Before you put an offer on that dream home, you may want to check out the address with the Ottawa/>/> police. As of Feb. 1, their website will include a list of houses in the region which have been busted as marijuana grow-ops or meth labs.

Police Insp. Gary Meehan told CTV that information like dates and times of search warrants executed as well as the substance found will be available on the website for three months after the bust.

The move is a welcome change for real estate agents, who say this registry will be a big benefit for home buyers. Cleaning up a grow op can cost between $50,000 and $100,000. The mould and toxic chemicals left behind can make some sick, high humidity can even make some buildings structurally unsound and changes to the electrical systems can create fire hazards.

While real estate agents are compelled to tell clients they could be purchasing a former drug den, many brokers say they often don't know a home's history.

"Now as a realtor, I'll be able to tell my clients that this property has been used that way and they can make their own decision about whether they want to move forward with that property," Rick Snell, chairman of the real estate board's government relations committee explains to CTV.

"It protects consumers, especially young families who would be living in a home unknowingly with mould growing behind the walls or in the attic."

For homeowners who want to know if their home was a drug house in the past, Meehan said that information is available dating back to 2005 at the city clerk's office.