Mold after a leak or flood
A pipe, a roof, the AC drain, the unit above, or a storm put water in the house and now there is growth or a smell. Drying and containment first, then assessment.
786-292-2505Miami-Dade · English & Spanish
Mold in a Miami home is a moisture problem with a smell. Fix the water, then the mold.
One number that connects you with a Florida-licensed mold assessor or remediator anywhere in Miami-Dade. We explain what the law requires, when a test is worth paying for, and when a patch is small enough to handle yourself. Then we hand you to someone licensed to do the rest.
60%
Relative humidity
Mold grows on damp surfaces above about 60% indoor humidity. Miami sits at 70–80% outdoors most of the year; the AC is what keeps a house under the line.
24–48 h
Wet to growth
Drywall, carpet pad, and cabinet backs that stay wet longer than a day or two grow mold in this climate. Drying beats removal every time.
10 sq ft
The license line
Florida requires licensed assessors and remediators for anything over 10 square feet, about a 3 by 3 foot patch. Under that, you may clean it yourself.
2
Separate companies
The company that inspects and tests cannot be the company that removes, on the same job. The line can send both.
What the line handles
Mold after fresh water damage goes to the phone, because the drying clock is running. Everything else starts with a call or the form and gets a licensed callback.
Mold removal and remediation
Visible growth larger than a sheet of paper, or a musty smell you cannot find. A licensed remediator sets containment, removes what cannot be cleaned, and dries the cause.
Learn moreMold inspection and testing
A licensed assessor finds the moisture source, maps the growth, and writes the protocol the remediator has to follow. Testing when it answers a real question, not by default.
Learn moreMold in the AC, ducts, or air handler
Black dust on supply vents, a smell when the system starts, growth in the closet or on the coil. The number-one place mold hides in a Miami home.
Learn morePost-remediation clearance testing
After the remediator finishes, a separate licensed assessor verifies the work before the walls close. The document you keep for insurers, buyers, and landlords.
Learn moreCondo, apartment, and rental mold
Leaks from the unit above, a closed-up unit that ran humid for months, a landlord who is not responding. Who is responsible, what to document, who to call.
Learn moreHow Florida splits the work
The one who tests is never the one who removes
Chapter 468 of the Florida Statutes licenses two different trades and bars one company from doing both on the same job. It is the single most useful thing to know before you call anyone.
Licensed mold assessor · MRSA
Finds it, writes the plan, verifies the fix
- Moisture readings and a map of where the growth is and why it is there
- Sampling only when it answers a question: hidden growth, a dispute, a doctor asking
- A written remediation protocol the remediator must follow
- Clearance testing after the work, before the walls are closed
Licensed mold remediator · MRSR
Contains it, removes it, dries the cause
- Containment and negative air so spores do not travel through the house
- Removal of porous material that cannot be cleaned: drywall, insulation, carpet pad
- HEPA cleaning of what stays; no fogging, no bleach on drywall
- Drying to the numbers in the protocol, with photos and readings for your file
Both licenses are public. Ask for the number and check it on MyFloridaLicense.com before anyone opens a wall.
How the line works
We take the call, ask the questions that decide who you need, and hand it to a licensed professional who serves your part of the county. From there, you deal with them directly.
Miami Mold Rescue connects homeowners and renters with independent, Florida-licensed mold assessors and remediators. We are not a mold remediation company. Service availability, pricing, and timing are determined by the licensed professional.
Call, or send the form
Where the growth or smell is, what got wet and when, whether the AC is involved, house or condo. Photos help. If water came in within the last few days, call; drying is the fastest fix there is.
A licensed professional calls you back
An assessor if the job needs a plan or a test, a remediator if the growth is obvious and the source is known. They serve your area, and they set the visit with you.
Inspection, protocol, removal
The assessor writes what has to happen; the remediator does it under containment and documents it. You get readings, photos, and invoices for your file, your insurer, or your landlord.
Clearance, then the rebuild
A separate assessor verifies the work. Then the drywall, cabinets, or flooring go back, and the leak, AC, or humidity problem that started it stays fixed.
Before anyone arrives
What to do in the first hour, and what not to do. None of it needs a license.
Do not
- Spray bleach on drywall or wood. It wets porous material, does not reach roots, and makes the assessor’s reading harder.
- Tear out moldy drywall without containment; you spread spores through the whole house and the AC.
- Pay for air testing before anyone has found the water source.
- Sign anything that gives a contractor rights to your insurance claim. That has been illegal in Florida since 2023.
- Find and stop the water. A leak under a sink, an AC drain line that backs up, a roof or window, the unit upstairs. Mold without a moisture source does not come back.
- Run the AC and, if you have one, a dehumidifier. Get indoor humidity under 60%. A ten-dollar hygrometer tells you where you stand.
