Are you ready for 2010?
New Florida law affecting the licensing of Mold Inspectors and Home Inspectors becomes effective this year, July 1, 2010. Although this is several months from now, agents should realize that the number of mold inspectors will decrease significantly. If you do not have a relationship with a qualified mold inspector you may have a difficult time finding one when you need a mold inspector.
- When the Texas mold law was enacted the number of mold inspectors dropped from around 600 to about 25 in one day.
- Arkansas will have less than a dozen (12) mold inspectors after January 1, 2010, some estimates are that over one hundred home inspectors (not qualified) will stop doing mold assessment / testing.
- In October, a Florida DBPR representative suggested there will be about 415 qualified mold inspectors in Florida as compared to 2,000 to 3,000 now claiming to be mold inspectors.
The Mold professionals in Florida have been waiting over five years for the state to "cleanup" the mold business. Yesterday, Arkansas became one of the states that jumped ahead of Florida in protecting consumers from incompetent mold inspectors.
New Arkansas law eliminates Home Inspectors from Mold Inspections
Those of us in the indoor air quality business are anxiously waiting to see how the Realtors in the state of Arkansas react when it becomes illegal for home inspectors to "perform mold inspection / testing" January 1, 2010. Arkansas Law requires an Industrial Hygienist or ACAC board Certified Indoor Environmentalist Consultant to do mold assessment.
Home Inspector 'Standard of Practice" does Not cover Environmental Issues
such as Mold or Chinese Drywall
Consumers including Realtors in Florida have hired or recommended home inspectors for mold inspections and testing for many years. In an effort to "cleanup" the mold assessment industry, the Florida DBPR is scheduled to license Mold Inspectors and Home Inspectors separately.
Since home inspectors rarely, if ever, qualify for MOLD liability with Errors and Omissions insurance , few will be providing mold services after July 1, 2010 legally. If you do not qualify for the mold insurance, you shouldn't be doing mold assessment.
1468.8421 Insurance.-- (1) A mold assessor shall maintain general liability and errors and omissions insurance coverage in an amount of not less than $1,000,000. http://www.naplesmoldinspection.com/id12.html
Waiting to the last Minute?
The new law and its requirements have been ignored by most in the Real Estate business. Agents continue to recommend mold inspectors that do not have and/or do not qualify for the soon to be required $1 million liability with errors and omissions insurance. It should be noted that Home Inspector E&O does NOT cover environmental issues such as mold or Chinese Drywall.
Mold and Chinese Drywall are not part of the Home Inspectors "Standard of Practice" yet Realtors recommend their favorite home inspectors for these inspections.
If Mold Inspectors do not qualify for mold insurance they will not qualify for a mold license in Florida.
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