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A landlord in Gateshead had a shock when he turned up at his property unannounced to inform the tenant he was putting the house on the market. To his great surprise, the landlord discovered the house had been turned into a sophisticated cannabis farm. Two bedrooms contained around 40 cannabis plants under cover of plastic tents.
A Good Tenant
The letting agent was apparently equally as shocked because the tenant had always been a nice, quiet tenant.
‘He was a very amicable guy and always paid his rent on time,’ said the letting agent who managed the property on behalf of the landlord.
In fact the letting agent initially thought the landlord was exaggerating and that he had only found a couple of plants growing on the kitchen windowsill. But no, there were in fact dozens of plants all ready to be harvested.
Tenant Did a Runner
Following discovery of the cannabis farm, the tenant fled the property rather than face a grilling by Gateshead police, who have since seized the plants and growing equipment.
Warning to Landlords
The letting agent is warning landlords and other letting agents to beware of sophisticated tactics used by criminals who let rental properties. He says cannabis farms are a lot tougher to detect these days and landlords need to be alert.
‘In the past they used to bypass the electricity and cover the windows, but this one was very low energy. It’s happening more and more and I think it’s a lot more sophisticated now.’
