Advice for Landlords
In order to avoid renting to those who make meth, take the following steps:
- Make sure rental applicants complete rental application
- Conduct a thorough background check of the applicant, including criminal background check
- Be sure to personally meet each rental applicant and require picture identification
- Take note of any suspicious appearances or behaviors of the applicant
- Require a lease
- Obtain a damage deposit
- Look around your property regularly, taking note of any signs of a meth lab or other illegal activity
- Announce your intention to visit the property regularly
- Ask neighbors help in monitoring property
Signs that your tenants may be involved with the manufacture and sale of methamphetamine:
- Do they always pay their rent in cash?
- Have they asked to put up security measures such as cameras or baby monitors outside of buildings?
- Do they have a “guard” dog or dogs ?
- Are there chemicals in strange places (examples bathroom, kitchen)
- Are their shades always down or the windows always covered?
- Do they have guns? Pornographic materials?
- Are they underweight? Have skin sores? Rotting teeth? Glassy eyes?
- Do their children look clean and well cared for?
- Are there any unusual smells like ammonia or rotten eggs?
- Do neighbors or other tenants in the building report the tenant gets a lot of visitors who don’t stay long? Or do they report them as being “night hawks”, who are up “all hours of the night”?
- Do they have large amounts of trash?
- Does the lawn have burned areas or dead vegetation?
**If you suspect a meth lab on your property, contact local law enforcement immediately. Do not enter an area that you think might be a meth lab.