Mould Mates

Water Damage Restoration: Fast Response. Done Right. Mould Prevented.

Burst pipe, flexi-hose, storm or leak: the first 24 hours decide whether you have a clean-up or a six-month mould problem. We extract water, dry the structure, and prevent mould before it starts. IICRC-certified. Servicing Brisbane, Gold Coast and the Northern Rivers.

What sets us apart

  • 24-Hour Response Time
  • Fully Insured
  • Insurance Level Documentation Provided
  • Mould Prevention Included
  • IICRC Certified Firm
  • First class customer service

The first 24 hours decide whether this becomes a small problem or a six-month one

Water damage doesn't sit still. From the moment water touches a wall, floor or ceiling, three things start happening:

Within 1 hour

Water wicks into porous building materials: gyprock, timber, insulation, carpet underlay. The visible water is a fraction of what's actually wet.

Within 24 hours

Mould spores in the air begin colonising the damp surfaces. They don't need a week. They need 24 hours.

Within 48-72 hours

Mould is visible. Materials warp, swell, and start failing. Insurance claims get more expensive. Repairs become rebuilds.

Most homeowners try to manage water damage with towels, fans, and hope. By the time they realise it's a bigger problem, the cavity moisture is already growing mould you can't see and the cost has multiplied.

This is why we respond fast and why we're different: we don't just dry the property, we make sure mould doesn't follow. Many water restoration companies don't have mould certification. We do.

Our 4-step water damage response

1. Call, message, or request a quote: we get started within 24 hours

Call 0435 219 425 or fill out the form. We respond within business hours and after-hours messages get a response first thing the next morning. Work begins within 24 hours of your call.

2. On-site assessment and emergency stabilisation

We arrive with moisture meters, thermal imaging, and extraction equipment. We map the affected area, document everything for insurance, extract standing water, and stabilise the property to stop further damage.

3. Structural drying with daily verification

Commercial-grade dehumidifiers and air movers placed strategically. Daily moisture readings and a written drying log. We stay on the job until moisture levels are back to baseline, not when the property looks dry.

4. Mould prevention and final verification

We verify dryness with final moisture readings, and provide a written completion report. If mould has already started, we're IICRC-certified to remediate it as part of the same job: no second contractor, no second invoice.

Everything Handled. One Call

When water gets in, the next 24 hours matter more than the next 24 days. We handle the entire job: no multiple trades, no insurance gaps, no finger-pointing about who was meant to do what.

Emergency water extraction

Work begins within 24 hours.

Structural and Subfloor Drying

Dried back to baseline, from the ground up.

Mould Remediation

IICRC certified. Root cause analysis.

Storm Damage Restoration

Make safes. Full restoration.

Most water restorers can't handle the mould that follows. We can.

Water damage and mould are the same job. The water gets in. The materials get wet. If they don't dry properly (fast and to the right moisture content), mould grows. Within 24-72 hours. Every time.

Most water damage restoration companies are equipped for extraction and drying. They're not equipped for what happens when mould is already there, or when the customer's job requires S520-compliant remediation.

We are. Mould Mates is IICRC-certified as a firm, the international standard for mould remediation. Many water restoration operators on the Gold Coast and in Northern NSW don't hold this certification. It means we can handle the full lifecycle of a water-damage event under one roof:

  • Water extraction
  • Structural and sub-floor drying
  • Moisture verification with documented readings
  • Mould remediation (including S520-compliant containment for serious cases)
  • Final air-quality verification (where required)
  • Insurance documentation across the entire claim

Who we help with water damage

Homeowners

Burst pipes, flexi-hose failures, hot water system leaks, washing machine overflows, roof leaks during storms. We handle the extraction, drying, and mould prevention in one job and provide the documentation your insurance claim needs.

Tenants and property managers

Water damage in a rental property has a short clock: landlord, agent, and tenant all have roles to play and the moisture doesn't wait. We work directly with property managers, document the full job, and bill the appropriate party. IICRC reports clearly identify causation, which helps resolve responsibility questions before they become disputes.

Plumbers and leak detectors

You found the leak. You fixed the leak. Your customer asks: “who's going to dry this out and make sure I don't get mould?” We are. We respond fast and work alongside your repair. Call 0435 219 425 to be added to our trade list.

Body corporates and strata

Multi-unit water damage events get political fast: common property, owner property, shared walls, shared insurance. We provide IICRC documentation that holds up in committee meetings and insurance discussions. We've worked with strata managers across the Gold Coast and Northern Rivers.

