Mold Found During a Home Inspection? Austin Buyers & Sellers

Central Texas homes have long, humid cooling seasons, and most have air handlers and ducts in hot attics. That combination leads to sweating ducts, condensation around the indoor coil, clogged drain lines and high indoor humidity. Inspectors often note musty odors, stains near supply registers, dark spots on vents or water around the HVAC equipment. Homes that sat vacant with the AC off or set high during a listing can also develop problems quickly.

An inspection note is a starting point, not a diagnosis. Practical next steps:

1. Find the moisture source. Mold is a symptom. The cause might be an AC drain problem, a roof or plumbing leak, or humidity the system isn’t controlling.
2. Get an independent assessment. A licensed mold assessor can document the problem and write a remediation protocol. In Texas, the assessor can’t also be the remediation company on the same project.
3. Get scopes and a timeline. A licensed mold remediation contractor quotes the remediation, and we quote the HVAC scope from the protocol, so both sides can negotiate from real numbers. We can refer you to independent assessors and remediation contractors if you need them.

Texas law creates a paper trail for regulated mold remediation. After a regulated project passes the post-remediation assessment, the licensed mold remediation contractor issues the Certificate of Mold Damage Remediation (CMDR), and the property owner must receive it within 10 days. The certificate includes a statement from a licensed mold assessor that the mold contamination identified for the project has been remediated as outlined in the protocol. The CMDR comes from the remediation contractor, not from Gold Eagle; we provide documentation of the HVAC work we performed.

If the owner later sells the property, Texas Occupations Code Section 1958.154 requires the seller to give the buyer a copy of each certificate of mold damage remediation issued for the property during the five years before the sale.

For any mold-related work, regulated or not, it’s smart to keep the inspection report, any mold assessment and lab results, the protocol, invoices describing repairs, any CMDR and records of HVAC repairs, including our documentation of the HVAC work.

This is general information, not legal advice. Talk to your real estate agent or a real estate attorney about disclosure questions, your seller’s disclosure notice and how repairs fit into your contract.

Sellers: Before listing, have the HVAC system serviced, including the coil, drain pan and condensate line; check attic ducts for sweating or disconnected runs; and keep the AC running and humidity controlled while the home is vacant. Deal with stains and odors by finding the cause, not by painting over them.

Buyers: Ask what caused the problem and whether it has been fixed, whether a licensed assessor was involved, whether there are before-and-after lab results, and whether any certificates of mold damage remediation were issued in the last five years. Ask what was done to the HVAC system and for documentation of that work.

Related pages:

• HVAC restoration, the HVAC side of mold remediation: AC units, coils and ducts
• Signs of mold in your HVAC system: what inspectors often notice
• Mold in your AC unit: coil and air handler restoration
• Mold and Home Sales in Austin: Inspections, Texas Rules and Timelines

Want to understand your options before you call? Our homeowner guides on mold and home sales are written by our team for Central Texas homes.

• Mold Testing: What Each Method Can and Can’t Tell You
• What Is the IICRC S520, and How It Fits With Texas Mold Rules
• Warning Signs of Mold in Your HVAC System

Browse all homeowner guides in the Gold Eagle Resource Center