Couples First Home Is A Meth Lab.. What Can You Do ?

Friberg and Rob Quigley bought their four-bedroom house on Jefferson Avenue in March. The 108-year-old house had everything they were looking for in a starter home: old world charm, a backyard and plenty of space for a nursery in the future.

The location outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was ideal -- equal distance from their jobs, near the Delaware River and within the city's historic district.

Priced at $190,000, the house was within their budget and the independent home inspection gave the all-clear.

The couple also received a certificate of approval from the borough inspector stating that a general inspection revealed "no imminent hazards" and the home was "in compliance" with borough codes.

The couple thought they had done everything right.


Days after buying their first home together, Jenn Friberg and Rob Quigley found out it used to be a meth house.But there was one thing missing from the to-do list for the first-time homebuyers: a test for methamphetamine.

Roughly five days after they moved in, Quigley learned from a neighbor that the house had been a meth lab.

Shocked, he retreated indoors and typed his new address into a Google search bar. There it was in black and white: Their home was listed on the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's National Clandestine Laboratory Registry, a list of addresses where local authorities have reported finding drug manufacturing facilities or dumps.

The couple complained of having headaches, sore throats and difficulty breathing after moving in -- all symptoms of possible methamphetamine exposure.

CNN Article


Sad part is, theres now nothing they can do, except sell the home. So, this brings the question, in this day and age should the "meth" inspection become part of a regular house inspection that is done during a home purchase?

I'm pretty sure HazMat teams clean up meth labs routinely.

Sounds like someone didn't do their work, or I'm misinformed about how law enforcement deals with meth labs.

They should have done due diligence before purchasing the home.

IF they had of done a police check on the address, they would have discovered it was on a DEA list as a meth lab. Apparently even a simple google search of the address wasn't done before they purchased.

Part of purchasing a home that shouldn't be ignored, and they paid the price. Buyers are responsible for their own due diligence. Just having it cleared as being in good shape isn't enough in this day and age.

Some news agencies are reporting this home is already in foreclosure after being purchased in March. Likely that they purchased a home they couldn't afford and now are just trying to find a way of getting out of having to pay for it.

Shouldn't the sellers have to disclose? I mean they have to about termites for one thing, why not if something illegal has taken place in the house?

Doesn't something like this have to be disclosed before the sale? I have seen first hand how dangerous the chemicals used in making meth are and let me tell you.
I don't normally think we should all go around suing, but this is one of those cases that needs to be in court.

Originally posted by elevatedone
Shouldn't the sellers have to disclose? I mean they have to about termites for one thing, why not if something illegal has taken place in the house?

edit on 29-11-2010 by elevatedone because: changed previous owners to sellers

They do have certain things that they have to disclose (not sure about criminal activity in the home - anyone in real estate know about this for their state?), but it's also on the part of the buyers to do simple things like a Google search on the address that they obviously didn't do before they purchased.