the more detailed you are in assessing, documenting, and giving timeline specifics.
Whether your mold damage is covered or not you will need to remedy the mold and take the steps to correct the issue that caused the mold in the first place. Some states have mold laws and will require a mold assessor, like New York for example. Check your states Mold Assessor policy, if you live in a state where a mold assessor is required, you will need to hire one. Your mold assessor will write a remediation report for you and your mold remediation contractor. If your state does not require a mold assessor, hire a qualified mold remediation contractor. Always check Google reviews and ask for satisfied customer references before you hire a remediation contractor.