I’m in the army and my tenant smokes weed

[Shyenne Rose]

I am in the army. I live in Colorado where weed is legal. I own a condo and am trying to move to a house with a backyard for my growing family and dog to have more room. I am trying to rent my condo to a close friend who is very reliable and I know will pay me on time. Also I know this person is very clean and will take care of the property. Only problem is she smokes weed. If we sign a lease with her where there is not a smoking rule applied and she smokes weed in the house and has a red card will it in any way affect me or the army being that I am the owner of the property? Even though I won’t be living there and my husband will be doing the check ups? She also owns air purifiers, smoke buddies (a device that eliminates odors and smoke) and an elite carpet cleaner so that the smell is not noticable. 

[Filipe Pereira]

I'm not in the army, but does the army expect you to control what each of your tenants is doing? If not, then I'm not sure I see a problem.

I've seen boyfriend/girlfriend relationships, coworker relationships and friendships fall apart while living together and similar relationships fall apart when the landlord is involved in the relationship. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be done, but it's certainly not recommended.

If the plan is to make this tenant a long term tenant (rather than a temporary arrangement) I'd recommend seeing what else is on the market in terms of tenants before signing a lease with your friend. Especially if you already have concerns regarding the potential implications on your career.