HOME SELLERS MUST NOW DISCLOSE GROW-OP HISTORY

Along with any history of leaky roofs or squeaky floors, home sellers
must now indicate whether or not their property has been used as a
marijuana grow operation or as a home base for the manufacture of any
illegal drugs.

Now, when sellers fill out a property disclosure statement a they will
find a new question that asks: "Are you aware if the premises or
property have been used as a marijuana grow operation or to
manufacture illegal drugs?"

A similar question has also been added to disclosure statements for
the sale of strata title properties.

David Herman, B.C. Real Estate Association president said Friday the
move by his association to amend property disclosure standard forms
came after increased concern from realtors who were listing more and
more homes that were later found to have been used to grow pot.

"The biggest thing is our realtors live in the community they sell
(homes) in. We want to be as certain as we can buyers are buying
honest hat are safe," Herman said, noting that while the drugs a
dealers might be gone once a property is sold the lingering effects of
a grow op often remain.

Electrical boxes being rerouted, faulty wiring, mold and hidden damage
to attics and crawl spaces are just a sampling of value-deflating
effects a grow op can have on a home's value, Herman said.

Estimates in the Lower Mainland indicate their are around 20,000 homes
producing pot.

Herman admits adding the question won't nip the grow op problem in the
bud entirely and it's likely if someone is selling a home with an
illegal drug operation they might be less than honest about what they
might have been growing in the basement, the disclosure statement is a
part of a legal contract and should give buyers some legal recourse.

The BCREA said the most common question asked about the addition of
grow ops on disclosure statements is what honest people are supposed
to do if they find their new home was in fact used to grow pot and
have to answer yes on the disclosure statement when they go to sell.

"If it's included in the contract of sale (from the previous owner) we
have something in writing. The importance of that is if someone
refuses to fill out the property disclosure statement alarm bells
would go off for me," Herman said.

Herman says, though, the best way to make sure a home is safe and not
been used to grow pot is to have it professionally inspected before
purchase. "We recommend a home inspection anyway," he said.