Landlords Warned On Cannabis Farm Risks

Police are urging landlords to crack down on criminals renting buy-to-let homes to set up cannabis factories.

The plea follows the tragic death of Archie York, aged seven and Jason Laws, 35, who both died when a drugs farm and lab exploded in Benwell, Newcastle, last October.

The blast destroyed several neighbouring homes when around 100 gas canisters blew up.

Cannabis farmer Reece Galbraith, 33, pleaded guilty to two charges of manslaughter at Newcastle Crown Court and will face sentencing on May 14.

The court heard that Galbraith and Laws were friends who had set up a lab in a rented flat to make gummies - cannabis-flavoured sweets.

Security checks

Following the court hearing, police appealed to landlords to carry out security checks on rented homes and to look out for tell-tale signs of illegal drug manufacture, such as large numbers of butane or propane gas cylinders and stainless steel cooking equipment.

Other signs of growing cannabis include\;

• Windows are covered in condensation.
• Blacked-out windows
• A lingering smell of cannabis
• Constant bright lighting

Other clues are rewired electrics to bypass meters, specialised hydroponic growing systems and large amounts of soil.

Police and insurance companies suggest that landlords inspect their properties every 12 weeks for signs of cannabis farming.

Check insurance cover

Drug gangs can cause tens of thousands of pounds of damage to a rented home by farming cannabis. Insurance companies often refuse to pay out if homes are not regularly inspected. Landlords should record visits and property conditions to support a claim.

Landlords should also ensure insurance policies cover damage from criminal activity - most offer no cover for malicious damage caused by tenants.

Police say cannabis farming is a growing problem and that 90 per cent of cannabis used in the UK is grown in pirated buy-to-let homes.

The Archie York case is just the most recent of a series of cannabis farm fires. Following the tragedy, police in the north-east arrested 10 in connection with growing drugs worth £3.2 million.

Insurers explain that drug gangs prefer rental homes for several reasons:

• Anonymity and reduced risk of detection by using fake identities or false documents
• Easy escape - It's easy to abandon rented properties
• Less financial commitment - it's cheaper to rent than buy
• Spreading the risk - Renting allows crooks to operate in different areas, making it harder for police to track them, and if they are caught, losses are reduced.

What the law says

The law is complicated for landlords. It's illegal to allow any property you own to be used for the cultivation or supply of cannabis.

If you allow someone to grow or supply cannabis from the property you sublet or own, you can face the same penalties as the criminals conducting those activities - which is up to 14 years in jail, an unlimited fine, or both.

"If you suspect a property is being used to grow cannabis, you must inform the police straight away - and not broach the subject of your concerns with the tenants themselves," said a police spokesman.