I was sent a video clip conducted by a property manager (who wishes to remain anonymous) after the police raided a rental property and seized a marijuana crop grown hydroponically.
In the video, two things really stood out to me, the second being the most concerning. See the below screenshot from the video.
The above photo is a good example of the extent a tenant will go to ‘mess with the electrics’, so the lesson here is should you be unfortunate enough to have a tenant grow drugs at your rental property (especially with hydroponics involved) you must also get in an electrician to check and repair for damage caused to wiring, switchboards etc.
This second photo is a real worry!
Here’s why…
An interesting story!
I remember a few years ago I was teaching property managers in a 3-hour session in Adelaide with our‘Extreme Property Management’ session on warning signs of drug production and extreme safety.
A property manager came in late, (after she missed me sharing my personal feelings to what I think of drugs and what they do to our young people!) and then shared with the group that she part-owned 3 hydroponic shops in Adelaide, and is very happy with how these ‘businesses are performing’!
After I asked her what she thinks of possible future legislation that would obligate her customers to provide their identification details, fulfil a 100 point check and be entered into a police database, she promptly declared ‘that would not be good for us, as no-one would buy our equipment anymore!’.
She admitted that she doesn’t have one customer she believes ‘genuine’, who is NOT using the equipment to grow marijuana!
This really made my hair stand on end!
Anyway, the property manager then told us something that made my hair stand on end.
I knew at that point the equipment and hydro process were so well refined, a tenant could get a crop grown and harvested in 3-4 months, and then shoot through leaving the rental property badly damaged.
However, she then said that a new warning sign to look out for is the presence of carbon dioxide gas bottles at a property!
Crops can now be grown in around 8 weeks!
The hydroponic growing process has been so well refined to where carbon dioxide gas is piped directly to the plant, allowing the grower to get a healthy crop grown and fully harvested in around 8 weeks, and out the door!
When we inspect properties every 3 to 6 months, you can see this information is quite concerning, as a tenant can now possibly get a crop grown and leave the property well and truly between any routine inspection!
The photo above I believe is a carbon dioxide gas bottle used for this purpose, and the property manager who sent me this footage didn’t realise this until I pointed it out!
Comprehensive drug warning signs guide for Property Managers
If you want to know more about the warning signs of drug production, here is a detailed guide we put together some time ago, for further property manager education.
I encourage you to email the link for this webpage to other property managers, so they too can see these pictures and read this story.
