The Green Green Grass of home. Cannabis Farming in the Private Rental Sector.

I have written a few blogs on the rise in Cannabis Farms in private rental accommodation. However this week I received a call from a Landlord in Surrey who had been alerted by neighbours (not his managing agent!) of their suspicions. As the police attended, the remaining tenant was seen rushing away from the scene. Upon entering, it was plain to see, that the property was indeed another statistic of Cannabis Farming in the Private Rental Sector. It seems to be happening more nd more in Surrey.

I do not use the word devastation or devastated lightly. The former being the state of the property the latter the state of the Landlord. What choked him was entering his child's bedroom that still had all the trappings of a nursery in its decor had been vandalised beyond most of our comprehension.

A beautiful, normal family home, turned into something that felt somehow corrupt.

In the pictures in this blog you will see the ducts that the tenants have installed to vent the property, these go up the chimney. You will see the holes in the walls that have been butchered to accommodate these vents. Floors covered in plastic with mounds of soil that had leaked and penetrated the wooden floors and carpets beneath. The bolt holes across the ceilings where high voltage heat lamps had hung, and a mountain of wiring. Every room demonstrating tens of plug sockets overloaded as the tenants had bypassed the meter and tapped into the mains, bhich has since been cut of by the supplier.

The stench of cannabis, or soil and of damp hung in the air and penetrated the very fabric of the building.

It begged one question to me. How on earth did these people get to rent this property?

Times are tough in the lettings market. Landlords are keen to get empty properties occupied, agents desperate for the deals. Does this make our vision a little less clear, do we take slight risks. Is the temptation of cash just too much?

In this case not. The references, I am told, seemed OK. There was a bank account and rental was being paid. However this is common, after all, no criminal actually wants to appear as one!

In my experience, there are warning signs to watch out for.

1) Potential Cannabis tenants like properties to be a little more secluded, but with access to main road links. (This property had open fields in front of it and was detached, this is not unusual)

2) Properties are often in communities where comings and goings are not going to be questioned. However the property needs a degree of privacy. Often drive in garages are a plus as are older style properties with a chimney

3) One of the first things the tenants do on a viewing is look at the electricity meter. They are looking to see if it can be over ridden.

4)The tenants typically seem to have a beauty business of fast food business and the property is for either staff or them with a large extended family.

My advice of Letting a home to combat this?

Agents need to be absolutely aware of who it is renting a property. Take NI number, driving licence number and a copy of a passport, these are "traceable" Ids. A 6 week deposit does not touch the surface of this sort of damage.

Landlords ensure you have good insurance that would cover you for this eventuality.

Don't be tempted by cash deals unless you know the circumstances in which you are accepting it. Cash over good reference checking and ensuring the agents see genuine ID a false economy.

Lastly, trust your instinct. Its normally right.

Canabis farming in the private rental sector is alarming and can be avoided. Look out for some of the behaviours listed above and please ensure the checking is thorough and there is tracable ID taken.

For any advice about Letting your home and how to avoid the pitfalls, please call SurreyLets