Mold in your Los Angeles home: who to call, how to check them, and what a proper job includes

1. If you smell gas, touch no switches or anything electrical. Leave, and from outside call SoCalGas at 1-800-427-2200 or 911. Do not turn the gas back on yourself.
2. If water has reached an outlet, light or appliance, find the electrical panel: a gray metal door in the garage, a hallway, a closet or on an outside wall. Only if it is dry and you are not standing in water, flip that room's breaker or the main breaker at the top. Otherwise stay out of the wet area. Nobody stands under water coming through a light or fan.
3. If water is still coming in, close the small valve behind or under the sink, toilet or washer; turn it clockwise. For anything else, close the main shutoff, where the pipe enters the house or in the meter box by the sidewalk.
4. Before you clean, move or throw out anything, photograph the mold, the wet area and everything damaged, and note the date.
5. Keep anyone with asthma, a mold allergy, a weakened immune system or chronic lung disease away from the mold and out of the cleanup. The CDC says they risk severe reactions or lung infections.
6. Measure the patch. Under about ten square feet (three by three), with the water fixed, you can clean it yourself. Wear gloves, goggles and an N95 mask. Scrub hard surfaces with detergent and water, then dry completely. Moldy drywall, insulation and carpet may have to be thrown away, the EPA says.
7. Call a company if the mold covers more than about ten square feet, came from sewage or flood water, or is inside walls or ducts. Call one too if nobody at home can safely do the cleanup. With health concerns, ask a health professional first.

First, whoever fixes the water: a plumber (license class C-36) for a pipe or drain leak, a roofer (C-39) for a roof leak. The EPA says the mold will likely come back otherwise.

If water caused the mold, call your insurer before any wall comes out; your policy requires notice without unnecessary delay.

Next, a mold removal company, then an inspector who does not work for that company to confirm the mold is gone (a clearance check). IICRC, which writes the S520 industry standard, says an inspector who is not independent should tell you so in writing.

At cslb.ca.gov, open Check a License and search by license number, business name or person. The record shows whether the license is current, its classifications (types of work), its bond (a required financial guarantee), and workers' compensation insurance or a no-employee exemption. Ask for the person's pocket license (their CSLB card) and photo ID; their name should be on the record.

California has no mold license. A license is required for any job of $1,000 or more in labor and materials, or needing a building permit. Opening and rebuilding walls, ceilings or floors uses at least two unrelated trades, so expect B General Building. B-2 Residential Remodeling can also cover it in a wood-frame home when three or more unrelated trades are involved and nothing structural changes.

In a home built before about 1980, and sometimes later, joint compound (the paste over drywall seams), textured paint, sprayed ceilings and vinyl floor tile can contain asbestos. Only a lab test tells. The South Coast air district's asbestos rule requires a survey by a certified asbestos consultant before a contractor renovates or demolishes, with narrow exceptions, whatever the home's age. Get a copy before anything is cut. Homes built before 1978 can also have lead paint.

A contractor with employees must carry workers' compensation, even for one; roofers (C-39) must carry it regardless. A crew plus a no-employee exemption on file is a warning sign; ask for a certificate of insurance in the license's company name.

California requires a written contract for home improvement work over $500. Yours should name the containment plan (how the crew seals off the work area so spores do not spread), the materials coming out, and who performs the clearance check.

Red flags, starting with CSLB's own scam list:

• A door-to-door offer, pressure to decide today, or scare findings after a free inspection.
• A demand for cash, a deposit above the legal cap ($1,000 or 10 percent of the price, whichever is less), or no written contract.
• A bid far below the others, or a person whose name is not on the license.
• Paid air testing before visible mold is removed; the EPA says sampling is unnecessary when mold is visible, apart from special cases, and the CDC does not recommend testing.
• A spray-only plan, or a company that checks its own work.

1. Report it right away, as water damage, not only mold. Ask in writing for a complete copy of your policy; after a covered loss, state law requires it free within 30 days. Read the exclusions (what is not covered) and ask whether a mold sublimit (a smaller limit) applies.
2. Protect the property from further damage; your policy requires it. Stop the leak, start drying and keep every receipt: the Department of Insurance says reasonable protection costs are reimbursed, and later damage may not be covered otherwise. Hold extensive permanent repairs until the adjuster (the insurer's inspector) has assessed the damage.
3. Give the adjuster your photographs and the plumber's or roofer's invoice naming the cause.
4. Get itemized estimates, one line per task. If the insurer settles on its own written estimate, it must give you a copy. If your contractor's written estimate is higher, California's insurance regulations give the insurer three choices. It can pay the difference, name a company that will do the work for its figure if you ask, or adjust your estimate in writing.
5. If you cannot live at home, keep housing and food receipts and ask whether your policy includes additional living expenses coverage.
6. Choose your own contractor; an insurer may suggest one only if you ask or after written notice that the choice is yours.
7. State regulations set deadlines. The insurer must acknowledge your claim within 15 days. It must accept or deny it, in whole or part, within 40 days of your proof of claim (the documents showing your loss). If it needs longer, it must say so in writing, with what it still needs and why, and update you every 30 days. It must pay any accepted part within 30 days. A denial must be written, give the reasons and policy terms, and say the Department of Insurance can review it.
8. If the claim stalls, go to the claims manager, then the insurer's claims executive. Then call the California Department of Insurance hotline at 1-800-927-4357 or file a Request for Assistance, the Department's complaint form, at insurance.ca.gov.

Look for:

• Containment: the work area sealed in plastic with a fan venting outside through a HEPA filter (a fine filter that traps spores), called negative air.
• Removal: which materials, how many square feet, double-bagged and sealed inside the containment.
• Cleaning: HEPA vacuuming and damp wiping, and a final HEPA vacuum once materials are dry.
• The rebuild priced separately, with permits named. In the City of Los Angeles, the Department of Building and Safety issues them. Long Beach, Torrance, Santa Monica and most other cities have their own building departments; a few use the county's. Ask which office issues yours.

Any change goes on a change order both of you sign. After the capped down payment, payments may not exceed the value of work done. A contract signed at your home can be canceled in writing or by email within three business days of receiving a signed copy. You get five business days if you are 65 or older, and seven for declared disaster repairs. On emergency work you asked for, you keep that right unless you sign a separate dated statement describing the emergency and waiving it.

• What is the water source, and who fixes it before you start?
• What is your license number, and which license class covers this work?
• Will the work area be sealed off, with a fan venting outside through a HEPA filter?
• Has the home been surveyed for asbestos, and by whom?
• Who performs the clearance check, and do they work for you?