INSPECTORS CALL FOR GROW-OP REGISTRY

People need to know whether the house they're eying for purchase has
a history as a grow-op, says a representative for the province's home
inspectors.

"As home inspectors, we may see properties we suspect are grow-ops
but it's difficult to prove," said Owen Dicki, president of the B.C.
chapter for Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors.

From one municipality to another, there is no consistent way of
identifying formers grow-op. While some cities keep local registries,
others -- such as Victoria -- don't.

Damage to the house might be simply covered up rather than properly
remediated, Dicki said, adding real estate agents have no way to know
if a house has been misrepresented in the disclosure statement.

He is calling for a provincial registry, listing all grow-op busts,
as well as information about when any damage was remediated and by whom.

Victoria home inspector, Tony Braid, has identified or suspected
about three grow-ops in his career.

"The problem is that sometimes people who have grow-ops, and there's
serious damage in the walls, do a quick splash and dash," Braid said.

Behind the new paint, mold can lie dormant for a long time before new
owners notice.

Braid, however, has concerns about establishing a registry.

What is the definition of a registry? he asked. Two marijuana plants
under the sink is illegal but does no damage to the house, he pointed
out. That house will be forever tarred if listed as a grow-op, he said.

Randi Masters, president of the Victoria Real Estate Board, doesn't
see the need for a registry locally.

"The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board has taken quite a proactive
stance on this because they have more issues surrounding this," she
said. "We're really not seeing it to the same degree."

Since 2007, the Victoria and Saanich police have busted about 10
major grow-ops involving hundreds of plants each.