Cannabis grow-op registry needed to protect homebuyers, association urges

The Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) wants the province to introduce more protections for homebuyers from properties damaged by cannabis grow-ops and it wants those changes made before recreational cannabisis legalized later this year.

"Make no bones about it, as of this summer more people will be growing pot at home," warned OREA president David Reid at a media conference at the Ontario legislature Monday.

Reid pointedto statistics from police inDenver, Colorado where the drug has been legal since 2014 suggesting one in 10homesin that city is being used to grow cannabis.

"Ontario must take steps to protect homeowners and prospective homebuyers about the health and safety risks associated with former marijuana grow-ops," said Reid.

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The head of the Ottawa Real Estate Board, RalphShaw, said he's seen what can happen to homes damaged by cannabis grow-ops.

"It's the mould and the fungus and the moisture that causes the problem ... and it can destroythe frame structure of a house. So you're intonot just tens of thousands, but certainly $50,000 to $100,000isn't uncommon to clean up and retrofit a home that's been used as a grow-op,so it's very serious," Shaw said.

5 possible fixes

An OREAreport asks for these five changesto Ontario law:

• Changingthe building code to designate illegal drug operations as unsafe buildingsrequiring remediation.
• Requiringmunicipal inspections of designated unsafe buildings.
• Registering municipal work orders for remediation on the Ontario land title system.
• Training homeinspectors to spot damage caused by grow-ops.
• Reducingthe allowable number of personal plants from four to one in multi-unit dwellings smaller than 1,000 square feet.

OREAhas tried before to lobby the province to introducea registry, and supported a 2013 private member's bill from NepeanCarletonMPP Lisa MacLeod, which did not pass through the legislature.

OREAnow suggests with legalization looming a registry ismore important than ever, sayingthat the number of illegal grow-opsrose in Colorado following legalization there.

Colorado agents worry registry could hurt values

However, Kelly Moye, a spokesperson forthe Colorado Association of Realtors, said the association hasn't called for a registry in that state.

Although Moyesaid she likes the idea of rules protecting homeowners and buyers by mandating remediation, a registry could permanently stigmatizehomes and neighbourhoods.

Under Colorado law, for example, homeowners don't have to disclose former meth labsas long as they're cleaned upaccording tostate regulations, Moyesaid.

"So meth is certainly a lot more toxic than any type of marijuana growing, and we allow that disclosure to end once it's cleaned up, so it would seem fair that disclosures of marijuana should end so it doesn't impact the property forever."

Ontario to consider new rules

A spokesperson for the Ministry of the Attorney General did not close the door to OREA's suggestions.

"As we approach the federal government's legalization of cannabis, we will continue to work with all sectors, including realtors, homeowners, landlords to ensure that people have the necessary information and protections in place to make informed decisions about buying and selling a home," wrote spokesperson Brian Gray.

The province is already set to revamp training and expectations for home inspectors and the ministry "is currently developing regulations to set qualifications for home inspectors and will considerOREA's proposal as a part of this work."

The province sounded less interested in limiting the number of plants grown in smaller residences, as suggested by Gray: "The federal government and their task force recommended four plants for legal home cultivation. We have aligned with that approach (...)"

How grow-ops damage a house

7 years ago

Duration 0:34

Ralph Shaw, president of the Ottawa Real Estate Board, describes the effect of growing marijauna on a property.