Mold Inspection and Remediation
Management 1 Tri-Cities Realty & Property Management is a fully certified Mold Inspector and Remediator. Mold removal can be a huge area of concern for anyone, especially if you find it in your home. Mold is very common and found regularly in many places you commonly use and occupy such as your refrigerator, bathroom, and even on many foods such as potatoes, cheese, and bread. There are millions of types of mold, with some of them being totally benign (non-harmful), but there are a few varieties that can cause breathing and lung problems, respiratory sensitivity, allergies, headaches, and a host of other minor complaints. Even more rarely, there are some molds that are highly toxic and cause serious illness and possibly death. Knowing what kind of mold you’re dealing with can be very important.
While we do not actively seek out mold work, our goal in being a mold inspector is to protect homeowners from the unscrupulous business practices that some mold inspectors use. We don’t mean to say that all mold inspectors are bad, but certainly enough of them are. In our own business experiences, we’ve encountered numerous mold inspectors who use fear as a tool for personal profit by telling a homeowner or tenant that the harmless mold growing on the wall in the bathroom is “toxic black mold”, when, in fact, it is absolutely not. Something important to know about the “business of mold” is this: Mold inspectors are not regulated by any federal or state government, which means just about anyone can obtain a mold inspection certification. This makes mold inspection a highly competitive business, and whenever anyone is working in a highly competitive business, they may be tempted to do whatever it takes to get hired and charge excessive fees for work; in some cases such work can be legally done by a handyman for a fraction of the cost. Management 1 has successfully defended clients against lawsuits brought on by tenants who found mold in their rental property and were told by a less-than-reputable mold inspector that the variety of mold in the home was toxic. Our goal is not to be a high-dollar mold inspection company, but rather to be a customer advocate, not interested in charging excessive fees, but to educate you on exactly what needs to be done to clean your mold safely and inexpensively.
Now, if you really do have toxic black mold (known as Stachybotris), a truly life-threatening mold, the high cost of cleanup may be unavoidable; however, Stachybotris is very rare, and in the majority of cases we can have your mold problem cleaned up by one of our experienced handymen or skilled general contractors for a fraction of what a typical mold remediation company might charge. So, if you have any questions or concerns regarding mold, we are happy to take a look at it for a minimal flat fee call-out charge. We use state-of-the-art thermal imaging cameras, moisture sensors, and laser temperature sensors. Should air or surface sampling and testing be required, we have all the high-tech gadgets too. However, in most cases, all that needs to be done is to inspect the area, locate the source of water, dry everything out, and replace any damaged surfaces or drywall. So when it comes to any mold related issue, trust Management 1 to be your first (or second) opinion for mold.