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Saturday, December 04, 2010

Ind. Law - Meth law cleanup costs can be staggering for an unwitting property owner

A story today in the Kosciusko County Times-Union reports:

If you're a landlord, you don't have to be involved in cooking meth for it to have a negative financial impact on you.

Rental properties, including hotel and motel rooms, as well as seasonal homes which are left vacant, are prime targets for meth activity. If you own a property where a meth lab has been located, you may be required to have testing completed to determine contamination levels, and be held responsible for costly clean-up procedures. * * *

A property is considered contaminated if it has been used for illegal manufacturing of a controlled substance such as methamphetamine. Contamination can pose serious health and environmental dangers. These drugs are manufactured in homes and outbuildings, garages and apartments using toxic household and agricultural chemicals that can explode or ignite without warning. * * *

When a meth lab is seized, [Niki Crawford, Indiana State Police Meth Suppression Section commander] said, police are required to notify the health department, fire department and child services if children under 18 are involved.

The health department then abates the house - essentially condemns it - until testing is complete. The homeowner is responsible for the cost of the testing - approximately $1,300.

After the house is tested and results certified by IDEM, the health department either lifts the abatement or orders a cleanup, Crawford said.

If a cleanup is needed, the homeowner is responsible. Cleanup can range from washing down the walls with soap and water to stripping out all the carpet and drywall.

"It really all depends on how long they've been cooking there," Crawford said.

Average cleanup cost is around $14,000, she said.

Worse, she said, is when homeowners simply abandon a house because they can't afford the cleanup.

"Now you've got an abandoned house in your neighborhood and it drives down your property values," she said.

Some insurance policies may cover some of the costs, but even insurance companies are beginning to avoid the risk. * * *

When meth is cooked, it releases high levels of iodine and phosphide. Hydrochloric acid and meth residue can cover the floors, walls and countertops.

It permeates carpet, seeps into the niches, cracks, corners and seams that make up a house.

Since not every meth lab is seized and cleaned up, unsuspecting homebuyers could wind up unknowingly purchasing a home that was used in meth production, officials say.

New owners believe the house is in good condition and have no idea they are living in a virtual toxic waste dump.

Often the first sign that something is not right is when unexplained illnesses begin to develop in family members and even pets. * * *

Meth labs have been found in vacated homes, rental properties and even hotel rooms where they leave behind damage that must be assessed, tested and cleaned up by professionals.

Meth cookers pay for a hotel room or apartment rental for a short period of time, and then leave behind costly damages. Local property owners have spent thousands of dollars in cleanups.

One property owner in Kosciusko County opted to tear down his rental home because the expenses to clean it up exceeded the value of the property.

Here is IDEM information on cleanup of illegal drug labs.

Here is a lengthy list of earlier ILB entries on meth labs, including this one from Feb. 5, 2010.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on December 4, 2010 04:31 PM
Posted to Indiana Law