How to weed out the cannabis criminals
Weed out the cannabis criminals
Despite crime rates having fallen in recent years, the chances are that they will start to go up again as the economy tanks post-pandemic. So landlords should be alert to any signs of illegal activity being carried out in their rented homes.
Police in Portsmouth seized hundreds of cannabis plants at two rental properties in September and are urging landlords to pay attention when letting or inspecting their homes – and to be aware of the tell tale signs that tenants are operating a cannabis factory.
Insurer DirectLine has a helpful list of things to watch out for on its webiste. Some of these are:
- Paranoid behaviour by tenants, including a reluctance to allow landlords to visit the property
- A large number of visitors (day and night)
- Excessive fortification of the property (inside and outside)
- Blacked out windows
- Humidity: condensation on windows, peeling wallpaper, mildewed walls
- Sudden fluctuations in electricity bills or electrical wiring being tampered with
- Electrical wiring tampered with
- Powerful lights on day and night
Of course the most obvious signs of cannabis growing is the smell as well as the debris that growers often dump outside the property, such as soil and fertiliser bags; flasks, beakers, and rubber tubing; bubble wrap or self-seal bags and gas cylinders. According to DirectLine, 94% of cannabis farms are located in domestic premises. And since 2003, increasing numbers of rental properties have been targeted by gangs of cannabis cultivators looking to house their criminal activities. They are more likely to choose rented houses than flats and tend to pick secluded properties where there is little through traffic, says the insurer. So what can landlords do to protect themselves and their properties from this kind of criminal activity?
Here are some useful tips:
- Be wary of tenants who take particular interest in the electricity supply
- Be wary of tenants who want to move in very quickly
- Carry out regular inspections of the property
- Get to know the neighbours on either side of your rental properties and make sure they have your contact details.
Carry out in-depth tenant checks
The bottom line here is to always be alert to signs of illegal activity. Clearly robust referencing is vital to ensure your tenants are who they say they are. So do carry out in-depth tenant checks.
- Insist on photographic identification (check it hasn’t been altered)
- Take references from previous landlords and employers
- Check tenants’ current addresses
- Look out for utility bills in different names
Why not use our automated lettings platform PlanetRent to help you carry out thorough referencing. It's easy to access and simple to use, with loads of helpful functions to make your lettings journey really straightforward.
Finally, if you recognise any of the signs we’ve outlined here and suspect your property may be being used as a front for something illegal, never confront your tenants yourself. Contact your local police – better to be safe than sorry, even if it’s a false alarm.
Planetrent Properties
Under Offer: This term applies to a property where the landlord is considering an offer but remains on the market. It implies that further offers may still be considered until the landlord formally accepts or declines the current offer.
Let Agreed: This term indicates that a landlord has provisionally agreed to enter into a rental agreement with a prospective tenant, pending additional checks and referencing. It doesn't require the prospective tenant to have paid a holding deposit.
Let: This term signifies an established binding rental agreement between the landlord and tenant.
For both lettings and sales, the guidance addresses additional terms:
New On The Market: This term is used for a property not advertised since its last sale or rental. It should only be used for a brief period.
New Instruction: It applies to a property assigned to an agent for marketing recently, even if it was previously listed with another agent without being sold or rented.
New and Exclusive: This term refers to a property that is either new on the market or a new instruction, exclusively available through a specific agent or portal.
New Method of Sale/Let: This term is used when a property is being marketed for sale or rent using an alternative approach to the original advertisement, such as transitioning to an auction or sealed bid.
Reduced: This term indicates that a property's price has recently been reduced. The reduction should be genuine and comply with the Chartered Trading Standards Institute's guidelines on pricing practices.