Mold After Water Damage in Kansas: What to Check Before Work Starts

Is there a state licence for mold contractors in Kansas?

Not one that a homeowner can look up, based on a search of public sources. The search did not find a state mold-contractor licence programme, so a licence should not be assumed, and any company that offers one should show you the document and say what it covers.

A search of public sources, including secondary summaries of state rules, did not turn up a Kansas state licence programme for mold contractors. That is a finding about what was found, not a statement that no rule of any kind applies. Rules on repairs, trades and permits still apply, and each has its own office to ask.

Because a licence cannot be relied on as the check here, the protections a homeowner has are the written scope, the insurance certificate, the readings and the final check. Those are the documents to ask for before any mold work begins.

What should I ask a mold company to show me before work starts?

Ask for a written scope, a certificate of the company's own insurance, the drying readings that support the scope and a plan for the final check. Ask what each credential covers, and who will carry out the final check.

The scope is the most important document. It should name each area to be looked at, each material to be removed or cleaned, the containment and air handling to be used, and how the area will be checked afterwards. A scope that says only remove mold from the house is not a scope.

The insurance certificate tells you the company carries its own cover. Ask what the cover includes and whether it applies to this kind of work. If a company offers a training or industry credential, ask what it is, who issued it and what it does and does not show.

• A written scope that names each area and each material
• A certificate of the company's own insurance, and what it covers
• Drying readings that support the decision to remove or keep material
• A final check plan, and who will carry it out
• Written results at the end of the job

Why must the structure be dry before mold is looked for?

Mold needs moisture to keep growing, and a surface that is still wet is not a useful place to judge. Drying first removes the moisture that feeds growth, and it lets the check see what remains.

Growth can be hidden behind a baseboard, in a wall cavity, under a floor covering or on the back of drywall. Looking for it while the material is still wet can miss what is there and can disturb material that would otherwise dry. Drying first gives the check a stable picture.

The drying log is the evidence that the structure reached its dry level before the check. Keep it with the scope, because an insurer or a buyer will want to see that the order of work was sensible.

Can I clean the mold myself?

A small area of growth on a hard surface may be cleaned by a homeowner with care, but anything larger, anything in a cavity, anything on soft material and any growth that people are reacting to should be left to a crew with containment.

Disturbing growth releases spores into the air. A homeowner who scrubs a visible patch can spread it into rooms that were clean, and scrubbing soft material drives growth further in. Keep the area closed off and do not use a fan to move air across it.

Do not mix cleaning products, and do not treat a porous material with bleach expecting it to clear the growth. A product that works on tile does not reach into drywall or wood, and some products give off fumes in a closed room.

What does a final check need to show?

A final check should show where it looked, what it found, the readings for each material and what was done about anything found. It should be written down and given to the owner, so the result can be reviewed later by an insurer, a buyer or a future contractor.

A check that says the area is clear, without the readings and locations behind it, is not much use to anyone later. Ask for the list of areas checked, the readings in each, any photographs and the result for each area.

If growth is found after the structure has dried, the scope for its removal is written and approved before work starts. The check is then repeated on the cleaned area, and that repeat is part of the record.

What about the health of people in the house?

People who are sensitive to mold, or who have breathing problems, should keep away from the affected area and see a doctor if symptoms are a concern. The crew's job is to remove the growth safely, not to diagnose a health condition.

Symptoms can include irritated eyes, a cough or a stuffy nose, but they are not diagnoses, and this guide does not give medical advice. If a person in the house has symptoms that worry them, a doctor is the right person to ask.

Keep children, older people and anyone with breathing problems out of the affected area until the crew has finished and the final check is written up.

Where do I take questions about permits or claims?

Permit questions for repairs go to the City of Wichita building office. Claim questions go to your insurer first, and the Kansas Insurance Department is the state insurance regulator if a claim cannot be settled.

Which mold work needs a permit was not checked for this site. Ask the building office before a rebuild that involves framing, wiring or plumbing begins, because the answer depends on the specific work.

For a claim, start with your insurer in writing. The Kansas Insurance Department handles complaints through its Consumer Assistance Division. This guide states no deadlines, limits or contact details, so check the department's own site for the current process.

What should I do if I am not satisfied with the work?

Raise it in writing with the company first, then with your insurer if the work is part of a claim. If the matter is still unresolved, the Kansas Insurance Department is the place for a claim complaint, and a local consumer office can say what else is available.

Keep the scope, the readings, the final check and every message between you and the company. A dated record is the strongest basis for a complaint, and it lets the next contractor see exactly what was done.

Do not sign a release or a completion form until the final check is written and you have read the results. A signed form can be taken as agreement that the work was finished to a standard you have not yet seen.

How do I read a mold scope line by line?

Go through it one area at a time and ask three questions of each line: what is being done, why, and how it will be checked afterwards. A line that answers none of those is not yet a decision you can approve.

Start with the rooms and cavities named. If the scope says the basement will be checked but does not say which walls, floors or cavities, ask for the list. The areas named should match the areas where the readings were high, because a scope that checks only the easy places leaves the risky ones unread.

Then read each removal. A line that removes drywall should give the reason, such as readings that stayed high or growth seen on the back of the board. A line that keeps a material should say how it was dried and what reading it reached. Lines that simply say clean should name the method and the material it applies to.

When is laboratory testing a separate decision?

Testing is a separate service and a separate choice. It can help name what is growing or confirm that a surface is clear, but it does not replace the drying, the removal or the final check. Ask the company whether it recommends testing, why, and who would receive the results.

A test result describes a sample at one point in time. It does not show the whole building, and it does not tell you the moisture behind a surface has dried. For that reason a test should be read alongside the readings and the visual check, not in place of them.

If you decide to test, agree in writing who will take the sample, where, what it will be sent for and who will receive the report. The report is part of the record, so keep it with the scope and the drying log.