Case Study Library
25+ real South Florida mold investigations, organized by category so you can find the situation that matches your own — home, condo, HVAC system, crawlspace, or commercial property. Every case includes thermal images, lab results, and verified outcomes.
Browse by Property Type or Problem
Every case below is a real Home Enviro or Express Mold Inspection investigation from the Tri-County South Florida region — not a hypothetical example. Jump to the category closest to your situation, or read straight through. Full write-ups for shorter summaries live on expressmoldinspection.com's case study archive; a few categories also have deep, full-length investigations native to this site or to homeenviroinspection.com. Many of these cases include the thermal images and moisture readings that helped confirm the finding — see them in the Evidence Library.
Residential
Single-family homes and townhomes across Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade — from pre-purchase inspections to hurricane-driven leaks and long-running plumbing failures.
Pre-Purchase Inspection Uncovers Hidden Mold in Boca Del Mar, Boca Raton
Unit appeared clean visually, but thermal imaging found a cold zone inside a guest bathroom wall consistent with long-term moisture accumulation.
Read Case Thermal Imaging + Moisture MappingStucco Wall Intrusion in Tarpon River, Fort Lauderdale
Efflorescence and soft drywall along a west-facing wall traced to a moisture plume extending from an exterior window frame through two wall cavities.
Read Case Attic InspectionHurricane Wind Driven Rain in Heron Bay, Parkland
Musty odor after a Category 1 storm led to confirmed Stachybotrys chartarum and elevated Cladosporium across roughly 80 square feet of roof deck.
Read Case Air SamplingRental Property Dispute in West Hollywood, Hollywood
Landlord disputed a tenant's mold complaint after a visual-only inspection. Independent air sampling confirmed elevated Cladosporium in the bedroom and HVAC return.
Read Case Thermal Imaging + Moisture MeterMaster Bathroom Leak in Monarch Lakes, Miramar
A slow supply-line leak had saturated the subfloor for six to eight months. Thermal imaging traced moisture under the tile into the hallway.
Read CaseCommercial
Hotels, offices, and multi-tenant buildings carry mold risk at a different scale than a single home — larger HVAC systems, more stakeholders, and higher liability exposure.
Looking for a residential water-intrusion or HVAC-driven commercial case instead? See Water Intrusion and HVAC below — several of those investigations involve multi-unit and mixed-use buildings as well.
HVAC
South Florida's air conditioning systems run nearly year-round, and duct or plenum defects are one of the most common hidden mold sources we find.
Hidden Moisture and Negative-Pressure Ductwork
Florida Mold Experts' own in-depth article on how negative-pressure ductwork and plenum tape failures create the conditions for hidden HVAC mold contamination across South Florida properties.
Read the Full Article HVAC · WestonHVAC Plenum Tape Mold Contamination, Weston
A degraded plenum tape seam allowed conditioned air and condensation to interact inside the ductwork, seeding mold growth that spread through the supply system. Full investigation documented on homeenviroinspection.com.
Read the Full Investigation Air SamplingRental Property Dispute in West Hollywood, Hollywood
Landlord disputed a tenant's mold complaint after a visual-only inspection. Independent air sampling confirmed elevated Cladosporium in the bedroom and HVAC return.
Read CaseWater Intrusion
Hurricane wind-driven rain, slow plumbing leaks, and building envelope failures are the most common water sources behind South Florida mold growth.
Hidden Moisture & Negative-Pressure Ductwork
Florida Mold Experts' own article examining how negative building pressure pulls humid outside air into wall and ceiling cavities through ductwork gaps, driving condensation and hidden moisture even without a visible leak.
Read the Full Article Water Intrusion · Real InvestigationFort Lauderdale Apartment Water Intrusion Investigation
A tenant reported a water intrusion event from an upper-floor unit. Moisture mapping, thermal imaging, and indoor air quality testing were used to determine whether hidden moisture or mold conditions were present.
Read Full Case Study Water Intrusion · Real InvestigationWater Damage From an Upper Condo Unit Affects AC Closet in Miami, FL
Water intrusion reported from the unit above affected the AC closet and ceiling below. A borescope camera, moisture mapping, and air sampling were used to investigate difficult-to-access areas around the air handler.
Read Full Case Study Thermal Imaging + Moisture MappingStucco Wall Intrusion in Tarpon River, Fort Lauderdale
Efflorescence and soft drywall along a west-facing wall traced to a moisture plume extending from an exterior window frame through two wall cavities.
Read Case Attic InspectionHurricane Wind Driven Rain in Heron Bay, Parkland
Musty odor after a Category 1 storm led to confirmed Stachybotrys chartarum and elevated Cladosporium across roughly 80 square feet of roof deck.
Read Case Thermal Imaging + Moisture MeterMaster Bathroom Leak in Monarch Lakes, Miramar
A slow supply-line leak had saturated the subfloor for six to eight months. Thermal imaging traced moisture under the tile into the hallway.
Read CaseAir Quality
Indoor air sampling and post-remediation verification (PRV) testing confirm what visible inspection alone cannot — whether airborne mold spore counts pose an actual exposure risk.
Rental Property Dispute in West Hollywood, Hollywood
Landlord disputed a tenant's mold complaint after a visual-only inspection. Independent air sampling confirmed elevated Cladosporium in the bedroom and HVAC return.
Read Case PRV Air SamplingPost Remediation Clearance Failure in Crystal Lake, Pompano Beach
A remediation company's self-issued clearance looked suspect. Independent PRV testing from Home Enviro told the real story.
Read CaseWant to understand what your own air sample results mean? See the Evidence Library for real lab reports and how to read them, or the Learning Center for guides on air sampling methodology.
Crawlspaces
Crawlspaces are less common in South Florida's slab-built housing stock than in other regions, but where they exist — especially in older elevated homes — standing groundwater and poor ventilation make them a persistent mold risk.
We haven't published a dedicated crawlspace case study on this domain yet — for now, our attic and roof-deck moisture investigations use the same thermal imaging and moisture-mapping approach we'd apply to a crawlspace or sub-area inspection. Contact us if you have a crawlspace concern.
Condominiums
Condo and multi-unit buildings introduce shared walls, shared HVAC risers, and association-level remediation disputes that single-family homes don't face.
Pre-Purchase Inspection Uncovers Hidden Mold in Boca Del Mar, Boca Raton
Unit appeared clean visually, but thermal imaging found a cold zone inside a guest bathroom wall consistent with long-term moisture accumulation — a common pre-purchase finding in condo and townhome units.
Read Case Air SamplingRental Property Dispute in West Hollywood, Hollywood
Landlord disputed a tenant's mold complaint after a visual-only inspection. Independent air sampling confirmed elevated Cladosporium in the bedroom and HVAC return — a dispute pattern common in condo and rental-unit buildings.
Read Case PRV Air SamplingPost Remediation Clearance Failure in Crystal Lake, Pompano Beach
A remediation company's self-issued clearance looked suspect. Independent PRV testing from Home Enviro told the real story — the kind of second-opinion verification condo associations increasingly request before releasing units back to owners.
Read Case PRV Failed · Real InvestigationPost-Remediation Verification Failure After Multi-Story Water Damage in Coconut Creek
A five-story condominium's remediation contractor completed cleaning after multi-floor water intrusion, but an independent PRV inspection found remaining mold contamination — and the project failed clearance. Full photo documentation and findings.
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