ATLANTA – Feb. 13, 2013 – No federal rule requires sellers to tell buyers if a home was once used as a meth lab. However, Florida law requires sellers and licensees to disclose known facts not readily observable or known by a buyer that materially affect the value, and former use as a meth lab can fall under that mandate since meth lab residue isn’t easily detected.

In some cases, though, a seller doesn’t tell his Realtor that a home was used as a meth lab. In other cases, the seller doesn’t know.

The cost of cleaning up the toxic resident of a meth lab can run as high as $10,000, and it usually falls on the shoulders of the current owner, even if it’s a recent buyer.

How can a buyer find out if he’s purchasing a home that may be contaminated with the poisonous substance? CNNMoney offers some tips:

• Check the DEA’s National Clandestine Laboratory Register and click on “Florida” to get a PDF list of known contaminated properties and addresses.

• Look for signs of meth production – items such as old cans, bottles, camp stoves, propane tanks or packages of substances lying around like acetone, muriatic acid, brake cleaner, drain cleaner or paint thinner.

• Purchase a meth lab kit, which costs around $50, to test the home; or hire a professional to run a test, which can cost around $500 to $700.

Source: “How to Spot a Meth Lab,” CNNMoney (Feb. 12, 2013)

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