Special offer

Yes, I see the water stain but I don’t believe you have a mold issue.

By
Home Builder with Dry Rot and Water Damage www.tromlerconstruction.com Mobile - 916-765-5366 CSL#642819


Yes, I see the water stain but I don’t believe you have a mold issue.

 

If you have a tenant who thinks that they have mold due to a leak, check into it. The fear of living in a moldy environment will drive tenants to be vocal about any water issues that they may have inside their unit. Bringing in a third party contractor may quickly resolve any concerns.

Mold dry rot water damageMost mold issues can be seen and can be obvious at first sight. But what about the water stain from a roof leak? You can see the discolored drywall, does that mean you have mold? That will depend on several things.

Is the stain new? If there was a recent storm and now you have a water stain, the area may just be wet and needs to be corrected. If the stain is growing, getting darker and soft to the touch, you may have a problem.

How is the ventilation?A one-time small leak may often times be wiped up and dried quickly with fans and blowers. If this leak is in a dark enclosed area, it will remain moist for a very long time. A situation like this could promote mold growth.

Has the source of the problem been corrected? This is the most important thing; you must correct the source of the problem. A leaky roof needs to be patched, a dripping pipe needs to be repaired or a cracked drain pipe needs to be corrected.

 

A contractor with experience in water damage and dry rot damage can use his experience to better determine the extent of the damage and the proper correction. Often times getting a third party to look at the problem will relieve the fears that the tenant may have with mold.

 

Comments (16)

Edward Gilmartin
CRE - Boston, MA

Mold can grow fast on any organic surface. I like to wipe any water damage down with bleach once it dries just to be safe.

Feb 09, 2012 12:06 AM
Nathan Rufty - 909-503-5600
Canopy Mortgage, LLC - Surprise, AZ
Mortgage Loan Originator at 909-503-5600

Good to remember when doing a home inspection 

Feb 09, 2012 12:10 AM
Peg Barcelo
Fluff My House! Home Staging Inc. 250.486.6369 - Summerland, BC
The FlufftasticStager from Summerland, BC

Tom, great info. Anyone who quotes your title needs their head examined. Unless you take out the plaster or wall board, you're not going to know if there's mold.We didn't buy a certain investment propert just becasue of this huge water stain on the basement ceiling. They said it had been a roof leak that had been fixed, but we would have had to gut the area before we found out the extent of the damage...

Feb 09, 2012 12:18 AM
Liz and Bill Spear
Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com - Mason, OH
Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs

Tom, Water stains or anything that looks like mold probably scares off buyers almost as quick as high power lines next to the home.  Few are willing to risk it.

Feb 09, 2012 12:58 AM
Wallace S. Gibson, CPM
Gibson Management Group, Ltd. - Charlottesville, VA
LandlordWhisperer

Aloha, Tom! Welcome back and I am so glad you posted this in the property management group.  MOLD is the NEW LEAD issue and although not all MOLD is BAD - NOT knowing is WORSE! 

 

Feb 09, 2012 01:05 AM
Debbie Gartner
The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY
The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

You are so right to advise having a neutral 3rd party test it and/or investigate.  Sometimes it is obvious; other times it is not.  (usually smell is good indication that there is a problem).

Feb 09, 2012 01:32 AM
Tom Arstingstall, General Contractor, Dry Rot, Water Damage Sacramento, El Dorado County - (916) 765-5366
Dry Rot and Water Damage www.tromlerconstruction.com Mobile - 916-765-5366 - Placerville, CA
General Contractor, Dry Rot and Water Damage

Bleach has its benefits Edward.

Feb 09, 2012 02:05 AM
Tom Arstingstall, General Contractor, Dry Rot, Water Damage Sacramento, El Dorado County - (916) 765-5366
Dry Rot and Water Damage www.tromlerconstruction.com Mobile - 916-765-5366 - Placerville, CA
General Contractor, Dry Rot and Water Damage

Anything can be fixed Nathan.

Feb 09, 2012 02:05 AM
Tom Arstingstall, General Contractor, Dry Rot, Water Damage Sacramento, El Dorado County - (916) 765-5366
Dry Rot and Water Damage www.tromlerconstruction.com Mobile - 916-765-5366 - Placerville, CA
General Contractor, Dry Rot and Water Damage

Call me Peg, I'll come and look at it.  :)

Feb 09, 2012 02:06 AM
Tom Arstingstall, General Contractor, Dry Rot, Water Damage Sacramento, El Dorado County - (916) 765-5366
Dry Rot and Water Damage www.tromlerconstruction.com Mobile - 916-765-5366 - Placerville, CA
General Contractor, Dry Rot and Water Damage

 

A lot of times this can be a buying opportunity. If you know what to look for, you can save some money on the purchase Bliz.

Feb 09, 2012 02:06 AM
Tom Arstingstall, General Contractor, Dry Rot, Water Damage Sacramento, El Dorado County - (916) 765-5366
Dry Rot and Water Damage www.tromlerconstruction.com Mobile - 916-765-5366 - Placerville, CA
General Contractor, Dry Rot and Water Damage

I get calls daily from property managers that need me to look at a water related issue. The vast majority is not really a problem, but by cleaning things up, the tenants are at ease with the situation being resolved.

Thanks Wallace.

Feb 09, 2012 02:06 AM
Tom Arstingstall, General Contractor, Dry Rot, Water Damage Sacramento, El Dorado County - (916) 765-5366
Dry Rot and Water Damage www.tromlerconstruction.com Mobile - 916-765-5366 - Placerville, CA
General Contractor, Dry Rot and Water Damage

 

True Debbie. The odor can be a big intication that there is a problem. I am certain you run into this yourself.

Feb 09, 2012 02:06 AM
Silvia Dukes PA, Broker Associate, CRS, CIPS, SRES
Tropic Shores Realty - Ich spreche Deutsch! - Spring Hill, FL
Florida Waterfront and Country Club Living

Tom, good run down on leaks and mold.  It's much easier to repair and correct a leak problem than to remedy an mold problem.  Procastination is not a good strategy in those cases.

Feb 09, 2012 12:10 PM
Sheila Newton Team Anderson & Greenville SC
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices - C. Dan Joyner - Anderson, SC
Selling the Upstate since 1989

around here, if you have any kind of water spots, people automatically think it is mold.. Hard to convince them otherwise.

Feb 09, 2012 03:18 PM
Tom Arstingstall, General Contractor, Dry Rot, Water Damage Sacramento, El Dorado County - (916) 765-5366
Dry Rot and Water Damage www.tromlerconstruction.com Mobile - 916-765-5366 - Placerville, CA
General Contractor, Dry Rot and Water Damage

So true Silvia, it is a lot easier when it is addressed early.

Now how do we convince the owner?  :)

Thanks for the comment today.

Feb 09, 2012 05:37 PM
Tom Arstingstall, General Contractor, Dry Rot, Water Damage Sacramento, El Dorado County - (916) 765-5366
Dry Rot and Water Damage www.tromlerconstruction.com Mobile - 916-765-5366 - Placerville, CA
General Contractor, Dry Rot and Water Damage

Maybe that will change with time Sheila.

Thanks for stopping in.

Feb 09, 2012 05:42 PM