DAVID S. DRINKWATER
Studying issue
As homeowners are increasingly becoming aware of the dangers of toxic mold and requesting special testing of their homes, some inspectors fear that companies could be preying on homebuyers with unnecessary and inappropriate mold testing.
“There’s a lot of controversy about it [mold testing],” acknowledged home inspector Jeffery C. May, owner of J. May Home Inspections in Cambridge.
May, who is writing a book about mold, said that a growing number of home inspectors and pest control companies see mold testing as a money-maker and are providing test results to homebuyers without analyzing or explaining them. In fact, May said he frequently gets calls from people who want him to analyze mold test results.
“There is an enormous amount of interpretation that has to take place to make [test results] meaningful,” said May. Identifying the source and causes of the mold are just as critical as providing test results, he said.
Environmental and medical experts have found that some types of indoor mold can be harmful to people’s health, particularly those prone to breathing and respiratory problems. The causes of indoor mold growth are primarily linked to moisture and high humidity levels in a home.
“It’s very important that people be aware that mold indoors can affect their health,” said May, who is the author of “My House Is Killing Me!”
In some parts of the country, particularly in California, indoor mold has become a major issue of concern for real estate agents, inspectors, homebuilders and insurance companies as more lawsuits regarding mold-related health problems have been filed. In one case, a California homeowner won $18.5 million in damages from his insurance company when water pipes in his home broke during remodeling and resulted in mold.
These types of cases are catching the attention of Bay State Realtors as well. David S. Drinkwater, president of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors, is organizing a work group to research whether mold is an issue in this state and determine what needs to be done from “a disclosure point of view.”
‘Waste of Money’
While Drinkwater said he has not encountered homebuyers who have requested mold testing, there are buyers who are aware of the problem and are having testing done. What some of these buyers don’t realize, however, is that simply taking an air sample for mold spores won’t give them an indication of whether a home has a mold problem or not, according to May.
Sometimes, a seller’s living habits could be the cause of an excessive amount of mold spores in the air, or a sample taken during a day when there is a lot of outdoor mold may affect the indoor air quality.
May said in some cases the culprit could be a moldy carpet or couch that when removed will alleviate the problem. That is why May believes that in most cases mold testing is unnecessary and counterproductive.
“A pre-purchase home inspection isn’t the time to be testing for mold,” he said. “What’s in the air is different all the time.”
May’s comments come several weeks after a former medical doctor and homebuilder gave a talk about mold testing at the National Association of Realtors’ mid-year governance meetings.
The speaker, Dr. Nathan Yost, said that in most instances mold testing is not necessary and a “waste of money.”
Massachusetts Realtor Carolyn Chodat, who attended the NAR session, was surprised by Yost’s comments.
“Personally, I am concerned [about mold] because I know that the Environmental Protection Agency is certainly trying to bring more consumer awareness about it,” she said. Like Drinkwater, Chodat said she has not encountered homebuyers who have asked about or requested mold testing.
David Wluka, a land planner and president of Wluka Real Estate in Sharon, also attended the seminar and was impressed by Yost’s comments. Yost gave a clear presentation and explained that while mold is a serious issue, there is no definitive or objective test or measure to determine whether a home has a mold problem, said Wluka.
“I’ve not had a personal experience of a mold issue in my career,” said Wluka, who added that he has not heard of any legal cases involving mold in Massachusetts.
Like MAR, NAR was concerned enough about the issue to convene a group to research mold issues and come up with recommendations. The NAR group recommended that seller disclosure forms include questions about mold and water problems. It also recommended that NAR encourage state associations to push for laws and rules that would provide a defense for real estate agents who have disclosed the presence of mold.
The MAR seller disclosure form does not currently have a section or questions about mold. Chodat, owner of Classic Properties in Medway, said part of the challenge of disclosing whether mold is present is determining what mold is toxic and harmful, particularly in the absence of federal guidelines or health standards.
“One of the drawbacks is that there are no standards yet set by the EPA to determine what is hazardous mold,” she said.
