I also may or may not have had someone renting from me who decided to convert the attic into a grow house some time in the past. But, I can tell you that I paid a 16 year old kid $75 to climb in the attic, take a bottle of bleach and scrape every rafter, one by one, until they were clean.
Sometime in the past, I added the following clause to my lease:
Any evidence of the manufacturing or sale of illegal substances on the premises or any arrest and conviction related to the manufacturing or sale of illegal substances will result in immediate termination of this lease. The tenant will be held financially responsible for the abatement (if necessary) of the property if illegal substances are found on the premises.If you ever need the clause, here it is. Consider it a gift.
There are some places where it is legal to grow pot--for medicinal purposes only, I am sure. Fellow Blogger Suellen May, in Fort Collins, CO recently wrote about this. Suellen has brought up a whole 'nuther set of circumstances we can all learn from.
Her really awesome blog is here and the story is below made me sleep with a night light.
Beware of the Potheads
Recently, I advertised an apt for rent in Fort Collins. I have been a landlord for years but a mere year in Colorado, which presents a new potential liability: the caregivers. As I have recently learned, a caregiver is a person who has a license to grow six marijuana plants.
I was familiar with the term. The last time I rented out the apt an applicant had the honesty to let me know they were a "caregiver" and they would need to grow for their patients. I declined.
My decision to reject this potential tenant has nothing to do with my beliefs about marijuana or whether it should be legal; it is just something I don't want on any of my properties. Perhaps naively, I assumed caregivers represented a very minuscule minority of renters. As I am discovering, however, caregivers are spreading far and wide across the state and present a landmine of liability.
Recently, I showed my apt to a young couple who after a brief showing, eagerly indicated that they were "down with it," and what would it take to secure the property? First, last, security deposit, pet deposit, it was all ok with them. Something seemed amiss with the guy and it wasn't just the body odor that would make milk curdle.
When he submitted his application, I was put in touch with Jon the landlord from Boulder. (Yes Boulder, you see where this is going, don't you?) Have they told you that they are caregivers? Jon asked. Really? Jon the landlord said he confronted the couple when he saw a light on in one of the bedrooms at all hours. Apparently those lights to grow leave some monster holes in the wall as well. One would think a person might be forthcoming given such a scenario, but as a landlord, I realize the responsibility is on me to pre-screen, screen, and now there will be a marijuana addendum, essentially indicating that tenants not grow (or smoke) on premises even if it is legal to do so. The addendum was Jon the landlord's idea. Jon seemed well-versed on the caregiving issue since he has ten rentals in Boulder. He actually told me he has left some rentals vacant a couple months just to forgo the pot growers.
And what's the big deal you might say? It is after all legal. Yes and no. It's ok to grow 6 plants but what happens if your tenant decides to grow the 7th or the 100th? Properties do get seized if there are drugs involved, even if said home is not the property of the drug dealer. And although growing marijuana and even consuming marijuana is legal in certain conditions in Colorado, I'm not sure the federal government is on the same page as the State of Colorado. And, in the end, smoking is smoking, and although I haven't checked the stats, my guess is that growers are likely tokers. In my opinion, a savvy landlord in Colorado would be wary of renting to caregivers.
Posted by Suellen May, Realtor at 8:43 PM
2 comments:
I think the "caregiver" program is awesome! However, I wouldn't want them to rent from me either. How do you monitor such activity? Do you perform a monthly/weekly inspection to ensure they are ONLY growing 6 plants and are not partaking of them? Having gone to college in the '70's, I know a bit about pot (my drug of choice back then). Cigarette smoke can stain walls, window coverings and leave carpet and the entire property smelling like an ashtray...but pot? That smell can take lots of money to eradicate. Then there is the humidity factor. Pot needs lots of humidity to grow properly which means the inside of the sheetrock, the attic and even the house supports underneath can be covered in mold/mildew before you know it. I'm with her, it's just not worth it. Let the caregivers form a co-op and grow it in the countryside out doors where it is intended to be grown.
My hubby has a good friend from High School who recently moved to Colorado to jump on that bandwagon. I agree that if one is interested in marijuana for "medical" purposes, they are also interested for personal use as well. (We were not surprised to hear about the reasons for his move, having already known about his interest in pot.) It's sad that the impact can be so negative for landlords.
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