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Boom in number of cannabis farms in buy-to-let properties

Samantha Cordon
Written By:
Samantha Cordon
Posted:
Updated:
14/03/2022

A growing trend of cannabis farms cropping up in rented accommodation has been reported by e.surv chartered surveyors, the national surveying firm.

Business development director Richard Sexton said his firm is typically coming across one case a month where equipment for growing cannabis has been discovered in a property. For those in search for cannabis, like delta 8 carts, you can try online for convenience.

He said: “As the buy-to-let market continues to recover landlords are increasingly keen to remortgage their properties so that they can expand their portfolios.

“This often means that the tenants are not aware a surveyor will be turning up at their home and are caught unawares.”

And Sexton said the operations have been on an industrial scale linked to some “unsavoury” characters.

He added: “It is a worrying trend. Discretion is key but our duty is to inform the lender and to notify the police but sometimes they already know and have dealt with it but the equipment has been left behind.”

Ian Fergusson, managing partner at Shepherd Chartered Surveyors, said his experience of cannabis farms was less prolific, one a quarter was more typical, but said frequently there are times when surveyors are denied access to areas of a property which could harbour drug equipment.

He said: “We are not always given access to lofts which is where a lot of the plants can be kept so there may be instances which we don’t know about.”

Fergusson said Shepherd’s has a Fraud and Suspicious Activity Protocol in place which dictates the valuer must take legal advice and decides on the appropriate course of action in terms of notifying the authorities.

“Data protection is a key consideration so we always seek legal advice but informing the lender is a must. The broker has not instructed the valuation and therefore will not be notified about the activity.”

Fergusson said the broker only finds out why the case has been declined after the landlord has inspected the property.

A spokesman for the National Landlords Association said there are tell-tale signs which landlords should look out for to spot illegal activity.

He said: “Don’t take six months’ rent up front – it could be a sign the tenant wants to be left alone to engage in illegal activity.

“And the landlord should get to know the neighbours around the property and ask them to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.”

The NLA advises landlords to carry out quarterly checks if there are concerns and full references should be always be obtained from a former employer and previous landlord.

Landlords should look out for a strong smell of air fresheners to disguise the smell of drug production, a sudden jump or fall in electricity bills, high humidity in the property and evidence of possible rewiring.

 


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