Does a home insurance claim change the mould removal cost in Ottawa?

A claim decides who pays, not what the work involves: the contractor's scope and price for the same job are the same whoever pays. We found too few published Ottawa prices for mould removal to quote a range, so ask contractors to itemize the quote rather than give you a single number.

How much of the bill lands on you depends on your own policy, which only your insurer can answer. Ask your insurer before work starts what the policy says about mould and about the moisture source behind it.

A few things can add cost that insurance may or may not pick up:

• The moisture source repair itself, which is separate from the mould cleanup and may be quoted by a different trade.
• Testing before and after remediation. Health Canada says you can generally clean small mould yourself (1 to 3 patches, each less than 1 square metre), but for extensive growth, meaning a single patch larger than 3 square metres, professional assessment and cleanup are recommended. We found no Ontario regulation that sets a clearance test after mould work; if you want one, ask for it in the quote.
• If the mouldy wall is in a home built before 1990 and the remediation involves cutting or removing drywall, plaster or ceiling texture, the contractor should assess whether asbestos-containing materials are present before work starts. Health Canada advises hiring a professional to test suspect materials before disturbing them. That testing, and any asbestos work that follows under O. Reg. 278/05, is a separate line to ask about in the quote.

If you are filing a claim, have the contractor's written scope of work in hand so you and your insurer are discussing the same job. Local abatement contractors listed in the Ottawa Construction Network directory can be reached through the request form on this page.

When you read through any quote, ask the contractor to show you exactly what moisture repair is included, because that is the line two quotes for the same mould job can treat differently.