Detecting illegal substances in rental properties will be the basis of a free information session which will be held in Busselton next month.
Acton South West director of property management Lyn Perks said the session would educate landlords and property owners about NZ legislation which was likely to be adopted by Australia.
“It is about people who buy a home, actually buy a clean home,” she said.
An “unclean home” was a place where people had used or manufactured drugs which could cause health problems from residue left on the walls, Ms Perks said.
“When we do property inspections one thing we are told to look out for is a vapour, and of course you have the smoking implements such as a glass pipe and things like that,” she said.
“If drugs are being manufactured we look out for any suspicious things such as jerry cans, barbecue gas cylinders, large quantities of pill packets, chemicals – a lot of chemicals.
“You actually think why do they have all this garden fertiliser because your gardens are dead.
“Things which we can’t get into, sheds which are locked up or sheds with aluminum foil covering the windows, that is where we are at on a routine inspection.”
Ms Perks said if the legislation changed in Australia then buyers and sellers needed to be aware of the consequences.
She said if a property was contaminated owners were responsible to have the property specially cleaned which could be expensive.
“It is about educating people to let them know there is testing that can be done,” she said.
“It is not cheap but if you do not get your property tested and someone moves in and gets sick the onus could be on the owner because the house was in poor condition.
“We have to make sure that all homes are at a safe level, anything over means the property has to get cleaned, sometimes it is just washing or painting the walls to get the residue off.
“If people have been manufacturing drugs that is a whole different thing, the whole house has to be gutted.”
The information evening will be held from 6.30pm on Thursday, June 14, for more information or to RSVP please contact southwest@acton.com.au.
