Landlord insurance providers are finding claims from landlords who have been duped into letting their property to criminal gangs is escalating. The worried insurance providers have been busy trying to contact customers to warn them of illicit activity being carried out in many rented premises all over the UK.
One of the country’s biggest insurers, Aviva, say they have noticed a 30% increase in claims from landlords for criminal damage to their property and there appears to be one underlying theme to the claims.
Cannabis culture
The illegal growing of cannabis is becoming blight on landlords across the country. Police investigations suggest that the illegal growing of the drug is being controlled by gangs from the Far East and appears to be spreading. Arrests have been made already this year in places as diverse as London, Birmingham, Bristol, Cornwall and Doncaster in South Yorkshire.
Short circuiting the electrics
The problem for landlords is that the damage to the property is ongoing and the longer the gang are growing the illegal weed, the more damage to the property. The growing of plants indoors in specially created environments is called hydroponics, and strong light with a plentiful irrigation system is required. The room temperature has to be warm at all times and to encourage growth light is required 24 hours a day. Because of this the first thing the gang does when it rents out a property is to bypass the electricity meter, which of course is illegal and immediately compromises the landlord.
The illegal wiring system, the strong lights and need for a crop spraying system exacerbates the fire possibilities in these properties, already there have instances of serious conflagrations in houses turned into cannabis farms.
Landlords on their guard
Landlords need to be aware of this danger and not to think it can’t happen to them. A good landlord, who visits his properties regularly, takes references from his tenants including bank details, will more than likely not be caught unawares.
It is important that a landlord looking for an online insurance quote for his property knows he is covered against cannabis farming, if he follows the above procedures. Police advisers say landlords should look for certain signs in their property which would highlight the chances of illegal activity. These include; walls and ceilings covered with polythene, blinds and windows always closed, and a pungent smell emanating from the property.