- Photograph the growth with something for scale and photograph the water source. Date the photos. Note when you first saw or smelled it.
- Measure it. Under about 10 square feet on a hard surface, you can clean it with detergent and water, dry it, and watch it. Larger, on drywall, or coming back: call.
- If it is a rental, send the landlord written notice with the photos today. Florida landlords must maintain the unit; the paper trail starts with your notice.
- If someone in the house has asthma, allergies, or a compromised immune system, keep them out of the room and talk to their doctor.
Mold in Miami-Dade
Three things that are different here
Miami is warm and wet all year, and the housing stock is built for the heat, not for keeping air dry. That changes where mold shows up and what fixing it means.
The AC is the usual suspect
The air handler, its drain pan, and the closet it sits in are wet by design, and over-cooled ducts sweat in humid rooms. Black dust on a supply vent or a smell when the system starts is an AC problem before it is a mold problem, and the remediator and an AC company usually both get involved.
Condos run humid when they are empty
A closed-up unit with the AC set high or off for the summer can sit at 80% humidity for months. Snowbird owners come back to growth on furniture, closets, and ceilings without a leak anywhere. The fix is humidity control, and the association often has rules about it.
Insurance has limits, and they are small
Many Florida homeowner policies cap mold coverage at a fixed amount and exclude mold from long-term leaks or humidity. We do not give claims advice. The licensed professional documents the source and the work; your insurer decides what is covered.
Across Miami-Dade County
Condo humidity and stack leaks on the Beach and in Aventura, old block homes with window units in Hialeah, big slab houses with long duct runs in Kendall and Doral, wood-and-plaster houses under tree canopy in the Gables, and storm aftermath in Homestead.
About the line
Miami Mold Rescue is a bilingual phone line and website. We connect homeowners, renters, and condo owners in Miami-Dade with independent, Florida-licensed mold assessors and remediators, and then step out of the way. We do not inspect, test, or remove mold, we are not a laboratory, and we are not adjusters, lawyers, or doctors. The licensed professional is responsible for their license, insurance, and work, and you deal with them directly.
Questions people ask
Are you a mold removal company?
No. We are a referral line. When you call or send the form, we pass your request to an independent, Florida-licensed mold assessor or remediator who serves your area, and they contact you. We do not perform, price, or warranty any work.
Do I need a mold test?
Often not. The EPA’s guidance is that if you can see mold, sampling is usually unnecessary; the answer is to fix the moisture and remove the growth. Testing earns its cost when growth is suspected but hidden, when a landlord, buyer, or insurer disputes it, when a doctor asks, and as clearance after remediation. A licensed assessor will tell you which case you are in.
Is it black mold? Is it toxic?
Many molds are black, and "toxic black mold" is a marketing phrase, not a diagnosis. Any indoor mold growth should be removed, and the moisture that feeds it fixed, regardless of color or species. If someone in the house has asthma, allergies, or a compromised immune system, talk to their doctor; we do not give medical advice.
What does the 10 square foot rule mean?
Florida licenses mold assessment and remediation for anything larger than 10 square feet, roughly a 3 by 3 foot patch. Below that, no license is required and you may clean it yourself. Above it, the assessor (MRSA) and the remediator (MRSR) must be licensed, and by law they must be different companies on the same job.
Why can’t one company inspect and remove?
Because the company that says how bad it is would also be the company paid to fix it. Florida separated the two roles so the plan and the clearance come from someone with nothing to sell you. It also means you should be wary of an inspection offered at no cost by a remediation company; ask who the licensed assessor is.
Who pays, and does insurance cover it?
You pay the licensed professional; they invoice you for the work. Whether your insurer reimburses depends on your policy and the source: many Florida policies cap mold coverage and exclude mold from long-term leaks or humidity. We do not give claims advice, and since 2023 no contractor can take an assignment of your claim.
I rent. Whose problem is this?
Florida has no mold-specific tenant statute, but landlords must maintain the unit, and code enforcement in most Miami-Dade cities will inspect for moisture problems. Send written notice with photos, keep copies, and if nothing happens you can pay for a licensed assessment yourself and use it. We are not lawyers; a tenant-rights organization can tell you the next step.
Do you help in Spanish?
Yes. The line and this site are in English and Spanish, and the licensed professionals who take our calls serve Spanish-speaking households.
Reach the line
Call if water got in within the last few days. For everything else, the form gets you a call back from a licensed assessor or remediator who serves your area.
Hours: Calls answered 24/7
Miami Mold Rescue connects homeowners and renters with independent, Florida-licensed mold assessors and remediators. We are not a mold remediation company. Service availability, pricing, and timing are determined by the licensed professional.