When to Schedule Mold Clearance Testing: Before or After Payment?

The Short Answer: Before. Obviously.

If you're paying thousands of dollars for mold remediation, don't release final payment until an independent third party has verified the work was actually done correctly. That verification is called clearance testing. And if you're wondering when to schedule it, the answer is the same as when to lock your car: before it's too late to matter.

Once the money's gone, your leverage goes with it.

I've watched this play out more times than I'd like. Homeowner pays in full because the remediation company seems professional, the workers were nice, and everything looks clean. Six weeks later, something smells wrong. Homeowner calls me. Lab results come back elevated. Now they're trying to get a company that already has their money to come back and do additional work for free.

Good luck with that conversation.

Your Final Payment Is Your Only Leverage

How Remediation Payment Typically Works

Most remediation contracts split payment into phases: a deposit upfront to commit (typically 30-50%), a progress payment when substantial work is complete, and a final payment at project completion. That final payment — the last 20-40% of the contract — is the most important check you'll write.

Not because it's the largest. Because it's the one with conditions attached.

When you're holding that final payment and the clearance test fails, you have a straightforward conversation: "The independent test showed elevated spore counts in the master bedroom. I'll release payment when the test passes." The remediation company has every incentive to come back, address the issues, and get paid. The system works.

When you've already paid that final amount and the test fails, the conversation changes entirely: "I know you already have your money, but would you mind coming back and doing more work at your cost?" That's not a business negotiation. That's a favor request. And contractors are under no legal obligation to grant favors outside their written warranty terms.

Don't Fund Your Own Disappointment

I say this to every homeowner going through remediation: your final payment is not a tip for completing the physical work. It's payment for verified completion of the work. There's a difference between "we're done" and "an independent professional verified we're done." The first is a statement. The second is data.

The remediation company telling you they're done is like a student grading their own test. Maybe they're right. Probably they'd like to be. But wouldn't you rather have someone else check the answers before you write the report card?

The Ideal Remediation Timeline

Here's how the process should work, step by step:

1. Initial inspection — Identify mold, determine scope and species (I do this)
2. Remediation quotes — Get bids from qualified remediation contractors
3. Contract negotiation — Include language requiring third-party clearance before final payment. This is the step most people skip.
4. Remediation work — Contractor performs physical remediation
5. Pre-clearance notification — Contractor tells you they're done and ready for testing
6. Clearance testing — I independently verify whether the work was successful
7. Results — Pass = pay contractor. Fail = contractor addresses deficiencies first.
8. Final payment — Released only after passing clearance

This sequence protects everyone. The contractor gets paid for completed, verified work. You get confirmation before paying. And if there's a dispute, the clearance test provides objective, lab-analyzed evidence that neither side can argue with.

When a Contractor Resists Independent Testing

If a remediation contractor pushes back on third-party clearance testing, that's information. Not a red flag necessarily — but a yellow one worth investigating.

Some reasons contractors resist:

• They've had tests fail before and don't want the exposure
• They prefer to "self-certify" — declaring their own work complete without independent verification
• They view third-party testing as an unnecessary expense (to you) that slows their payment
• They genuinely believe their visual clearance is sufficient

Here's my position: a contractor confident in their work should welcome independent verification. It protects them too — a passing clearance test is documentation that the work was done correctly, which matters if questions arise later.

A contractor who resists having their work checked by an independent party is a contractor I'd want to ask more questions before hiring.

What If You've Already Paid?

If you already released final payment and now suspect there's a problem, you're not without options — they're just harder and slower.

• Check your contract. Many remediation companies offer 1-year warranties. A failed clearance test within that window should trigger warranty work. "Should" being a word that does a lot of work in that sentence.
• Document everything. I can test and provide laboratory documentation of the failure, which you'll need for warranty claims, insurance conversations, or legal action.
• Start with a written request. Formal, references the warranty language, includes the clearance test results. Paper trails matter.
• Escalate if needed. State licensing boards, insurance companies, small claims court, or attorneys who handle contractor disputes. These paths exist but they take time and energy.

All of which is enormously more complicated than just holding $3,000 until a test confirms the work passed. Prevention is easier than litigation. Always.

My Role in This Process

I want to be transparent about something: when I do clearance testing, I'm the independent third party. I don't know your remediation contractor. I don't get referral fees from them. I have no relationship with them. I'm not on anybody's team except accuracy.

When the test passes, I'll document that thoroughly and you can pay your contractor knowing the work was verified by someone with no financial interest in the outcome.

When the test fails, I'll tell you exactly what the results show, where the numbers are still elevated, and what needs to be addressed. That's information you can hand to your contractor and say, "Here's what needs to happen before I release payment."

Either way, you get data instead of hope. And data is a significantly better foundation for a $10,000 payment decision.

The Cost Perspective

Clearance testing typically costs a fraction of the remediation itself. You're spending a small percentage of your total remediation investment to verify that the other 95% was spent effectively. If you'd pay $400 to verify that a $15,000 job was done right, the math speaks for itself.

If you wouldn't pay $400 to verify a $15,000 job... honestly, I'd like to understand that decision, because I don't think it survives scrutiny.