Call it what it is! It is Mold or a fungal growth. To call it anything else would be soft selling the client on what you really found. You know it is mold so call it as such.

Next! Why in the world do you want to test it and find out what type of mold it is? What will this tell you as the home inspector and then what is it going to tell your client? It will tell them what you already know; they have mold on the wood in the attic. Give them the EPA information and let them decide what needs to be done. Unless you have training in remediation and can write an abatement plan that a contractor can use to clean up the mold then you need to say nothing more to your client.

Mold needs moisture to survive and thrive. So we know that the attic most likely has had high moisture in it at some time. Has that problem been corrected? Spend you time and energy on finding out the cause of the moisture not trying to sell mold testing! Sorry, selling mold testing is a Hot Button for me.

Please tell me how you are going to get into trouble by saying that you found Mold? I do not know of any home inspector in the country who has been sued for saying they he/she found mold. Does anyone have a case that they can cite that shows this? Think about who is purporting this information! It is being done by the testing labs, like the infamous Pro-Lab.

If you are not sure that it was mold, then say that you found what looks like Mold or a fungus growth but that you are not sure. Then stop writing or saying anything. Let your client decide what the next step is.

I must say that any home inspector who can't tell if he/she found mold needs to be working back at Burger King or wherever they were before they had their business cards printed up. It is not Rocket Science!

Off Soap Box and a charter member of DDMG

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Scott Patterson
Spring Hill, TN
http://www.traceinspections.com