I'm Tom Duff, and I'm the one who shows up
No call center, no dispatcher, no rotating crew of technicians. You call, you get me, and I'm the one doing your inspection and writing your report.
- — 17+ years doing this work
- — 8,000+ inspections completed
- — Certified through PMII since 2010
- — Inspection and testing only
Seventeen years of looking for water in other people's houses
I started in home inspections, which is where I learned how houses are built, how they age, and how water gets into places it was never supposed to be. That turned into mold work, and mold work turned into a career. Somewhere north of 8,000 inspections later, here we are.
I founded the original MasterTech Environmental office in South Jersey — the first one, before there were any others — and I also founded MasterTech Franchise Systems, the national network that trains and licenses MasterTech inspectors around the country. Every new inspector who comes into that network goes through training I built. So when you hire me, you're not getting somebody who took a weekend course — you're getting the guy who teaches the course.
I've also worked as an expert witness in mold cases. Having attorneys go line by line through your reports teaches you to write only what you can actually support. That's carried over into every report I write for a homeowner, whether anybody ever reads it in a courtroom or not.
The part I care most about: I don't sell remediation. Not through my own company, not through a buddy who gives me a cut. If I tell you that you have a problem, it's because you have a problem. If I tell you that stain in your attic is old and dead, that's the answer too, and it costs you nothing but the inspection fee.
- Certified Mold Inspector (CMI)
- Certified Mold Remediation Contractor (CMRC)
- Certified through PMII since 2010
- Expert witness in mold litigation
- Founder, MasterTech Franchise Systems
- Trains new inspectors nationwide
Send a note and I'll get back to you within a business day, or just call or text.
How I ended up inspecting in York
You are going to notice that this company has very few reviews for someone who claims seventeen years in the field. Here is why.
I am a lifelong South Jersey guy. That is where I started, where I got certified in 2010, and where I built the original MasterTech office — which also served as corporate headquarters for the franchise network. Almost every review you will find with my name on it came from that office.
About seven years ago I moved to York. Not long after, I had to step away from the business for health reasons. That is the plain truth of it: I closed the South Jersey office, the franchise headquarters relocated to North Jersey, and I stopped working. Those health issues are resolved now.
In December 2024 I started taking inspection work again, here in York. Just me, just inspections and testing — no crews, no remediation arm, no franchise to feed. After seventeen years of this I am not interested in building something big again. I am interested in doing the part of the job I was always best at, which is walking into a house, figuring out where the water is coming from, and telling somebody the truth about it.
Seven years is also long enough to know York's housing stock. The block-foundation basements that seep every spring, the older stock near the city with no attic ventilation to speak of, the summer humidity that turns a dry crawl space into a problem by August. That is the material I work with every week.
If a short review list makes you hesitate, read the South Jersey ones on the reviews page — they go back over a decade, and they are the same person doing the same work.
What's behind the report
Certifications matter, but so does how many times you've been in a crawl space. Here's both.
Certified since 2010
Certified Mold Inspector (CMI) and Certified Mold Remediation Contractor (CMRC) through the Professional Mold Inspection Institute. I've held both since 2010.
8,000+ inspections
Houses, apartments, offices, restaurants, schools, warehouses. Seventeen years of walking into buildings and figuring out where the water is.
I train other inspectors
I founded MasterTech Franchise Systems and personally train the inspectors coming into the network. I wrote the curriculum I hold myself to.
Expert witness work
I've testified in mold-related court cases, where my reports got picked apart by people paid to pick them apart. That changes how you write a report.
HGTV and DIY Network
My work was featured on the show Rescue My Renovation. Fun to do, but the reason you should hire me is the 8,000 inspections, not the TV.
No remediation, ever
I don't clean mold and I don't take referral fees from the companies that do. My only product is an honest answer.
Plain English, on the phone, after you get the report
Mold makes people anxious. There's a whole industry built on making it worse, and I'm not interested in being part of that. I'll tell you what I found, what the lab says, and what it means, without the scare talk and without the jargon.
Every report comes with a phone call. I'll walk you through it line by line, tell you what I'd do if it were my house, and answer questions after the fact too. If a contractor gives you a quote and you want a second opinion on the scope, call me — that conversation is free.
And if it turns out you don't need an inspection at all, I'll say that on the phone before you pay me anything. It happens more than you'd think.
See the report before you hire me
The inspection is only worth as much as the paperwork you're left holding. Mine lays out what I looked at, what I found, what the lab said, and what should happen next — in language you can hand to a contractor, a landlord, or a realtor.
- Inspection summary
- Lab sample results
- Moisture readings
- Area-by-area notes
- Photos of findings
- Recommendations
- Limitations
- Next steps
What people say after working with me
Rated 5.0 from 5 Google reviews.
I could not recommend this business enough for mold inspections! If you're looking for quick turnaround, great communication and honest upfront service - this is your place. Tom was respectful, professional, and explained everything in great detail.
Truly the best! I can't say enough good things about Tom. I truly feel like I had someone I could count on by my side during this very stressful situation.
We had a great experience with Tom at Mastertech throughout this whole process. They took extra time to answer all of our questions and explained everything in a way that actually made sense.
Where I work
I cover York and the towns around it — basically anything within about 7 miles of 2400 Taxville Rd, York, PA 17408, plus a good bit of York County beyond that. If you're close and don't see your town, call me anyway.
Based in York, not a call center
You reach me directly, and I'm the one who shows up and does the inspection. Most weeks I can be out within a couple of days, sooner if you're up against a closing date.