By Kay Keam - 24 May 2013
- 1 comment
We regularly see horror stories splashed across the front pages
of the dailies, "Home buyers warned: Test for P", "Methamphetamine
crackdown: Drug labs in houses" etc etc. But how much is just hype
and how concerned should we actually be?
We believe it is prudent to keep the issue in mind when
purchasing a property. Meth labs leave behind toxic chemicals that
can poison a property long after the drug-making equipment has been
taken away. Cleaning an affected house may cost more than
$5,000.
It can be difficult to detect traces of Meth in a
home. Generally vendors do not need to go out of their way to
disclose the history of a property. Although vendors need to be
very cautious when completing agency listings or hiding any damage,
it is mainly up to purchasers to ask the right questions. If a
vendor has knowledge that the property was used as a Meth lab and
does not answer truthfully when asked directly, a claim for
misrepresentation could arise. We recommend that you put any
questions in writing and request that the vendor/agent respond in
kind.
Of course, in the event that the property has been tenanted, it
is possible that a vendor may not be aware that Meth has been
manufactured there. In this situation a purchaser would be wise to
do what they can to satisfy themselves that the property has not
been affected. This would involve some form of testing which can be
done as part of a pre-purchase or due diligence process. There are
a number of providers who offer these testing services.
Contact
Elise
Markwick