Many people are buying foreclosures and perhaps don’t know whether or not those houses at one time had been drug labs.  In addition, meth use is on the rise in Oregon despite efforts to keep needed supplies behind the counter and locked.

A while ago, I attended a meeting conducted by the Oregon Department of Human Services about meth labs in Oregon.  Most meth labs are in rental properties, hotel and motel rooms, and portable meth labs can be in cars.  The cost to clean up an average 2 bedroom, 2 bath 1000 sq. ft. house can cost easily between $6700-7500.

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Here are some actions you can take to protect a rental property:

Before Renting Your Property

• Make sure any rental application you receive is completed.
• Conduct a complete background check for each adult including their rental history, employment history, credit report and perform a criminal background check.
• Meet every adult and require picture identification
• Pay attention to appearance and behaviors.
• Your rental agreement should address illegal activity and the tenant’s responsibility for conduct on your property

After Renting Your Property

• Visit your property often
• Talk with neighbors and ask them to contact you with concerns
• Be aware of possible drug lab indicators such as:  excessive garbage, red stains in the kitchen and/or bathrooms, increased activity – especially at night, paranoid or odd behavior, blacked out windows, excessive home security, chemical odors, complaints from neighbors.

The Cost of Clean-up

As a property owner here in Oregon, you are responsible for the cost of clean-up of an illegal drug lab.  In addition, there may be loss of revenue, property damage, decreased property value, dangerous tenants, liability and loss of respect from neighbors.  DO NOT enter the property if you suspect a drug lab, call the police.

Before you Sell Your Property, Clean-up and Disclosure of a Drug Lab

Our Property Disclosure in Oregon requires a seller to disclose whether the property has ever been used as an illegal drug site.  In addition, a “Certificate of Fitness” will be required when you decide to sell that property.

Here is DEQ’s website for information on meth clean-up requirements and how to obtain the “Certificate of Fitness” from the State of Oregon.

Recently, ABC News ran a story about a little girl who became quite ill at a home her parents purchased not knowing the house had been a former drug lab.  Some states don’t require disclosure of that fact, but Oregon does.  Also, at the meeting I attended, even though DEQ provides a Certificate of Fitness and even if the property has been cleaned up, DEQ stated that meth never does completely go away.

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