Bathroom mold: cleaning issue or deficiency?

A trace of mildew on grout is a cleaning conversation; visible mold-like growth across a ceiling is a moisture problem with a deficiency attached — and inspectors judge the extent and the cause they can observe. Where have your inspectors drawn the line, and what did the fix look like: bleach and paint, or finding the leak upstairs first?

The line inspectors seem to draw is extent plus cause: a trace on the grout line is a conversation, a ceiling blooming over the tub is a moisture story with a source upstairs or in the wall. The expensive version of this mistake is cleaning and painting over active moisture — the growth returns, now with documentation that you addressed the surface and missed the cause. Where have your inspectors drawn the line between a cleaning issue and a moisture deficiency — a patch of grout, or the whole ceiling?