Radon in real estate

Organization: Health Canada

Published: 2019-12-18

Radon — an invisible radioactive gas produced by the breakdown of uranium in the ground —is found in every home in Canada. Radon is the #1 cause of lung cancer for non-smokers, testing is the only way to know if the home has dangerous levels.

As a trusted source of information for home buyers and sellers, REALTORS® can help their clients by educating them about radon and encouraging testing.

How to help your clients with radon

Health Canada can help you support your clients in navigating this serious health issue.

Educate

There are radon experts across Canada available to answer your questions directly and support you and your clients in learning more about radon.

You can access free training  resources and order free educational materials  to share with your clients.

Take action

Your regular, ongoing communication with your clients provides a great opportunity to promote radon action. A three-month test is the only way to accurately find out what the radon level is in a home. Health Canada doesn’t recommend conducting a radon test during a real estate transaction so, when should you test?

• Test before you sell: Most homes will have a low radon level but the only way to know is to test. Recommend radon testing, and mitigation if necessary, before they sell to enable them to include the low radon level as a selling feature.
• Test after you buy: Encourage clients to conduct a long-term radon test once they have moved into their new home. Some real estate professionals are even providing long-term test kits and/or free Health Canada radon materials in client gift baskets.

In some cases, real estate professionals are using a hold back to allow for radon testing after a transaction is complete. If a high radon level is found in the home, mitigation can be completed using the hold back funds.

Homes with a low radon level are healthy homes—long term exposure to a high level of radon is the # 1 cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. Testing for radon is simple and can save lives. To test for radon visit www.takeactiononradon.ca/.

For more information visit www.canada.ca/radon.