Worried About a Cannabis Farm in Your Property? Here’s why you should be…
It’s no secret that illegal cannabis farms are on the rise across the UK. They’ve been discovered in various locales around the country, including warehouses, farms, and buried shipping containers. As a landlord, hearing about the number of cannabis factories discovered each day in these types of locations may not have caught your attention before. But more and more of these factories are found in residential homes – including rental properties in London.
Why London Landlords Should Be Worried
London landlords should sit up and take heed as the numbers are staggering. An illegal cannabis farm is found every two days in London. Many are found in South London, with the borough of Croydon having the most. By the latest count, Croydon had 30 such cannabis farms. Across London, hundreds of these cannabis factories exist.
The London rubbish removal company Junk Hunters recently cleared out a house that had been converted into a cannabis factory. It was the third house they’ve cleaned out that was used to grow cannabis. Their most recent client was a landlord whose rental house in Northwest London had been the site of cannabis production. The landlord wasn’t aware his tenants were growing cannabis until he received a call from the metropolitan police. As cannabis remains illegal in the UK, houses like these continue to pop up.
Landlord’s Northwest London House Turned into a Cannabis Farm Without His Knowledge
The landlord that rubbish clearance agency Junk Hunters worked with didn’t know his tenants were running a cannabis farm. He’d worked with an estate agent when initially renting the house out to the two tenants from Hong Kong. At first, there were no complaints. The landlord received his money on time and didn’t hear of any problems.
Then, after 6 months, the landlord was notified by police that his house had been discovered as a cannabis farm. The police had raided it and destroyed the cannabis. When they handed the house back over to the landlord, it was halfway deteriorated. The landlord’s only indication that something was wrong was the phone call from the police. And that was his only indication. By then, the damage was already done.
The north west topped the table for 2017 plant seizures — with 55,166 recorded, according to new research compiled by Direct Line.
But the north east could be more popular for cannabis growers when you take into account population density. There were only 26,992 plant seizures in the region — but this tallies with one plant seized for every 98 people.
Meanwhile, London lagged right behind with 19,843 cannabis plants, which is one plant for every 453 people living in Greater London.
Cannabis plant seizures in 2019:
- North West – 55,166
- West Midlands – 48,873
- East Midlands – 43,090
- South East – 36,422
- North East – 26,992
- Yorkshire and the Humber – 26,672
- East of England – 25,161
- Wales – 19,843
- London – 19,397
- South West – 16,823
Eviction
Landlords can promptly seek for possession of their property by serving a notice under s.8 of the Housing Act 1988, grounds 14 which allows a landlord to immediately apply to the county court for a possession order as soon as the notice is served.
Contact our team of experts now if you require legal advice or assistance with gaining possession of your property. You can contact us on 020 3903 2000 or visit our website for more information about our service.
