Mold assessment in the Bronx: a written plan before any cleanup
An independent assessor, who must hold a New York mold assessment license, traces where the water is coming from where it can, how far the mold reaches and what the cleanup must include, all on paper, and may not also do the cleanup on that property.
What you may be looking at
A stain that returns after painting
Wiping or covering it did nothing lasting. Something behind the surface is still feeding it.
A smell with no visible source
Damp odor in a closet, bathroom wall or ground-floor apartment can mean a wet cavity you cannot see.
Growth on a wall, ceiling or window reveal
You have measured or can estimate a patch and need to know whether it passes the ten square foot line.
A notice or a dispute
A tenant complaint, a violation or a board letter has made a written assessment the sensible first document.
A recent wetting that was never dried
A leak was fixed but the wall stayed cold and damp for days, and you want to know what remains inside.
Common questions
Does mold have to be tested for the plan to be useful?
No. The state health department does not recommend mold testing, no regulatory agency requires it, and neither the state nor the federal government sets a standard for mold in homes. A good assessment follows the moisture and the materials, and the plan sets the clearance criteria.
Can a tenant ask for an assessment?
Yes. In the Bronx, the owner of a building with three or more apartments must keep tenants' homes free of mold, including repairing the causes, and a written assessment is solid paper to send the owner. Elsewhere, ask your local building department what applies.
Can the assessor also start the cleanup?
Not on the same property over ten square feet. The two licenses sit with separate companies, and nobody may own part of both on that property.
What should I do before the visit?
Photograph the area with dates, note when it began, and leave the surface as it is. Do not paint, caulk or scrub the patch first.
What shapes the cost, and your $100 off
Cost drivers
- The size and number of rooms involved
- Whether the building is a house or a multi-unit property with several apartments to cover
- Whether sampling is part of the scope or only a visual and moisture survey
- Access: attics, crawl spaces, locked units and ladders
- Whether city filings go with the job in a building of ten or more apartments
What the work includes
A moisture trace
The assessor looks for the source: a pipe, a roof edge, failing masonry joints, a cold wall or a drain.
A map of what is affected
Rooms, materials and approximate areas are written down so the cleanup is scoped from facts.
A project plan for the remediator
Methods per room, quantities, protective equipment, notice to occupants where the building is occupied, a cost and time estimate and the clearance criteria.
A later clearance check
When the cleanup firm finishes, the assessor carries out a post-remediation assessment and issues a written passed clearance report once the remediation has succeeded.
How Mold Survey runs, rung by rung
Send the address and what you see
Say whether anything is wet now and whether you have a violation or a notice.
The assessor visits and traces the water
The visit looks at the whole path from source to stain, not only the visible patch.
The written plan arrives
You hold a document you can show a landlord, a board, an agent or a remediator.
Clearance closes the loop
After the cleanup, the assessor returns for the post-remediation assessment and, if it passes, the written clearance.
The rule that applies
Over ten square feet, and outside the exemptions in section 933, the assessor must hold a New York mold assessment license and may not also do the cleanup on that property. The state's labor department says a cleanup estimate should not be given before this assessment exists. Source: New York State Senate, New York State Department of Labor