Risky (Tenant) Business Last week, a Brisbane property manager made headlines after discovering 50kg of highly volatile explosives in a property that had been abandoned by the tenant. The agent had gone to the property after the tenant fell behind in his rent but had not been contactable. Earlier this year in Sydney, one of the city’s largest strata complexes adopted strict new security measures to deal with a growing problem of prostitution, drug dealing and illegal sub-letting. Comprising more than 600 apartments, the Owners Corporation of the Regis in Chinatown took the radical step of sacking their strata manager to become the largest self-managed strata plan in the state and potentially the country. These stories and many others highlight the ongoing issue of illegal tenant activities and the important role property managers play in preventing and dealing with them. The first and most effective step is clearly prevention. Careful tenant screening is obviously critical in reducing the risk of serious issues developing down the track - but with many would-be criminals already well prepared for the screening process, it’s critical to conduct regular inspections with an awareness of the signs that could point to illegal activity. For hydroponic cannabis crops, the cultivation period is three months, so alerting prospective tenants that the property will be inspected quarterly will likely send them elsewhere. With any property being used a drug lab, it’s rare that the property will also be lived in, so look closely for personal effects during the inspection. An under-furnished or generally neglected property may also be a giveaway as are spikes in water consumption. Any holes in the ceiling, windows covered with aluminium foil or other building modifications should be viewed with caution, and a check of the meter box should reveal any tampering. With illegal subletting and overcrowding on the rise in some areas, it’s worth reviewing how many people appear to be living in the property compared to those on the lease. As a property manager, it’s your role to ask questions about anything that appears suspicious - and to investigate further should the tenant’s answer fail to satisfy. Team Apma
Posted on: Tue, 26 Aug 2014 23:44:41 +0000