HOMEOWNERS SELLING FORMER GROW-OPS MUST REVEAL HOUSE'S CRIMINAL HISTORY TO
BUYERS

As you read this story, Vancouver police are probably busting a marijuana
grow-op.

They'll bust about a half-dozen operations across the city today, cutting
down an average of 200 plants at each house, seizing cash and weapons and
making arrests, if anybody is home.

The houses will likely be rentals.

In most cases, the landlords will be shocked when police call them. They'll
claim the tenants always paid the rent and seemed like nice people.

Many landlords will simply fix up the homes, and rent them again.

But if they want to sell the property, they'll have to tell prospective
buyers the house is a former grow-op.

Last Friday, the board of directors of the B.C. Real Estate
Association-which represents 12 real estate boards and almost 13,000
realtors-decided to require sellers to disclose whether a property has been
used to grow marijuana or manufacture illegal drugs.

"There's somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 grow-ops in the Lower Mainland
and Fraser Valley, so it just seemed like it was time to address the
issue," said association president David Herman, who also suggests
prospective buyers hire a home inspector to look for signs of a grow-op.

Grow-ops can destroy a house, leaving mold and water damage. Holes are
often cut into walls, toilets removed and electrical wires dangerously
re-routed, increasing the potential for fire or electrocution.

If police have busted the house because of a grow-op, city hall will have a
record of that-another check buyers can do when buying a home, said Herman,
who recommends asking neighbours about the property's history.

Sgt. Tom Cork of the Vancouver police Growbusters unit, which has already
dismantled more than 50 grow-ops this year, welcomes the move by the real
estate association.

Cork said police have been lobbying realtors for the past three years to
make the amendment, although he admits some sellers may still refuse to
disclose information about former grow-ops.

"Anyone who sells a house and does not tell the buyer of the health hazards
is committing a crime, ethically. No one has the right to do that to
someone else and get away with it."

Owners who fail to disclose the information could be taken to court by
purchasers.

The other concern for police is that even if damage has been repaired and
the house is safe to occupy, it can still be a target for criminals.

Though Cork didn't know of any specific cases in Vancouver, he points to
incidents in Surrey and Richmond where armed criminals have broken into
homes expecting to find marijuana, not realizing the houses had been sold.

Cork said his squad receives about 20 tips a weekend. Though houses
comprise the majority of the indoor marijuana farms, police have also
busted warehouses and mansions on the West Side.

Signs someone is growing marijuana in a neighbourhood include heavy
condensation on windows, absence of lights, the sound of fans, a hydro
meter that's spinning rapidly, a skunky smell, mail piling up and then
suddenly gone, and people carrying garbage bags in and out of the house in
the middle of the night

"We can't say anything about the unkempt yards anymore because they're
hiring gardeners to mow their lawns," Cork said.