Written for New York homes and buildings
Straight answers about mold, moisture and water damage
What things cost, what the city rules say, and what to do in the first two days. Every guide is written around the buildings, weather and rules we work with in New York.
What you will find here
These guides cover the questions New Yorkers ask us most about mold and water: what remediation costs, how Local Law 55 works in apartments, whether you need testing, what to do after a basement floods, and where hidden mold usually is.
Costs, insurance and paperwork
What a job is likely to cost, what your policy may cover, who handles a leak from upstairs, and what the city requires of building owners. These guides answer the questions that come before any work starts, and they are the ones to read if you are budgeting, filing a claim or dealing with a violation.
What Mold Remediation Costs in New York, NY
National ranges, what drives the price in city buildings, and how to read a quote.
Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Mold Removal?
When insurance usually pays for mold, flood and backup coverage, and what adjusters need.
Mold in a NYC Apartment: Local Law 55 Explained
What the law requires of owners, how HPD classes violations, and what tenants can do.
Leak From the Apartment Upstairs: Who Pays, What to Do
What to do in the first hour, who fixes the source, and how the damage gets covered.
Water, floods and backups
Most mold starts with water, and the first two days after a flood or a backup decide how big the job becomes. These guides walk through what to do hour by hour, what to keep and what to throw away, and how to keep it from happening again.
Flooded Basement in New York: The First 48 Hours
Hour-by-hour steps after a flood: safety, pumping out, what to keep and how to dry.
Sewer Backup in the Basement: Cleanup and Safety
Why city basements back up, what is safe, what has to go and how to prevent it.
Finding and judging mold
When you smell it but cannot see it, or see something dark and are not sure what it is, start here. These guides explain where hidden mold usually is, what the color does and does not tell you, and when an inspection or a lab test is worth paying for.
Musty Smell but No Visible Mold: Where to Look
Where hidden mold usually is, a room-by-room check, and when it is not mold at all.
Black Mold vs Everyday Mold: What Actually Matters
Why the material matters more than the color, and when testing is worth it.
Mold Inspection vs Mold Testing: Which Do You Need?
What each one tells you, what each costs, and which to book first.
How to Choose a Mold Remediation Company in New York
The questions to ask, what a good scope includes, and the red flags to avoid.
Everyday mold at home
Some mold is a cleaning job and some is a sign of water inside the walls. These guides cover the winter condensation that shows up on windows and closets every year, and where the line sits between cleaning it yourself and calling someone.
Why New York Apartments Grow Mold in Winter
Why windows and outside walls grow mold every winter, and what stops it.
Can You Remove Mold Yourself? The 10 Square Foot Line
Where the 10 square foot line sits, how to clean a small patch, and when to stop.
How to use these guides
Each guide starts with a short answer you can act on, then explains the reasoning, the local rules and the numbers behind it. Costs are national planning ranges from published cost guides, not our prices, and every guide lists its public sources at the end so you can check them.
If you are dealing with active water, a sewage backup or a violation deadline, skip the reading and call. A person answers 24 hours a day, and the first few hours matter more than any guide.
- Water still coming in or standing on the floor
- Sewage or a smell of sewage in the basement
- A Class C violation with a 24-hour deadline
- A ceiling that is sagging or dripping
About these guides
Seymour Bledsoe, our mold and water guides editor, drawing on the jobs we do and the public sources listed on each guide.
No. They are national planning ranges from published cost guides. We price each job after seeing it.
Yes. Call us any time; a person answers 24/7.
When the rules, costs or public sources behind them change. Each guide shows the date it was last updated at the top.
The mold and water advice applies anywhere. The HPD and Local Law 55 sections apply to New York City buildings only.
Rather talk it through?
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