Ottawa police, in response to complaints from real estate agents, are taking steps to improve a registry listing houses that have been used for marijuana grow operations.
The police has had a registry since 2008 that lists the street address and size of busted grow-ops in the city, but until now, the information remained on the website for only three months after each bust.
Records of the homes will now be kept on the website permanently, says Staff Sgt. Michael Laviolette, head of the Ottawa police drug unit.
Laviolette explains that the three- month limit was initially for capacity reasons, but that the police are making website improvements.
“At this point, we’re in conversation with our corporate communications people with an end goal of posting them indefinitely,” he says.
Laviolette adds that an updated registry is important for public safety and that the Ottawa police want their website to be a “one-stop-shop” to keep real estate agents and homebuyers completely informed.
Considering the possible risks of a grow-op, real estate agents are required to give full disclosure to potential buyers.
Grow-op houses can have structural damage, electrical fire hazards, mould and difficulties getting insured.
Ansel Clarke, president of the Ottawa Real Estate Board, says posting the houses for three months is not long enough to be useful for realtors or the general public.
“Houses may be busted today as a grow-op, but might not come on the market for six or nine months down the road,” he explains.
“Any buyer would want to know, regardless of when it happened or whether they were the first or second buyer,” says Clarke. “Any buyer would want to know the history of the property in that respect.”
Natalie Belovic, a RE/MAX real estate agent who sells property in Centretown, says the registry is key to giving full disclosure, as it is not always easy to see the signs of a grow-op.
“Some houses that were grow-ops don’t look like they have a lot of damage,” she says. “If the damage is superficial, underneath the nice looking drywall and the freshly stained hardwood floor, the house could literally be rotting.”
Laviolette agrees that the extent of damage in a former grow-op is not always obvious, and suggests that homebuyers have a reputable home inspector examine the house before buying and moving in.
The police registry currently lists three addresses – a bust from Nov. 17, 2011 at 102 Hobart Cresc. for 50 plants, a bust from Nov. 29, 2011 at 91 Prince Albert St. for 260 plants, and a recent bust on Jan. 11, 2012 at 235 Breezehill Ave, S. for 200 plants.