Is Your Rented Dwelling Housing A Marajuana Grow Operation?
The most common location for a marijuana grow operation is a rented, single family home. Police estimate that there are at least 50,000 houses in Canada that are now used exclusively to grow marijuana ranging from new homes worth as much as $600,000 in downtown Vancouver to more modest residences sprinkled through the suburban streets of Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa.
There are several early warning signs that may help you to determine if your potential tenant is a risk. When inspecting your rental, even if just from the outside, there are signs to look for that may indicate that a grow operation being conducted inside the house.
EARLY WARNING SIGNS:
- A desire to pay cash for the rent (perhaps even more than the market value)
- Vague or incomplete answers on the tenant application form
- Lack of references and/or identification
- Lack of a current phone number or only a mobile/page number
- Requests to register utilities in a different name
- Displays unusual interest in the electrical services
- Shows little or no interest in the layout of the dwelling
THINGS TO LOOK FOR WHEN INSPECTING THE PREMISES:
- Windows totally covered by items such as cardboard, aluminium foil or black plastic to control the grow environment
- The presence of a skunky odour from mature plants
- The removal of exhaust stacks from hot water tanks to introduce CO and CO2 into the dwelling to disguise the odour and facilitate plant growth
- Ionizer installation to dispense orders
- Electrical service bypass and/or unusual wiring
- Little or no furniture in the dwelling
- No normal residential activity (such as talking to neighbours)
To view an article on how to prevent a grow operation in your rented dwelling please visit www.checkfirstonline.com/What-can-a-Landlord-do.htm
MARAJUANA GROW OPERATIONS ARE DANGEROUS BOTH FOR YOUR PROPERTY AND YOUR HEALTH. IF YOU SUSPECT A GROW OPERATION IS BEING RUN OUT OF YOUR PROPERTY DO NOT ENTER THE HOUSE AND CONTACT THE POLICE IMMEDIATLY
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