Buying a House? Watch Out for Meth

If you’re in the market to buy a house and in search of deals, be careful out there.  Your neighborhood meth lab is dangerous in and of itself.  But once it gets busted it up, some house flipper or bank comes in with a few coats of new paint, perhaps a marble counter top and puts in on the market not realizing caring about the long-term and dangerous contamination that methamphetamine leaves behind. The New York Times reports:

With meth lab seizures on the rise nationally for the first time since 2003, similar cases are playing out in several states, drawing attention to the problem of meth contamination, which can permeate drywall, carpets, insulation and air ducts, causing respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Federal data on meth lab seizures suggest that there are tens of thousands of contaminated residences in the United States. The victims include low-income elderly people whose homes are surreptitiously used by relatives or in-laws to make meth, and landlords whose tenants leave them with a toxic mess.

Some states have tried to fix the problem by requiring cleanup and, at the time of sale, disclosure of the house’s history. But the high cost of cleaning — $5,000 to $100,000, depending on the size of the home, the stringency of the requirements and the degree of contamination — has left hundreds of properties vacant and quarantined, particularly in Western and Southern states afflicted with meth use.

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