How do you know if a mold issue was totally remediated from the home?

It would probably vary from state to state. Check your local landlord-tenant act.

In Texas, mold remediation is a serious business. You hire one company to provide the estimate. They’ll do air quality tests, take samples, and write up a recommended plan. However, they’re legally blocked from doing the actual work themselves. Somehow, this helps ensure fair trade.

A second company comes in to do the actual work. They partition off the affected area with plastic sheeting, put on space suits, and tear out everything down to the studs. All trash leaves in extra thick plastic bags. They bleach and scrub and use whatever proprietary chemicals and procedures to eradicate all sources of mold.

At the end of all of this, you are provided with official, guaranteed status of complete mold remediation that gets logged into the state’s permanent records. This is a good thing, as it will help ensure you can sell your home later.

Like @Seelix said, this whole thing will vary from state to state. Definitely do your homework. Coming to Fluther was a great first step.

The state I lived in a few years ago:
The remediation COULD NOT be done by the landlord.

Had to have a LICENSED remediation company do the work

Recommended that a Third Party have oversight and testing by Certified Environmental company.

Yes… air quality tests are the way to go. They have gadgets now that Spock would be thrilled with.

You would know it was remediated, when the professional was done and tested the air quality.

This type of work must be done by a certified contractor that specializes in mold/asbestos removal in most states when a tenant is involved.

If your Landlord is doing this by his/herself, you can contact your local health department, housing department, and or your local building official (if you have a building code to protect you as a tenant, they will know/help you get the assistance you need).

If your landlord is doing this on his/her own, I suggest you write a letter stating you want the mold removed in 14 days or less and that you will be contacting (or better yet, have contacted all of the depts I listed above). Attach photos to the letter, and describe the smell, condition in great detail). I would list everything I expect to have done. If a dehumidifier is needed to keep the issue at bay or ceiling fans-etc, that should also be noted.

From there, you then have legal rights to move/quit your lease if the work is not completed.

The only person who can legally declare your home “mold free” or “within normal limits” is an Industrial Hygenist.
As a long time property manager, my advice is to document document document. Write down everything.

As a GC, I have done some mold remidiation work for clients. We hire a licensed evaluator who conducts the initial testing to determine the toxicity of the contamination. They then provide us a protocol to remediate, which is conducted by a professional licensed remidiator. Then the original testers come back to conduct final test and compare results with original baseline and elevated results, and finally sign off on the project, by providing a certified clearance letter.
Regardless of the state guidelines, I follow this procedure (for varying cities, counties, even states, have varied or no guidelines… This is a proven methodology to make sure you reside in a safe home environment.
It can be bit pricey, but your wellbeing is priceless, so in comparison it’s a bargain. I would insist on nothing less.
Best of luck to you.

one last thought, no amount of remidiation will work unless the original source of the moisture problem is fixed properly and professionally first!

I think if I were being affected by the environment in a rental and not getting any satisfaction, I might move. I’m not personally a litigious person, but some might mention a lawsuit and see how the landlord handles the situation then.