U.S. Senator Charles Schumer
JAMESTOWN – U.S. Senator Charles Schumer was in Jamestown this week to announce new federal legislation that would require home sellers and landlords who know a home was used as a meth lab to alert potential buyers or renters.
During a press conference on Monday with several county and city officials, Schumer said that families in Jamestown and across Western New York are unknowingly moving into homes that were once used to make meth, because there is no law requiring sellers or landlords to disclose the home’s former use.
Schumer said that it is critical for buyers or renters to be aware that meth was once made in their home because the chemical remnants from the meth-making process are hazardous to health and often seep into carpets and walls.
These chemicals can cause dry mouth, headaches, nosebleeds and breathing problems, especially in children. It can also cost up to $10,000 to clean up, a major expense for families, once they realize the situation.
Schumer’s legislation will be modeled after similar rules for disclosing the presence of lead; it will require homeowners to disclose the former use of the property when they know it was used as a meth lab and create a civil penalty for those who knowingly do not comply.
Schumer noted that 23 states have enacted laws like this, but not New York, and that a strong federal standard is needed.
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