I recently had this problem on one of the listings I had under contract. The inspection report found a large amount of mold growing inside the A/C handler and around the unit in the garage as well as in the ducts. The Seller and Buyer had to agree on what type of remediation was to be done. There are general companies such as Serv-Pro, or there are experts on the matter called Industrial Hygenists. The general companies are unable to test the types of mold or to give exact levels of mold left in a home after remediation, which may leave some buyers concerned that the problem is not totally fixed.
Since the Seller's were unable to financially afford an industrial hygenist, they hired a local company to handle the basic mitigation. They were told the basic process is the same, but the professional would come in and do tests to make sure it wasn't a toxic type of mold and then the final tests when the mitigation is done.
The mitigation basically involved the following:
- Basic Visual Inspection
- Removal of Drywall Contaminated with Mold
- Cleaning of the Air Conditioning System
Luckily, the problem turned out to be not as big as initally suspected and the total of the work done, including the A/C work came out to be less than $1,000.00
I would suggest that anyone who is concerned about mold issues contact a mold mitigation expert in the state you reside in.
