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H1: Drug lab and cannabis farm cleanup

Last year a landlord in Horfield called us about a ground-floor flat. His tenant had done a runner. When the letting agent opened the door, the hallway walls were black with mould, the ceilings were sagging with moisture, and there was a chemical smell that made his eyes water. Three bedrooms had been converted into a cannabis farm. The electrics had been bypassed. Every surface was damp.

He didn’t know where to start. That’s what we’re here for.

If you’ve discovered a grow house or drug lab in your property, call us on 07985 505061. We’ll talk you through what happens next and get a team to you fast. We’re typically booked two to three weeks ahead for scheduled work, but drug lab and cannabis farm cleanup gets priority response.

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Trust Bar

25 years’ experience | £2M insured | IICRC certified | Full insurance documentation | Police referral approved

What We Find in Drug Labs and Grow Houses

Every property is different, but after 25 years in this work, very little surprises us. Here’s what we typically walk into:

Cannabis farms (grow houses):

Walls and ceilings saturated with moisture from weeks or months of high humidity
Black mould throughout the property, often behind plasterboard and inside wall cavities
Holes cut through floors and ceilings for ventilation ducting
Bypassed electricity meters and dangerous rewiring
Soil, fertiliser, and plant matter ground into carpets and flooring
Drainage systems clogged or rerouted
Structural damage from water penetration

MDMA and meth labs:

Chemical residue on walls, ceilings, floors, and inside cupboards
Staining and corrosion from solvents, acids, and other precursors
Strong chemical odours embedded in porous surfaces
Contaminated plumbing from chemical waste being poured down drains
Fire damage or scorch marks from volatile reactions
Hazardous waste left behind: containers, tubing, glassware

Honest caveat: we can’t fix your electrics or do structural repairs. We decontaminate the property and make it safe. For the rewiring and building work, we’ll point you to trusted trades we’ve worked with across Bristol.

The Health Risks Are Real

This isn’t just a cleanup problem. It’s a health hazard.

Cannabis farms create conditions where toxic mould thrives. Stachybotrys, Aspergillus, and Penicillium species colonise damp walls within days. Spores become airborne. Anyone entering the property without proper protection is breathing them in. For tenants moving into a poorly remediated grow house, the health effects can include respiratory infections, chronic coughing, headaches, and immune suppression.

Chemical labs are worse. Methamphetamine residue absorbs into plaster, wood, concrete, carpet, and soft furnishings. The contamination isn’t always visible. A property can look clean and still be toxic. Research published by the Royal Society of Chemistry shows that meth residue on surfaces can be absorbed through skin contact and cause headaches, nausea, respiratory problems, and in prolonged exposure, organ damage.

MDMA production leaves behind similar chemical contamination, along with residues from solvents like acetone, safrole, and hydrochloric acid.

In our opinion, no property that’s been used as a drug lab should be re-let without professional decontamination testing. A fresh coat of paint doesn’t make it safe. It makes it invisible.

Our Decontamination Process

Step 1: Initial assessment and testing

We attend the property in unmarked vehicles. For landlords, councils, and letting agents, discretion matters. We carry out a full inspection, take air quality samples, and test surfaces for chemical residue. For cannabis farms, we run moisture mapping across every wall, floor, and ceiling using professional meters and thermal imaging.

We document everything from this point. Photos, readings, test results. Your insurer will need all of it.

Step 2: Hazardous material removal

We remove all contaminated materials that can’t be decontaminated. That includes saturated plasterboard, contaminated insulation, carpets, underlay, soft furnishings, and any equipment or waste left by the occupants. Everything goes through licensed hazardous waste disposal. You get full waste transfer documentation.

Step 3: Chemical decontamination

For meth and MDMA labs, we use specialist chemical cleaning agents designed to break down drug residue on hard surfaces. Walls, ceilings, floors, window frames, light fittings, inside cupboards. Everything gets treated. We don’t stop at visible contamination. Residue migrates into porous materials, so we work on the assumption that every surface is affected until testing proves otherwise.

