It could be the cheapest house on the street, an expensive house in a suburban housing development or a regular home in a lower-end neighbourhood. The reality is that grow-ops can be found anywhere, and they hide in plain sight.
In 2005, there were an estimated 10,000 grow-ops in Toronto alone and approximately 50,000 in Canada, 20,000 of which were in Ontario. These numbers are only growing, and the York Region police believe that if all of the resources were available, they could spend every hour of each day busting grow-ops.
Shutting down grow-ops leads to headlines that are disproportionately large when compared to the penalties for growers. Few of which see any jail time at all and are back at it in another location sooner than one might think. And for those houses left behind, no one’s in charge of conducting mold inspections and testing before they go back on the market.
Signs of a grow-op can be obvious and a little discouraging - like dents on the front door from police bashing them in - or hidden and deadly, like the toxic black mold that results from the high humidity needed for growing marijuana plants. Changes in the home’s ventilation and structural integrity aid in the spread of this mold, which is rarely covered up with anything more than a hasty paint job. A home inspection won’t usually find this mold, and a mold inspection must be done to ensure the safety of the future residents.
And, for those expecting their real estate agent to keep them informed, the Canadian Real Estate Association’s ethics guide regarding grow-ops is full of loopholes. The seller (and listing agent) is only obligated to let a buyer know if the home was a grow-op if there is a latent (hidden) defect the seller knows about, if the buyer asks or if the purchase agreement states the property must not have been used as a grow-op.
In 2007, the government of Ontario began toying with the idea of implementing a grow-op registry to alert potential homeowners and real estate agents about former grow-op houses, but even today such a concept has not yet become a reality - making it that much more important to obtain a mold inspection if you suspect your home may have been used as a grow-op.
Know what you’re getting into. For professional Mold Inspsection Services in Toronto and Ontario, Contact Moldinspections.ca today. We can help.
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