At what point do you start to suspect your tenants of being your neighbourhood cannabis growers? This is the question we recently put to Mr F, a Merseyside landlord who has recently had the misfortune of finding out his tenants were in fact using his property to farm cannabis.
We hear about cannabis farms on the radio, read about it in newspapers and perhaps see one or two clips on the 6 ’0′ clock news however, you would never think it could happen to you! Mr F, who prefers to remain anonyms, tells us of his recent nightmare that came true.
How did you find out that your tenants were growing cannabis in your property?
“I have been letting property for a number of years now and I used a local agent to manage the property. The tenants were of middle age and I never had any difficulties with them throughout the tenancy. It was towards the end of the agreement that they stopped paying rent and when the Agent tried to contact them, they did not return the calls.”
What happened next?
“Well, I know you are not allowed to do this but the Agent and I visited the property and we could see all the windows were covered over. We used my spare key to gain access to the property and as we walked into the front door we were smacked in the face by the most pungent smell and the air was very damp.”
What was your initial reaction to what you saw in the property?
“I was speechless, just from seeing the hallway you could see that the property was going to be wrecked. We called the police out immediately. They informed us on the telephone not to go into any of the rooms as it is quite common for the growers to set traps to electrocute any unwanted intruders (Landlords and Agents) by hooking up live wires to the internal door handles.”
How would you describe the condition of the property?
“It was a real mess. Because the boiler had been tampered with, and they over rid the temperature control, it was constantly blasting out heat and somehow they kept the air in the property very damp – like a green house. All of the kitchen units were warped, the floorboards were rotting, the radiators were all rusted, there was compost everywhere – the carpets were completed ruined. They had stapled curtains over every internal door, I guess to keep the humidity high in the rooms.”
What have your insurers said about the situation?
“My insurance company sent out a loss adjuster to the property and I asked him how much I could expect to have paid out in damages. He said that they have recently changed their policies as cannabis farms have become more and more prevalent. He was not able to give any figures then and there and said that their head office would be dealing with it.”
Looking back, were there any obvious signs that this was happening in your property?
“No, as I said, they were decent enough tenants, they passed the Agents initial credit checks and they paid their rent on time and in full. Apart from going over to the property every month, I am not sure what I could have done to prevent this?”
End of interview.
What are we doing about cannabis farms?
Recognising the increasing socio-economic issues caused by cannabis farms, The Home Office recently promoted the National Tackling Drugs Week which was held from 8 to 12 June 2009.
During this week Crimestoppers focused specifically on helping the police locate cannabis farms that could be in residential properties on any ordinary, suburban street in towns and cities around the UK.
Cannabis cultivation can fuel a range of serious organised crimes including the possession of firearms, people trafficking, prostitution and money laundering.
These illegal operations pose a significant threat to our fire services as highly flammable and dangerous chemicals are used in the cultivating process. Another hazard is that electricity supplies are bypassed to supply enough energy to run around eighty 600 watt lamps that have the potential to overload. Also, as the properties are often booby-trapped this means that the fire fighters have to deal with highly unpredictable environments.
Michael Laurie, CBE, Crimestoppers’ Chief Executive said: “Around 50% of information that is passed to Crimestoppers every year is about drugs offences so the public are clearly concerned about having drugs in their communities.
What are the signs to spot cannabis farming?
- The windows of the property are permanently covered from the inside
- Visits to the premises occur at unusual times of the day or night
- People often do not live in the premises and only visit to maintain them. Offenders may call daily or weekly but usually do not stay long
- There may be a vent protruding through the roof or a rear window
- There may be a pungent smell coming from the premises
- There may be noise coming from the equipment in the premises (i.e. cooling fans)
- Black bin bags or laundry bags for removal of cannabis or by-products, such as used fertilizer
- Compost bags or gardening equipment left outside, usually in the rear of the premises
- Watch Crimestoppers’ film below on how to spot cannabis farms
