Paint over mold

I did a mold inspection in petaluma today. The tenant was concerned about mold in the home, since she is 8 months pregnant, but I am working for the owner. The owner says that there was mold growth on most of the walls but he painted over it... so its OK... WRONG!... Painting over mold does not get rid of the problem at all, it just temporarily hides it. Mold will grow whenever there is sufficient moisture and a food source... period. When you have mold, that is an indication that you have a moisture problem. If you do not address the moisture problem then the mold will just keep returning... gauranteed! If you fix the moisture problem and then paint over the mold, there is a real good chance that that mold will continue to grow under the paint, as mold growth that is already established has a much lower moisture requirement than a random mold spore. If the tenant were to get sick, and hire a good attorney, the landlord could be facing serious PUNITIVE damages because he/she knew there was mold and tried to hide it with paint. I have seen these things go both ways... so there is no definitive resolution to the issue of whether to paint over it or not... but a wise landlord would not take the chance.