Questions to Ask Before Hiring Mold Remediation

General information, not legal, medical, engineering or insurance advice.

Mold remediation can mean opening walls, removing materials and setting up containment, so it pays to ask the right questions before you sign. These questions follow Florida's licensing law and EPA's remediation guidance. Ask each company the same questions and get 2–3 written quotes for the same scope of work.

1. Are you licensed, and for which role?

Ask for the license number of the person who will perform or supervise the work, then look it up on the DBPR license search. Remediators hold an MRSR license; assessors hold an MRSA license.¹
Ask whether they or their company assessed this property in the last 12 months. Florida law generally bars a remediator from remediating a structure they or their company assessed within that period (and the reverse), with an exception for certified Division I contractors.²
If an assessor recommended them, ask whether any referral fee changed hands. Florida bars assessors and remediators from paying or accepting compensation for referrals.²

2. Is there a written assessment and remediation protocol?

On larger or hidden problems, many owners start with an independent licensed assessor, who provides a written report and a remediation plan or protocol describing the affected areas and what should be removed or cleaned. Ask remediators to quote against that same document so the quotes are comparable, and ask how they will handle anything found beyond it, such as more damage behind a wall.

3. How will you contain the work area?

Removing moldy material can spread spores and dust. EPA's remediation guide generally recommends limited containment for areas of between 10 and 100 square feet of mold contamination, and full containment for areas greater than 100 square feet.⁵ Ask:

What containment they’ll set up and why it fits the size of your job.
How they'll keep dust out of the rest of the home and clean up afterward.
What protective equipment their crew uses.
Whether the HVAC system will be shut off or sealed during the work. EPA says not to run an HVAC system you know or suspect is contaminated.⁴

4. Who fixes the moisture source?

EPA says you must clean up the mold and fix the water problem.³ Ask whether the leak repair, drying, and any rebuild (drywall, flooring, cabinets) are in the quote, or whether you need another licensed trade. Florida's definition of mold remediation says work that requires a chapter 489 construction license must be done by someone licensed under that chapter or in compliance with it.¹

5. How will we know it's done?

EPA's remediation guide lists signs that cleanup is complete:⁵

The water or moisture problem has been completely fixed.
Visible mold, mold-damaged materials and moldy odors are no longer present.
People can occupy or re-occupy the space without health complaints or physical symptoms.

Ask who will do any post-remediation check, often called clearance or verification. Many owners use the independent assessor who wrote the original report, so the person checking the work isn't the person who did it. Florida's assessor insurance requirement specifically covers post-remediation assessment.⁶ Ask what happens, and who pays, if the area doesn't pass.

6. What insurance do you carry?

Florida requires a mold remediator to maintain a general liability policy of not less than $1,000,000 that includes specific coverage for mold-related claims, and a mold assessor to carry general liability and errors and omissions coverage of at least $1 million.⁶ Ask for a current certificate of insurance before work starts.

7. Can I see it in a written contract?

Florida law requires a mold assessment or mold remediation contract to be in a document or electronic record, signed or otherwise authenticated by the parties.⁷ Make sure it includes:

The licensee's name and license number, and the company you're contracting with.
The areas and materials covered, referencing the assessment report or protocol if there is one.
Containment, cleanup and disposal steps.
Whether moisture repair and rebuild are included.
How clearance will be checked, and by whom.
Total price, what could change it, the payment schedule, and start and finish dates.

8. How much do you want up front?

On cost, we don't publish price ranges because jobs vary widely. Get 2–3 written quotes for the same scope and compare what each one includes.

Red flags

No license number, or a license that doesn't show as current and active on DBPR.
An offer to assess and then remediate the same property, unless they're a certified Division I contractor and say so in writing.
An assessment fee or result that depends on the conclusions, which Florida law prohibits for assessors.²
A plan to paint or seal over mold without removing it and fixing the moisture source.
No written contract.

Ready to compare? Find licensed mold remediators by county or request free quotes.

Sources

Florida Statutes (2026), section 468.8411, Definitions.
Florida Statutes (2026), section 468.8419, Prohibitions; penalties, subsections (1)(d), (f)–(h) and (2)(d), (f)–(g).
U.S. EPA, A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home.
U.S. EPA, Mold Cleanup in Your Home.
U.S. EPA, Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings Guide: Chapter 3.
Florida Statutes (2026), section 468.8421, Insurance.
Florida Statutes (2026), section 468.8422, Contracts.
Florida DBPR, Mold-Related Services and license search.