Question : Question about mold, codes and poor home inspection – long question?
My husband and I purchased a foreclosure in Virginia. We had an ASHI certified inspector come in pre-sale to determine if there were any major issues. Most of what the inspector found was stuff we already had figured out. In any event, I found out yesterday that my basement has mold and it could be toxigenic mold. We have only lived in the house 7 weeks. The source of the mold is a basement bathroom shower that the inspector said was “dirty”. Moisture seeped from that shower into 2 surrounding walls. On the advice of the plumber who came in, we have not used the bathroom or cleaned it since moving in because the plumber suspected mold and advised against doing anything to it until it was confirmed. Plus, the bathroom was not up to code. This was a week after closing. According to the person who came in to test for the mold, it had been building up there a long time (i.e., months, if not years) and an inspector should have told me it was a) still damp and b) should have recommended a mold inspection to be on the safe side. Actually, what he said was our inspector was an idiot and should have known it was mold. In addition, after we purchased the home and were having the recommended repairs done, I had a plumber and an electrician confirm that there were at least 3 rooms in the house that were not up to code and potentially hazardous and pointed out things the inspector should have caught. What is the point of the home inspector if they can’t tell you these things? Do I have any recourse? Anyone ever had this problem before? We have already spent $ 15,000 just to fix what we already knew about. We are now faced with 2 bathroom remodels, a partial kitchen remodel (the mold spread) and partial basement reconstruction. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated. If I have legal recourse, recommendations on that would be appreciated as well. Thank you!
My issues are primarily with the home inspector. The bank sold the house “as is” which we were okay with because we were hiring a home inspector to determine what issues the home had. Based on the report, we made the decision to purchase the home because nothing major was found. Had we known about the rooms not being to code, safety issues and mold/health issues, we would never have gone ahead with the sale. It’s the inspector I’ve got the issues with. Thanks so much for all your input!
mold inspection virginia

Best answer:

Answer by woodtick314
Home inspectors are required to be insured and bonded for this reason. You do have grounds for a claim against him, but I wouldn’t be able to tell you how much you should expect to get. Talk to an attorney, as they will be able to give you a better idea of what to expect.