Mold is a four letter word that no property owner wants to discover. Although mold can grow anywhere in your home, business, or even at school. Although mold is omnipresent in most homes, it is not usually harmless. It is toxic and black mold that concerns most homeowners. The news is never positive because of the thousands of stories about serious expense incurred for mold remediation, the toxicity of the mold and insurance companies around the country that are denying claims and responsibility even though most homeowners assumed they were covered against catastrophes of this order and scope.
Because molds thrive in damp conditions, persistent moisture is necessary to spurn mold growth of any kind. When this moisture is not addressed in the home, the condition for the proliferation of mold of all kinds is a certainty. This means certain conditions can be naturally present that could induce mold growth, or the problems can be from the failure of water bearing devices and appliances. These types of vulnerable areas should be addressed or monitored regularly because it is this type of vigilance that can determine if insurance policies will pay for mold damage or not.
This means that mold damage is covered depending on the source of the initial moisture. The homeowner’s policy should be researched to understand the parameters of their mold coverage or if mold damage is covered at all. Specifically, search the document to see if there are any exclusions that are relative to mold and water damage. In places where moisture is not a normal concern, almost never cover this type of damage. In damp areas, insurance companies shy away from covering issues that may be prevalent in an area. This means that in most situations, mold damage is not covered, although water damage may be. This means that the homeowner must do everything possible to deal with water damage at that time.
Because most policies do not cover mold damage does not mean that the claim is automatically denied with no recourse. If the mold is characteristic of a condition that is covered, then the mold damage may be covered. This means that if a water heater fails and the resulting damage is covered on the policy, then the damage form mold may be covered. If the cause of the mold is due to neglect on the homeowner’s part, the mold damage will not be covered. This means that if the mold is from seepage or repairs that go unnoticed, then the damage will not be covered due to the lack of vigilance on the homeowner’s part.
Even when policies cover mold damage, it is not for the amounts of the typical damage would cost. This means that the homeowner must remain vigilant if there climate or conditions in their home is conducive to moisture. In addition, areas like crawl spaces and closets that have pipes in them, they must be checked regularly. Homeowner’s should always take steps to mitigate damage and not rely on coverage.
