Rental Mold Inspection and Remediation for Landlords and Tenants

North Bay Mold Remediation connects Marin and Sonoma landlords, property managers, and tenants with local mold contractors who inspect, remediate, and document mold in rental housing. We are a referral service, not lawyers; for legal questions, talk with a landlord-tenant attorney.

What California law says about mold in rentals

SB 655, passed in 2015, amended Health and Safety Code 17920.3 to add visible mold growth to the list of conditions that can make housing substandard. Two details matter. The determination is made by a health officer or a code enforcement officer, not by the landlord or the tenant. And mold that is minor and found on surfaces that accumulate moisture as part of their normal use, like a shower enclosure, is excluded.

The same bill tied mold into the landlord repair rules in Civil Code 1941 and 1942. According to the legislative analysis, a landlord's duty to repair a mold problem doesn't arise until the landlord has notice of it, or if the tenant has violated their own maintenance obligations. A landlord may enter to make repairs but has to follow the existing rules on notice before entering a unit.

The state's Toxic Mold Protection Act also contains landlord disclosure provisions. Those are tied to exposure standards the state health department has not adopted, so how they apply is a question for an attorney rather than a contractor.

Who handles rental mold complaints in Marin

• San Rafael: the city's Code Enforcement Division takes housing complaints and runs a periodic inspection program for rental properties with three or more units.
• Novato: the city's Code Enforcement and Multi-Family Inspection Program takes complaints.
• Elsewhere in Marin: Marin County Environmental Health Services runs a rental inspection program that inspects multi-unit rentals every two years and responds to complaints. It does not test for mold, and it does not have authority over rentals inside San Rafael or Novato city limits.

In Sonoma County towns such as Santa Rosa and Petaluma, start with the city's code enforcement or building department, or the county if the property is unincorporated. None of these agencies is affiliated with us.

For landlords and property managers

Treat a mold report as a moisture report. In older North Bay rentals, the cause is often a slow plumbing leak, a bathroom without a working fan, condensation on cold exterior walls, or a wet crawl space under a raised floor. A contractor should find and fix that source, then contain and remove the growth. See mold remediation and plumbing leak mold.

• Respond in writing and keep a dated record of the report, your inspection, and the work
• Get a written scope that names the moisture source and the repair
• Plan entry and scheduling within California's notice rules for entering occupied units
• Use a CSLB-licensed contractor for any job of $1,000 or more, and check the license at cslb.ca.gov
• In buildings from before 1980, test for asbestos before cutting drywall, texture, or flooring
• Keep an independent clearance test report before re-occupancy or rebuild

For tenants

• Report the mold and any leak to your landlord or manager in writing, and keep a copy
• Photograph the growth, any water stains, and the date you first noticed them
• Keep bathroom and kitchen fans running and avoid covering the growth with paint
• If the problem isn't addressed, contact the agency for your city listed above
• If you want independent documentation, an inspection with moisture readings is usually more useful than a mold test alone. See mold inspection and testing.

On health, the CDC says mold can affect some people, especially those with asthma, allergies, or weakened immune systems. If you have health concerns, talk with your doctor.

Dealing with mold in a rental? Call (415) 234-5586 or request an estimate and we'll connect you with a local mold contractor.