Mold remediation supplement playbook

IICRC S520 defines three Conditions: Condition 1 is normal fungal ecology, Condition 2 is settled spores, Condition 3 is active growth. The remediation scope and the containment requirements escalate with each condition. Condition 3 requires full containment (sealed area, negative air machine, decontamination chamber for personnel entry/exit), HEPA filtration, source removal of contaminated material, HEPA vacuuming and damp wiping of all affected surfaces, and post-remediation verification (PRV) — typically a third-party assessment confirming the area is back to Condition 1.

Most carrier-initial scopes for mold land somewhere between "spray with mold killer" and a Condition 2 scope, even when on-site conditions are Condition 3.

Missing: full containment (often scoped as "drop cloth" rather than 6-mil poly with negative pressure), HEPA filtration runtime (carriers scope hours when the job needs days), structural removal of porous materials in the contamination zone (drywall is removed but framing isn’t HEPA-vacuumed and treated), and post-remediation verification (this is often missing entirely — without PRV, the homeowner has no documentation the job ended at Condition 1).

Sublimit interaction: most HO-3 policies sublimit mold at $5,000–$10,000. Real Condition 3 remediation on a multi-room loss commonly runs $20,000–$45,000. The supplement must work within the sublimit OR argue that the mold is consequential to a covered water loss (and therefore covered under the water loss, not the mold sublimit) — that’s a policy-language argument with specific case-law backing in most states.

IICRC S520 §12 (Remediation Process), §12.1.1 (Containment), §12.2 (Source Removal), §12.4 (Post-Remediation Verification). EPA "Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings" provides supporting authority for containment and PPE on Condition 3 jobs. Cite section numbers, not just "industry standard."

Pre-remediation assessment (preferably from a Certified Microbial Investigator), containment photos (poly walls + negative-air machine + decontamination entry), daily HEPA filtration log, source-removal photos and waste manifest, post-remediation verification report (third-party, with surface and air sampling).