Inspected a 3200 sqft home with unfinished basement. I am seeing a bunch of moisture stains on OSB subfloor throughout at perimeter and in center and on truss floor joists. The grade slopes sufficiently away at exterior. There are subsurface drains. I’ve never seen this much staining on a subfloor before. The OSB is dry and swelled slightly in some areas as indicated by a little bowing in wood floor above. The tile grout joints are missing or degraded in kitchen. OSB is not delaminating or degrading and appears sound. No moisture anywhere as indicated by a moisture meter. With all that said, how do I comment to indicate the obvious and at same time address probable mold that could exist between subfloor and finished surfaces. And if there is unseen mold, would it eventually degrade the OSB wood? Or would the glue (adhesive) in manufacturing the OSB prevent future degradation as a result of mold? I see what appears to be mold stains, but no mold on the OSB.
Do you have any photos? It would be very helpful.
what were the weather/precipitation conditions during construction?
i’ve seen a lot of pre-completion subfloors in apparent disrepair from wet weather damage w/some more compromised than others
more than one house has either had osb sanded due to delamination or a layer of hardi-backer installed before any final flooring app
the flooring conditions may be indicative of poor or incompetent installation practices and have nothing to do with the osb or stains
comments should be similar to what you’ve stated & hypothesizing about mold should never occur
you either defer to a mold specialist & don’t pusssyfoot around the subject & disserve your client
hth
The home is 9 years old (bank owned now.) Previous owners did occupy house for those years–a long ugly lawsuit with contractor ended up a win for contractor for a bill of 76k. Occupants (owner) were not going to pay the judgement and instead filed bankruptcy. Supposedly, the house was in the dry during construction, according to neighbor who knew previous owners. Previous owner said stains where a result of downspout leader pouring onto front wall while occupied. That’s a heck of a lot of water being delivered given the amount of staining I am seeing–before a problem was discovered, if that’s the case. I hypothesized, initially, that owners were perhaps disgruntled and may have flooded the place, as I am seeing darkened areas (perhaps moisture stains) along edges of wood floor at perimeters and barely discernible moisture stains on cedar wood finishes to posts on wood floor. These finishes I can see near the floor have been rubbed down to perhaps blend in the barely noticeable moisture stains. Absolutely, you are correct. I do not want to do a disservice to the client who is wanting to buy this REO, but obviously doesn’t want to purchase a total money pit. Bank cost is near 350k and of course bank is providing no disclosure. I posted some pics in reply to Christopher Currins response. Thank you for assistance.
Here are some pics Christopher. I put a file on google drive. Here is sharing link:
Thanks for your reply.
Lonnie, The guy is buying a bank owned, damaged property for reduced cost. He has to accept responsibility for his decision to purchase a distressed property. You do not need to get in line for any liability. Report and describe what you see, warped floors, damaged subfloors, evidence of water intrusion, suspected mold, disclaimer saying there can be hidden damage due to water intrusion. Recommend repair, recommend a mold guy. Do not make promises about what may or may not happen with the house. You, inspected, found damage or deterioration, report it, document it and let him make the final decision, its his choice alone.
Mark’s got it. ^^^^^^^^^^ 
Originally Posted by mraumikaitis https://nachi.cachefly.net/forum/images/2006/buttons/viewpost.gif
*“Lonnie, The guy is buying a bank owned, damaged property for reduced cost. He has to accept responsibility for his decision to purchase a distressed property. You do not need to get in line for any liability. Report and describe what you see, warped floors, damaged subfloors, evidence of water intrusion, suspected mold, disclaimer saying there can be hidden damage due to water intrusion. Recommend repair, recommend a mold guy. Do not make promises about what may or may not happen with the house. You, inspected, found damage or deterioration, report it, document it and let him make the final decision, its his choice alone.”
You are absolutely correct Mark. Thank you.
*