Best Practices for Documenting Mold in Residential Restoration Claims
Restoration
3 min read
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Bernd Wolfram
CPO
If you’re a professional restoration contractor, you may often need to create residential mold reports. Thorough, accurate reports serve as written evidence, which is essential for verifying insurance claims, determining any restoration work that is needed, and getting paid for completed work. So, let’s review some best practices for developing a report.
1. Understand Mold Growth and the Need for Timely Remediation
2. Employ Proper Safety Protocols
3. Conduct a Thorough Mold and Water Damage Inspection
4. Make Sure You Have Modern Tools for Efficient Mold Identification
Modern technology has revolutionized the way restoration contractors identify mold presence and its moisture sources. Instruments such as moisture meters, thermo-hygrometers, and thermal cameras enable precise detection of moisture levels and hidden mold colonies in concealed spaces. These tools empower contractors such as you to pinpoint problem areas swiftly and accurately, facilitating targeted remediation efforts.
5. Use a Floor Plan App for Comprehensive Documentation
Among the many tools available to mold remediators, a floor plan app stands out as an invaluable asset for documenting mold presence. An intuitive app, such as magicplan, allows you to conduct digital mold and moisture mapping, annotate problem areas, add photos, recommend work to be done, and track progress throughout the remediation process. These steps allow you to produce detailed work reports, which make it easier for you to get paid by insurers.
A good app will also allow you to customize forms, checklists and price lists specific to the type and scope of damage.
Plus, if your floor plan app offers seamless integration with other technologies, such as Xactimate®, that helps you streamline data collection even further and enhance overall efficiency.
6. Build a Great Initial Report with Your App at the Start of Every Project
A high-quality floor plan app will enable you to sketch a floor plan, and then use that plan to create an initial report. Here’s how to build it:
Begin by Inserting Basic Information. It should state the following
- Your name (the person who is writing the report), along with your title and company name
- The date on which you are preparing the report
- Name of the property owner (claimant)
- Details of the property – i.e., location, type of property, age of property
Gather and Document Moisture and Humidity Readings. There’s often more to mold and water damage than what meets the eye. That’s why moisture readings of hidden areas are a critical part of water damage assessment and reporting. You can use a digital moisture meter to test the moisture levels of the home’s ceilings, walls and floors. Then add those moisture meter readings to your mold and water damage report. In addition, you can use a digital hygrometer to test indoor humidity levels (i.e., the moisture content of the air). Be sure to add those readings as well.
Tell About Your Professional Tools. Within your report, try to describe the exact tools you used to gather your moisture and humidity readings. And do mention that you use a digital floor plan app for documentation. Specific information like this can help increase the thoroughness of your report, to make it easier for the homeowner’s insurance adjuster to approve your work.
Identify Any Health Threats Inside the Home. Worrisome health issues include any unsafe and unhygienic conditions brought on by moisture intrusion. One of the most dangerous effects of unabated water damage is mold. It can hide above ceilings, behind walls, under floors, behind cabinets, and in other nonvisible areas, and can lead to allergic reactions and respiratory and digestive problems.
Add Your Recommendations for Mitigation and Restoration Measures. Once your mold and water damage inspection documentation is complete, you can add a section that outlines your recommendations for next steps. Try to be as detailed as possible when describing proposed mold and water damage mitigation. The best way to do that is to mark up your digital floor plan with work recommendations for each affected area of the home. This is a great way to communicate exactly what needs to be done.
Enhance Your Initial Report with Detailed Photos. During your inspection, you can take photos easily with a mobile device. Be sure to collect images of all visible mold, and the cause(s) of the mold.
Later, you can also create a mid-project report and, of course, a final report.
Key Takeaways
Combating mold requires a multifaceted approach – one that involves understanding the fundamentals of mold growth, employing proper safety protocols, conducting a thorough and proper mold inspection, equipping yourself with modern mold-detection tools, and using a floor plan app for comprehensive documentation. Through these concerted efforts, you can safeguard both the structural integrity of homes and the health of occupants against the pervasive threat of mold.
READ MORE:
One Dozen Helpful Tools for Finding and Documenting Water Damage
