Article from KCTV5.com
The Kansas City housing market is hot right now. People are buying homes before they see them, putting down cash offers sometimes.
But you might want to do at least a little homework. In Kansas and Missouri, there are thousands of homes with a drug history you may not know about.
Methamphetamine, the drug that was rampant across the country and the Kansas City area not too long ago may have died down, but the houses used as meth labs are still around. You may not know you’re living in one.
Rick Davis is a real estate attorney in the Kansas City area.
A couple of years ago, he heard from a couple who bought a home and later found out it has been a meth lab — something the seller did not disclose.
Davis has had a handful more cases just like that, homeowners wanting to sue. Many times, surprised their neighborhood would be the location for a meth lab.
“I think people would be surprised… there are always quite a few that are in those run down areas but there are always quite a few that are in the nice neighborhoods. The one that just looks like the home down the street, but that person just happens to be involved in cooking meth. It’s “Breaking Bad”,” Davis said.
What you might not know is there’s a registry for that.
The Drug Enforcement Agency has a federal database updated with addresses of homes throughout the country that were sites of meth labs and seizures. You’ll find hundreds of addresses in Kansas including areas like Leawood, Prairie Village, Shawnee and Olathe. You’ll find quite a few more in Missouri.
Davis says Kansas law does not require the seller to disclose a history of meth in the home. In Missouri, sellers are legally required to disclose that information.
“The vast majority of states do not have a meth disclosure requirement,” Davis said.
For health reasons, Davis advises homeowners find out. The chemicals used to make meth seep into the floors, walls and carpets and can still affect your health years later.
By Emily Sinovic
Originally posted by KCTV5 at https://www.kctv5.com/news/was-my-house-a-former-meth-lab-the-hidden-drug-history-behind-your-home/video_aa7fdd74-64ce-53a7-9ca9-b6946ff4b9b6.html
