Property Drug Testing
Failing to do property drug testing can affect the value.
It is important to organise property drug testing on a property in a few different circumstances, such as before putting your investment property up for sale. With investment properties, you never really know who is renting out the home or what happens in the home. Before you decide to put it on the market, organising a professional for property drug testing is a smart idea. This will give you the peace of mind that you will not lose a sale or money off the sale price due to evidence of drug residue inside the property.
Most property hunters organise building and timber pest inspections on a home when they intend on making an offer. Still, many home buyers also organise property drug testing, especially if they know the property was leased out beforehand. Having any drug residue in the home is a health risk, so people like to keep safe and don’t want to risk contamination. If a potential buyer is interested in your property, organises property drug testing, and finds a positive reading, they will negotiate money off the sale price affecting its value. In some cases, many people may walk away.
Failing to organise your property drug test is a missed opportunity to rectify the problem before placing your home on the market. In most cases, it is as simple as organising a professional cleanup to remove all traces of drug residue. Better than having to drop your sale price because the potential buyer had the property tested and drug residue been found.
Property price negatively affected by drug evidence
When is property drug testing necessary?
This is hard to answer as there is no right or wrong answer. It is something to be mindful of and to remember this is a service to use when you see fit. I recommend property drug testing to anyone purchasing a home or moving into a rental property. Sometimes there are red flags when looking at a home, and it looks evident that there was drug use or a drug lab on the property, but in most scenarios, there is no obvious trace of anything wrong. It is hard to pick up if someone living in the property was a drug user and has contaminated the premises. This is why it is recommended to have any property tested, no matter how it looks to the naked eye. Any adult or child can have severe health issues if exposed to any drug residue.
The importance of property drug testing and when to call a professional
The last thing you want to happen is to move into your new home and then find out there is drug residue around the home, and that is why the family has been feeling unwell. It is one of the most important tests to organise to keep yourself and your family healthy, yet it is often “overlooked.” It can be as simple as purchasing a DIY drug testing kit and testing areas around the home for any traces of drug residue before moving in.
Suppose there are obvious signs at the property, such as Blacked out windows, missing lightbulbs or a strange chemical smell (to name a few), then it’s time to call the professionals. This way, you will not risk being contaminated and get more in-depth information regarding how badly contaminated the property is and what you will need to do before moving into the home to clear all traces of the residue.
Building inspector completing residue testing
Nightmare case study: Property drug testing not conducted before purchase
A loving young family of 4 had purchased a new home and moved right in. The children were aged 3 and 5. Before moving into the property, they rented nearby for a couple of years, saving and waiting for the right time to enter the housing market. The children were happy and healthy and loved their new home. A month into the move, the youngest child started suffering from asthma-like symptoms and watery eyes. Then not long after, the eldest child was diagnosed with ADHD and kept getting skin rashes and sore, watery eyes. The adults were also complaining about headaches and sore eyes. Something didn’t seem right.
About six months into the move, they were contacted by the council, informing them that the property was a former drug lab. The former owner was arrested for manufacturing methamphetamines on the property. The police seized all equipment and chemicals and followed all standard procedures, notifying the council and informing them that the home was a former drug lab and was a health risk to anyone entering the property. The council issued a notice to clean up the property however was never done. The family that purchased the property had organised your standard building and timber pest inspection before making their purchase but did not even consider organising property drug testing. The family was required to vacate the property to clear all traces of contamination professionally.
Once deemed safe, the family moved back into the premises. Not long after that, all health and behavioural issues in the children started to improve. No more rashes, headaches, unexplained coughing and sore, watery eyes. The kids were even sleeping better. The parents say, “Australia needs to step up”. Countries such as New Zealand have instated standards for a rental property to be tested when a tenant vacates, or if you’re purchasing a home property, drug testing is added with the pre-purchase inspections. Why is this not happening in Australia? “Protect your loved ones, and make it known to them before they move into a new rental property or purchase a new home.”
With a home purchase, consider a drug residue test.