Step 4: Mould remediation

Cannabis farms almost always have serious mould contamination. We follow the same process as our dedicated mould removal service: containment with HEPA-filtered negative air, removal of affected materials, anti-fungal treatment, and anti-microbial coating. The mould has to go at the root, not just the surface.

Step 5: Structural drying

Industrial dehumidifiers and air movers bring the property back to safe moisture levels. We monitor daily until readings are where they need to be. For a heavily saturated grow house, this stage can take five to ten days. Rushing it means the mould comes back.

Step 6: Odour removal

Drug labs and grow houses smell. The odour gets into everything. We use thermal fogging and hydroxyl generators to eliminate odours at the molecular level. Air fresheners and ozone alone won’t cut it. Our odour removal service page explains the technology in detail.

Step 7: Post-remediation testing and sign-off

We retest surfaces and air quality to confirm the property is safe for occupation. You receive a full decontamination report with before and after readings, photographic evidence, waste disposal certificates, and a clearance statement. This is the document your insurer, council, or letting agent needs.

Cannabis Farm Cleanup: What Landlords Need to Know

Cannabis farms are the most common drug-related property damage we see in Bristol. Avon and Somerset Police dealt with hundreds of grow house discoveries across the region last year. If your property has been used as a grow house, here’s what matters.

The moisture damage is worse than it looks. Growers run high-powered lights and keep humidity at tropical levels. Water vapour penetrates plasterboard, timber, and masonry. By the time the grow is discovered, the structural damage can be extensive. We’ve seen properties in Southmead and Fishponds where the first-floor joists were starting to rot.

Mould is guaranteed. Not might be present. Will be present. Behind the walls, in the ceiling void, under the flooring. A surface wipe-down won’t find it and won’t fix it.

The electrics need professional inspection. Growers bypass meters and run cables without any regard for safety. We don’t touch electrics, but we’ll coordinate with your electrician and make sure the property is safe before we start any wet work.

The property can’t be re-let until it’s safe. Putting a new tenant into a grow house that’s only had a cosmetic clean is a liability waiting to happen. Under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, landlords must make sure rented properties are free from serious health hazards, including damp, mould, and chemical contamination.

A letting agent in Bedminster sent us a property last spring that had been “cleaned” by a general cleaning company after a cannabis farm was removed. The new tenant developed breathing problems within a month. We were called in to do it properly. Three walls had to come out. That’s a story nobody wants to repeat.

Meth and MDMA Lab Decontamination

Chemical drug labs are less common than grow houses, but far more dangerous.

Methamphetamine production creates airborne contamination that settles on every surface in the property. It doesn’t wash off with standard cleaning products. In Australia and New Zealand, where meth contamination standards are well established, properties must be tested and certified below specific contamination thresholds before re-occupation. The UK is behind on formal standards, but the science is the same.

We follow IICRC S540 guidelines for methamphetamine decontamination. That means:

Surface sampling and laboratory analysis before work begins
Removal of all porous materials that test above safe levels
Chemical cleaning of all hard surfaces with approved decontamination agents
Post-cleaning testing to verify contamination has been reduced to safe levels
Full documentation and clearance reporting

MDMA labs present similar challenges. The precursor chemicals, particularly safrole and its derivatives, leave corrosive residue. Hydrochloric acid fumes etch surfaces and corrode metalwork. The cleanup requires specialist PPE and chemical-specific cleaning protocols.

We won’t pretend this work is quick. A full meth lab decontamination can take a week or more. But cutting corners here puts people’s health at risk, and it puts your liability through the roof.

Insurance and Documentation

Most landlord insurance policies cover drug lab and cannabis farm damage under malicious damage or illegal activity clauses. We’ve worked with AXA, Aviva, Direct Line, Zurich, and most other major UK insurers on drug lab claims.

