When a water loss has occurred in a structure, a variety of professionals can be involved in the steps taken to return the affected area to a pre-loss condition, such as restoration and remediation contractors, indoor environmental professionals (IEP) and forensic experts. It is becoming more common for forensic experts to be involved in the assessment of a water loss or fungal growth in a structure. These experts can be scientists, engineers, architects, contractors, etc. who specialize in determining causation of the moisture source as well as the extent of moisture related damage and/or fungal growth. Multiple parties will rely on these experts’ opinions; therefore, their assessment, methodologies and report of findings are routinely scrutinized by all parties involved. The goal of a forensic assessment is to provide a defensible opinion, and to do that, the opinions should be based upon scientific principles and methodologies, industry standards and best practices.

While forensic assessments can be challenging, there is a simple equation that can be applied to every assessment to increase the defensibility of the approach and ultimately the findings. Detailed Documentation + Diagnostic Testing = Defensibility. If the assessment is detailed and well documented, and hypotheses are tested versus speculated, the confidence level for defensibility increases significantly. This same equation can also be applied to a contractor performing a water restoration project. The contractor’s strategy is commonly exposed to increased scrutiny after their invoice is presented for payment. Detailed documentation of the extent of moisture migration and the drying efforts, as well as pre-determining and documenting the source of the moisture, will not only decrease scrutiny of the strategy employed but also benefit the development of the drying strategy and in turn benefit the client.