Insurance work

We provide full insurance documentation on every job: moisture readings, drying logs, before/after photos, scope of work, and final verification reports. We're set up to work directly with insurers, loss adjusters, and brokers. Note: we are not currently on major insurance panels but are available for direct assignment and sub-contractor work.

Common questions

It was just a small leak. I've mopped it up and put a fan on it. Isn't that enough?
It might look dry on the surface, but water travels. It soaks into carpet underlay, runs under skirting boards, wicks up into plasterboard, and pools in the subfloor, none of which a mop and a pedestal fan will fix. The longer moisture sits in those hidden areas, the more damage it does. Within 24–48 hours you're looking at swelling, warping, and the start of mould growth. A professional assessment with moisture detection equipment tells you what's actually wet. Not just what looks wet.
It's only one room. Does it really need professional restoration?
Water doesn't respect room boundaries. It follows gravity, seeps through joins, and wicks along materials you can't see. A wet patch in one room often means moisture has travelled into the wall cavity, under the floor, or into the next room's framing. The only way to know the true extent is with moisture mapping, which is exactly what we do before any drying starts. Sometimes it is just one room. But you need to confirm that, not assume it.
Water damage restoration sounds expensive. Can't I just rent a dehumidifier from Kennards and do it myself?
A single dehumidifier in the middle of a room won't target the moisture that's soaked into your walls, subfloor, or ceiling cavity. Professional drying uses a calculated system, the right number of air movers and dehumidifiers placed in the right positions, based on the volume of wet material and the layout of the space. It's monitored daily with moisture readings so equipment comes out the moment the job's done, not a day longer than needed. A DIY approach often means the surface dries but the structure underneath doesn't, which leads to mould, rot, and a much bigger bill down the track.
How much does this actually cost? I'm worried about a massive invoice.
We give you a clear scope before any work starts, what's wet, what needs drying, what equipment is required, and how long we expect it to take. No surprises. If you're going through insurance, most standard water damage restoration is covered under your home and contents policy. We can work directly with your insurer and handle the documentation so you're not chasing paperwork while your house is drying out.
I don't want to make an insurance claim. My premiums will go up.
That's a fair concern, and it's worth weighing up. But consider what you're risking by not drying the property properly: mould growth within days, structural damage over weeks, and a much larger claim, or out-of-pocket cost, later. A small water event dealt with quickly is a straightforward claim. A mould remediation job six months later because the original leak wasn't dried properly is a far bigger one. We can help you understand your options before you decide whether to claim.
How do I know you won't drag the job out to bill more equipment days?
We take daily moisture readings and log them. You can see the numbers yourself, they either drop or they don't. Equipment stays until the structure hits its dry target, and comes out the same day it does. We're not billing by gut feel. The readings don't lie, and we can show them to you at every check.
What's the difference between drying and restoration? It sounds like the same thing with a bigger price tag.
Drying is one part of restoration. Restoration covers the full process, assessing the damage, classifying the water source, sanitising areas that require it before drying so bacteria won't thrive, removing materials that can't be saved, drying the structure to verified targets, treating for mould if needed, and making sure the property is safe to live in again. A bloke with a fan is drying. A professional following the IICRC S500 standard is restoring. The difference is whether the job's actually done or whether it just looks done.
Is all water damage the same, or does it matter where the water came from?
It matters a lot. The IICRC classifies water into three categories. Category 1 is clean water - like a burst supply line. Category 2 is grey water - like a dishwasher overflow or washing machine leak. Category 3 is black water - sewage or floodwater. Each category requires a different level of response. Grey and black water events need contaminated materials removed and the area sanitised, not just dried. Knowing the water source is the first thing we assess because it determines everything that follows.

Why work with us for water damage

Mould Mates was founded by Travis Ahern (Founder/CCO) and Nick Smart (Founder/Operations Manager). Travis holds the IICRC Firm certification. Nick has 10+ years of construction experience and is studying a bachelor's degree in Project Management.

We started in mould remediation because we lived the problem ourselves: mouldy rentals, recurring health issues, and contractors who treated the symptom and missed the cause. Water damage is the same job at an earlier stage. If the water is dried properly, mould never gets to start. If it isn't, you're calling us six months later to remediate. We'd rather you call us now.

Get your water damage handled: fast, properly, and once