Questions to Ask Before Hiring Mold Remediation

General information, not legal, medical, engineering or insurance advice.

Mold remediation can mean opening walls, removing materials and setting up containment, so it pays to ask the right questions before you sign. These questions follow Texas's licensing law and EPA's remediation guidance. Ask each company the same questions and get 2–3 written quotes for the same scope of work.

1. Are you licensed, and for which role?

Ask for the company's license number and the license number of the person who will supervise the work, then look both up on TDLR License Search. Remediation companies hold an RCO license and remediation contractors an MRC license; assessment companies hold an ACO license and assessment consultants a MAC license.²
Ask whether they, or any company they own an interest in, are also doing the assessment on this project. Texas law bars a license holder from performing both mold assessment and mold remediation on the same project, with a narrow exception for school district employees.¹
Ask whether a licensed assessment consultant's protocol will guide the work. TDLR says a licensed remediator must follow a protocol from a licensed assessment consultant even on small jobs.²

2. Is there a written assessment and remediation protocol?

On larger or hidden problems, a licensed mold assessment consultant inspects and writes a mold remediation protocol describing the affected areas and what should be removed or cleaned. Ask remediators to quote against that same document so the quotes are comparable, and ask how they will handle anything found beyond it, such as more damage behind a wall.

3. How will you contain the work area?

Removing moldy material can spread spores and dust. EPA's remediation guide generally recommends limited containment for areas of between 10 and 100 square feet of mold contamination, and full containment for areas greater than 100 square feet.⁵ Ask:

What containment they’ll set up and why it fits the size of your job.
How they'll keep dust out of the rest of the home and clean up afterward.
What protective equipment their crew uses.
Whether the HVAC system will be shut off or sealed during the work. EPA says not to run an HVAC system you know or suspect is contaminated.⁴

4. Who fixes the moisture source?

EPA says you must clean up the mold and fix the water problem.³ Ask whether the leak repair, drying, and any rebuild (drywall, flooring, cabinets) are in the quote, or whether you need another contractor such as a roofer or plumber.

5. How will we know it's done?

EPA's remediation guide lists signs that cleanup is complete:⁵

The water or moisture problem has been completely fixed.
Visible mold, mold-damaged materials and moldy odors are no longer present.
People can occupy or re-occupy the space without health complaints or physical symptoms.

In Texas, a licensed assessment consultant does the post-remediation assessment, so the person checking the work isn't the person who did it. When the project passes, the remediator should give you a Certificate of Mold Damage Remediation (TDI form MDR-1). Keep it: sellers give these certificates to buyers, and Texas Insurance Code section 544.303 bars an insurer from making an adverse underwriting decision based on previous mold damage that was remediated and certified.^2,6Ask what happens, and who pays, if the area doesn't pass.

6. What insurance do you carry?

Ask for proof of liability insurance, a current certificate naming the company on your contract, before work starts. TDLR's rules set insurance requirements for license holders; check them on TDLR's mold laws and rules page.

7. Can I see it in a written contract?

Get the scope and price in a signed written contract, and expect a Consumer Mold Information Sheet before work begins.⁷ Make sure the contract includes:

The licensee's name and license number, and the company you're contracting with.
The areas and materials covered, referencing the assessment report or protocol if there is one.
Containment, cleanup and disposal steps.
Whether moisture repair and rebuild are included.
How clearance will be checked, and by whom.
Total price, what could change it, the payment schedule, and start and finish dates.

8. How much do you want up front?

On cost, we don't publish price ranges because jobs vary widely. Get 2–3 written quotes for the same scope and compare what each one includes.

Red flags

No license number, or a license that doesn't show as current and active on TDLR.
An offer to assess and then remediate the same project, or an assessor and remediator who share ownership.
Pressure to skip the protocol or the Certificate of Mold Damage Remediation on a job that needs them.
A plan to paint or seal over mold without removing it and fixing the moisture source.
No written contract.

Ready to compare? Find licensed mold remediators by county or request free quotes.

Sources

Texas Occupations Code, chapter 1958 (section 1958.155).
TDLR, Mold Assessors and Remediators FAQ and License Search.
U.S. EPA, A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home.
U.S. EPA, Mold Cleanup in Your Home.
U.S. EPA, Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings Guide: Chapter 3.
Texas Department of Insurance, Certificate of Mold Damage Remediation (MDR-1).
TDLR, Consumer Mold Information Sheet.