REAL ESTATE: DRUG QUERY ADDED

The battle against residential grow ops in B.C. has a new weapon in
its arsenal.

Home sellers in Langley are facing some tough new questions.

Property owners looking to sell will now be asked if their home has
been used as a marijuana grow operation or to manufacture illegal drugs.

The amendment to the Property Disclosure Statement was made by the
Board of Directors of the British Columbia Real Estate Association
(BCREA) on Friday.

"Grow ops and illegal drug operations can produce property defects and
other hazards that are major concerns for the public," said David
Herman, BCREA President.

The decision was reached after consultation with BCREA's member boards
and RCMP Inspector Paul Nadeau, E-Division Major Case Manager. Nadeau
is responsible for the combined police effort to fight grow-ops and
illegal drugs.

New questions will be added to two province-wide Property Disclosure
Statements; one for residential properties, the other for strata title
properties. The statements provide a written review of the condition
of a property for sale.

The questions will ask whether or not the owner is aware if the unit,
premise, or property has been used as a marijuana grow operation or to
manufacture illegal drugs.

The changes will be added to the electronic forms in the next few
days.

BCREA's two largest members, the Real Estate Board of Greater
Vancouver and the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, had requested the
change.

At the time, local realtors told the Langley Advance News they
supported the change [Realtors want disclosure, Jan. 23].

The disclosure will protect both the buyer and the realtor, and may
even force absentee landlords to become more careful, they said.

Growing marijuana in a home can cause wood rot and mould deposits.
Wiring, plumbing, and a home's supporting structure can also be
dangerously altered.

There's also the fear that the home has become recognized as a grow
operation, and that reputation could stay even after it is sold.

Langley is one of the few Lower Mainland communities with bylaws to
deal with homes damaged by grow ops. Homes busted with grow ops in
Langley Township have to meet building code requirements before they
are reoccupied.

The same requirements essentially apply in Langley City.