Background screening may be necessary in Indiana town

Residents in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, are beginning to worry about the increasing number of methamphetamine labs cropping up in area apartments, the Republic reports. One home on Waggoner Avenue experienced a chemical explosion, and now a large blue tarp covers the roof, junk is all over the front yard and a sign labels the house "unfit for occupancy." Houses like this are becoming prevalent in the area, as the county's Health Department has condemned at least 160 properties in the past month alone because of meth production. Monte Fetter, head of the Property Owners and Managers Association, explains that the labs have become a "quality of life issue for the entire community," and that landlords will be forced to conduct tenant background screenings if the problem worsens, the news source explains. Tenant Screening Blog adds that in addition to hurting the landlord's property reputation, cleanup costs really add up, and insurance generally will not reimburse the expense. However, it's up the landlord to ensure the property is viable for living and that all traces of chemicals are removed.