Amherst, Erie County, New York
Mold removal and water damage help in Amherst
Mold you can see or smell, a wet basement, a leak? Send a request from anywhere in Amherst, from Eggertsville and Snyder out through Williamsville and Getzville to East Amherst. A local company calls back and puts the scope and price in writing before any work.
- Homes
- 61,651
- Median year built
- 1979
- Built before 1940
- 8%
- Licensed mold firms here (assess / remove)
- 2 / 1
About Amherst
Amherst is the county's biggest suburb, and Ellicott Creek winds through the middle of it, past Williamsville and the UB North Campus. That creek is the whole flood story here: ZIP 14221 has 335 federal flood insurance claims on record, more than any other ZIP in Erie County, and 270 of them came in 1979 and 1985. The housing splits by age. Eggertsville and Snyder in 14226 are older (median built 1953), while East Amherst in 14051 is among the newest, median 1987, which means finished basements and long attic runs of bath fan duct.
Homes and water in Amherst
Amherst has about 61,651 housing units according to the Census ACS 2020-2024, with a median year built of 1979. Most homes here are postwar: 46% were built before 1970, but only 8% before 1940. That means block foundations, and plenty of basements finished in the 1970s and 1980s with paneling straight over bare block, which is exactly where mold hides. Basement mold.
Amherst has 547 federal flood insurance claims on record, and 346 of them came in 1979 and 1985, the county's two worst flood years. Creek and surface flooding is excluded from a standard homeowners policy, and flood policies pay for little in a basement, so ask early which kind of water got in. Insurance in New York.
About 29% of occupied homes here are rented (Census ACS). If you rent and find mold, tell the landlord in writing first. Mold in a Buffalo rental.
The state lists 2 active mold assessment and 1 active remediation contractor licenses with an address in these ZIP codes. Whoever comes out, ask for the license number and check it on data.ny.gov before you sign anything.
Amherst ZIP codes
| ZIP | Area | Homes | Before 1940 | Median built |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14221 | Williamsville and central Amherst | 25,661 | 8% | 1970 |
| 14226 | Amherst (Eggertsville, Snyder) | 13,212 | 14% | 1953 |
| 14228 | Amherst (north) and UB North Campus | 10,992 | 4% | 1979 |
| 14051 | East Amherst | 8,212 | 2% | 1987 |
| 14068 | Getzville | 3,574 | 5% | 1984 |
Census ACS 2020-2024. Compare all 46 ZIP codes.
Thaw days by month, Buffalo airport
Services in Amherst
How it works
- Say what you found. The form takes a minute, or text photos. Give a rough size and whether there was a leak.
- A local company calls back. A few questions, then a time to come look.
- The scope and price come in writing first. Over 10 square feet of mold, New York wants a separate licensed assessor's plan, and the company will explain how that part works.
Questions
Do you cover all of Amherst?
Yes, including ZIPs 14221, 14226, 14228, 14051, 14068. The company that calls will confirm your address is in its area.
How soon can someone come out?
It depends on the week. The days after a big thaw or a summer downpour are busy for everyone. Say in your request if water is still coming in or if someone in the house has asthma, and the company will tell you when it can come.
Do I need a mold assessor first?
For mold over 10 square feet, New York requires a licensed assessor's plan before a licensed remediation contractor starts, and the two can't be the same company on your property. A smaller patch, or a homeowner doing their own work, needs no license.
Nearby: Cheektowaga, Tonawanda and Kenmore, West Seneca, Lackawanna and Blasdell, Hamburg and Evans, Orchard Park, Lancaster and Depew, Grand Island, Clarence, East Aurora and Elma and Buffalo.