Here’s what we provide for your insurance claim:

Initial assessment report with photographic evidence and contamination test results
Scope of work document detailing every step of the remediation
Daily progress reports with timestamped photos
Waste transfer notes for all hazardous materials removed
Post-remediation test results confirming safe contamination levels
Final clearance certificate

We can liaise directly with your loss adjuster or insurance company. We’ve done this hundreds of times. We know what they need and how they need it formatted.

For council-owned properties, we work with Bristol City Council, South Gloucestershire Council, and several housing associations across the region. Our documentation meets local authority audit requirements.

If you’re not sure whether your policy covers drug lab cleanup, call us anyway. We can look at your situation and tell you what to expect. Sometimes the answer is “yes but you need to make the claim a specific way.” We’ll help with that.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does drug lab and cannabis farm cleanup cost?

It depends on the size of the property, the type of contamination, and how long the operation was running. A cannabis farm cleanup in a two-bedroom flat might start from £2,000 to £4,000. A full meth lab decontamination in a larger property could be £5,000 to £15,000 or more. We give you a clear, fixed quote after the initial assessment. No surprises once we start.

Is drug lab cleanup covered by landlord insurance?

Usually, yes. Most landlord policies cover damage caused by illegal activity under malicious damage provisions. We provide all the documentation your insurer needs, and we’ll communicate directly with your loss adjuster if you’d prefer not to handle it yourself.

How long does the cleanup take?

A cannabis farm cleanup in a standard three-bedroom house typically takes three to five days of active work, plus five to ten days of structural drying. Meth lab decontamination takes longer due to chemical testing requirements. We’ll give you a realistic timeline at the assessment stage. We won’t rush it to save a few days and leave you with a problem.

Is it safe to enter a former drug lab?

Not without proper PPE. Chemical residue from meth and MDMA production can be absorbed through the skin and inhaled. Cannabis grow houses often have dangerous electrical setups and high levels of airborne mould spores. Don’t let anyone into the property until it’s been assessed. That includes well-meaning family members with rubber gloves and bin bags.

Can I just paint over the damage and re-let?

No. Apart from the obvious health risks to your new tenant, you’d be in breach of the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018. If a tenant becomes ill from contamination in a property you knew was a former drug lab, you’re personally liable. Professional decontamination with documented clearance testing is the only defensible position.

Do you work with the police?

Yes. We regularly receive referrals from Avon and Somerset Police and work alongside their teams. We won’t enter a property until it’s been released by the police. Once it’s released, we can usually be on site within 24 hours.

What if I’m a tenant who’s discovered the previous occupant ran a grow house?

Call your landlord or letting agent immediately. They’re responsible for remediation. If they’re not acting, contact Bristol City Council’s environmental health team. You can also call us directly on 07985 505061 and we’ll advise you on your options. We won’t charge you for a phone call.

Mould Removal - Cannabis farms create severe mould infestations that need specialist treatment
Void Property Cleaning - Full property turnaround for landlords after drug-related damage
Odour Removal - Eliminate chemical and organic odours embedded in the fabric of the building
Crime Scene Cleaning - Drug-related incidents that involve biohazard contamination
Deep Cleaning & Disinfection - Post-remediation deep clean to bring the property back to letting standard

Sector pages:

Landlords and Property Managers - How we work with landlords, agents, and property management companies
Councils and Housing Associations - Our local authority and social housing partnerships

Get Your Property Back

Discovering a drug lab or grow house in your property is a nightmare. The damage, the paperwork, the lost rental income. We can’t undo what happened, but we can get the property safe, documented, and ready for re-letting as fast as properly possible.

We’ve been doing this across Bristol for 25 years. From our base on Southmead Road, we cover the entire BS postcode area and beyond.

Phone: 07985 505061 Emergency 24/7: 0808 303 7072 WhatsApp: 07985 505061 Email: hello@bristolcleaningheroes.co.uk

Call us. We’ll tell you exactly what needs doing and what it’ll cost. No obligation, no pressure.

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Drug Lab and Cannabis Farm Cleanup