Rented property 'used as cannabis factory'
Property professionals
30th January 2009
Landlords may want to make more regular checks on their properties after a businessman found a house he was letting was being used as a cannabis farm.
After returning home from holiday recently, Stephen Stafford was shocked to find a property he had rented out in Hove had suffered damage worth around £70,000.
"We only refurbished the property two years ago. I used to live their with my family a long time ago," he told the Argus newspaper, adding: "I am absolutely gutted, it's unbelievable. We try to make properties nice for tenants and they get damaged."
The case may not be isolated, as the Deposit Protection Service has said that several landlords have reported that their properties were being used as cannabis factories.
Meanwhile, another landlord discovered that one of his properties was being used as a brothel by its tenants.
Keeping an eye on properties could help to avoid costly insurance claims.
