Mold Questions from Corpus Christi Homeowners, Condo Owners and Renters

Look for a musty smell, dark spots or streaks, water stains, bubbling paint or soft drywall. In Corpus Christi homes, common spots are around ceiling AC vents, bathroom ceilings near the fan, under sinks, behind baseboards after a leak, and on attic roof decking after a storm. If you can see it, you usually don't need a test to confirm it is mold.

Mold affects people differently, and this site can't tell you what it means for your health. The EPA and CDC both publish plain guides on mold and health. If anyone in the home has symptoms or breathing problems, talk to a doctor. This site does not give medical advice.

Color doesn't tell you much, and the cleanup is the same: fix the water and remove the growth carefully. TDLR says it is generally not necessary to identify the species of mold growing in a residence. A large dark patch is treated like any other large mold problem, with the 25 square foot rules applying to hired work.

Quickly. Stop the water if you safely can, then start drying with fans, the AC and a dehumidifier. EPA guidance generally advises drying wet materials within 24 to 48 hours. Photograph everything before anything is thrown out, and call your insurer. Texas treats a water-damage event where delay would increase mold as an emergency for TDLR notice.

For most hired work, yes. Texas requires TDLR licenses for mold assessment and remediation work on 25 or more contiguous square feet (Occ. Code §1958.101–.102). Verify any company at tdlr.texas.gov/LicenseSearch. Not every company that replies will hold a license, so look each one up yourself before you sign.

Under 25 contiguous square feet, a homeowner can clean it themselves or hire anyone. At 25 sq ft or more, hired work needs licensed companies, a written protocol, a work plan, TDLR notification (5 days ahead, or the next business day in a water-damage emergency), a clearance assessment, and a Certificate of Mold Damage Remediation within 10 days.

Not on the same project. In Texas, the company that assesses your mold and writes the protocol cannot be the company that removes it on the same project, and one owner can't hold both (Occ. Code §1958.155). Be wary of any offer to test, remove and clear the same job under one roof.

It is the form (TDI form MDR-1) the licensed remediator gives you within 10 days of finishing, with the assessor's statement that the mold was remediated. Insurers can't make underwriting decisions based on remediated mold damage when you have it (Ins. Code §544.303), and you must give buyers copies from the last five years (§1958.154(b)). It does not guarantee coverage or a sale.

Usually not for small areas. Owners and tenants can do their own work under 25 contiguous square feet. Owners of residential property with fewer than 10 units may be exempt from licensing for their own property at any size (§1958.102(e)). Read the statute or ask TDLR before relying on an exemption. This is general information, not legal advice.

Sometimes. TDI says most home policies cover a sudden and accidental release of water but not a continuous leak, and won't cover mold removal except to repair damage caused by a covered risk. Mold removal can be an optional endorsement. Many policies cap or exclude mold; check your declarations page. No one can promise coverage.

It depends on the cause of the water. On the coast, wind and hail may be covered by TWIA rather than your home policy, and flood needs a separate flood policy, which TDI says usually has a 30-day waiting period. Mold follows the cause. TDI also notes that TWIA won't sell a policy while a hurricane is in the Gulf. See hurricane and flood mold.

As general advice, verify the TDLR license, get the protocol and work plan in writing, and don't pay in full upfront. Texas's home solicitation law (Bus. & Com. Code ch. 601) generally lets a consumer cancel many in-home sales until midnight of the third business day after signing; ask whether it applies to your contract.