Formation of a national moisture management task force will be finalized at the PIA Western Alliance's second Moisture and Mold Management Summit, April 27 in Irvine, Calif.
The task force was established during the first summit in Seattle, Wash., earlier this year.
"This group will be charged with writing a public policy based on moisture management standards that we have already developed," said Clark Sitzes, PIA Western Alliance executive vice president. "The PIA's goal is to take that policy to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and to state legislators around the country."
Moisture management assessments of properties prior to underwriting will help reduce insurance risk, provide an opportunity to reduce premiums, and enable offerings of extended lines of insurance, PIA West said.
When builders implement this moisture management system, liability claims decline, the association asserted. It added that many health issues are reduced and properties that experienced previous water or mold problems can be evaluated to determine if the issue has been properly eradicated.
The proposed standards are based on a system developed by Mold Technologies, a remediation contractor based in Salem, Ore.
Mr. Sitzes said this issue needs to involve not only the insurance industry but also members of the banking, contracting, building and real estate industries, which he called on to participate. The association said it and Mold Technologies are contacting representatives from these groups to be a part of the task force.
Mr. Sitzes said he also hopes to have the task force finalized by the April 27 meeting.
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