Warning signs your tenant may be involved in illegal drugs

Landlords have a responsibility to educate themselves in the warning signs that a tenant may be using or dealing drugs on their property.

Finding out that a tenant is growing, cooking, dealing or taking drugs on your property is every landlord’s worst nightmare. And unfortunately, it’s something that it’s impossible to completely guard yourself against.

You could run a credit check, follow up references, and your lovely new tenant could still turn out to be involved in something unsavoury.

Not only could illegal drug activity cause damage to your property, it could also bring down the value of other houses in the area.

Whilst you can’t completely eliminate the risk of illegal drugs being used on your property, you can educate yourself in the warning signs to help you identify problems early on. A few tell-tale signs include:

• Lots of visitors who only stay a few minutes.
• Chemical smell in the property.
• Smell of marijuana.
• Excessive late night activity.
• Drug paraphernalia in or around the property.
• Lights that are left on all day and night.
• Curtains or blinds shut all day.
• Very high utility usage.
• Pays rent without appearing to work.
• Large amounts of cash in the property.

Landlords can face criminal proceedings if they knowingly allow illegal drugs to be used, stored or produced on their property. So, whether you’re alerted by neighbours, see warning signs during a routine visit, or just get a feeling that something is awry, it’s your responsibility to act once you have a suspicion.

If you require help cleaning up a property that has been used for drug abuse or the manufacture of drugs, then our sharps / drug clearance service will decontaminate the area and make it safe again.