Vent: Paid $450 for a home inspection that missed the mold in the attic

I closed on a little cape cod in Columbus last month. The inspector spent 3 hours and took a ton of photos, talked about the roof age and knob and tube wiring. But he never opened the attic access door because he said it was 'cramped' and he 'didn't want to disturb the insulation.' After my first rain, I saw brown streaks on the ceiling and paid a mold guy $200 to check it out. There was black mold covering 30% of the rafters, and now I'm looking at a $6,000 remediation bill. Should I try to get the inspector to cover any of this, or is that a lost cause?

2 comments

2 Comments

casey3423d agoTop Commenter

Did you check his contract for any kind of guarantee clause before you called? Most inspection agreements have a cap on liability, usually just the fee you paid, plus a line saying they're not responsible for hidden issues behind insulation. I'd still send him the mold report and ask for the $450 back, but I wouldn't hold my breath for the full bill.

thomas.river3d agoMost Upvoted

Wait, the contract caps their liability at just the inspection fee? That can't be right, a mold issue like that should be way over the $450.