NO GROW-OP DISCLOSURE FOR RENTERS

Renting a house that used to be a marijuana growing operation can be
dangerous, as two men discovered in Port Coquitlam two years ago.

One man, dressed only in his underwear, had to jump out of a second-floor
window to escape three masked men with guns.

His roommate wasn't so lucky-he was shot in the forearm and stomach, and
had to undergo extensive surgery.

The tenants didn't know it at the time, but the house was a former grow-op,
and police believe the armed men were there to steal marijuana. The
landlord never told his tenants about the house's history.

If you're buying a former grow-op-or meth lab-the seller must now disclose
that information, thanks to a recent amendment to the property disclosure
statement by the B.C. Real Estate Association, but landlords aren't held to
the same standard.

Linda Mix, coordinator of the Tenants Rights Action Coalition, said
landlords should be required to make similar disclosures to protect tenants.

"When tenants go to look at a prospective place, landlords don't disclose a
lot," Mix said. "For example, a landlord will never say that there's
cockroaches or mice or repair problems. They'll do whatever they can to
make sure the place is rented."

Though tenants could check with city hall to determine if the house or
apartment had been busted by police, Mix said many tenants don't have the
luxury of extra time.

"In the realities of renting, when you find a place you like, you want to
grab it as soon as you can," she said, noting more than half of Vancouver
residents are renters.

Al Kemp, CEO of the Rental Owners and Managers Association of B.C., said he
understands Mix's concerns, but the onus for change shouldn't be on
landlords but on police to crack down on criminals.

Of the 2,500 landlords represented by ROMA and the B.C. Apartment Owners
and Managers Association, Kemp estimated 99 per cent have never rented a
property to a marijuana grow operator.

He's discussed with government the possibility of adding a disclosure
statement to residential-tenancy agreements, but doesn't believe it's
necessary.

"We can write anything we want into a tenancy agreement, but if you're
renting to criminals and they're not paying attention to the law, they're
not going to pay attention to the tenancy agreement, either," he said.
"Quite frankly, we need the courts to start slapping these people with
stiff sentences and to get them the hell out of British Columbia."

Last week, the Courier received a call from a landlord of an East Side
house where police found a small grow-op. The landlord said he was
surprised by the news, noting his tenant seemed like a good person.

Told of the phone call, Kemp said it's those landlords who have to be more
diligent in checking their properties and researching prospective tenants'
rental histories.

"They see the rent coming in every month and think that's all you have to
do to be a landlord," said Kemp, a landlord who checks his property
frequently. "If my tenant wants to know how often frequently is, I just
tell them how to spell it. I don't tell them how often, but after six
months, I've got a pretty good sense of the tenants."