Grow house renters: Keeping out the pot

[Melinda Fulmer]

Hi everybody. My name is Melinda Fulmer and I write about property issues for MSN and the Fiscal Times. I'm working on a story about marijuana grow houses and the foreclosure problem.

Has anyone here rented out one of their properties to a pot-growing operation (inadvertently or otherwise.) What happened to your property? And how can a good landlord keep from renting to one of those operations or spot one after they have moved in?

Are there ways they should have known? How can they keep an eye on the property, if they have suspicions? I'm looking for a landlord to tell his story, and some folks to offer advice. My deadline is EOD Tuesday.

Thanks!
Melinda Fulmer

[Mark Updegraff]

Hey Melinda,
Some give aways:
1. They're looking real hard at the attic / basement space.
2. They're offering to pay in all cash all the time.
3. They ask if the house is going to be for sale in the near future.
4. They smell like weed / poop :D

You can spot it by:
1. buying a really expensive thermal camera
2. Calling the local gas / electric co to get the current monthly average and compare it to the previous tenants. Grow lights use a lot of wattage (of course they could bypass the meter, or have some generators or something... but usually the meter will spike in use.

The water bill will also go up considerably. Make sure you know how many people are there.

Oh yea, the biggest way to tell is to schedule an inspection and go look!

Cheers,
Mark