7:00pm Thursday 24th July 2008
By Faith Eckersall
BEING a landlord has come a long way since the days of Rising Damp and Mr Rigsby, when anyone could make a few quid by packing an old house full of students.
Now you've got to look out for dodgy boilers, vulnerable tenants - and keep your eye out for cannabis factories, too.
More than 200 Bournemouth landlords learned the gentle art of cannabis factory detection at the borough's first-ever landlords conference earlier this month.
The council's Joanna Keats said: "I understand that cannabis factories are not a huge problem in this area but the police don't want them to be, either, so that's why they asked if they could come along and talk about how to spot one."
The signs are, according to the police, blacked-out windows, a reluctance by the tenant to allow a landlord into their property, and a lack of people living at the property or the usual signs of permanent habitation.
"The police's advice was for landlords to establish a routine of visiting the property, to ensure it's safe and get to know their tenants," she said.
Legally a landlord cannot just enter a property and must give 24 hours' notice if they want to inspect, but, says Ms Keats: "Establishing a regular visit helps you to get to know each other and gives the tenant confidence about approaching you over repairs or other difficulties."
The borough believes that almost one in five properties in the town are privately rented and wants to help less experienced landlords come to grips with new legislation involving fire regulations and other safety matters.
"We were also able to let them know what services we have to support more vulnerable people living in the community," she said. "We have floating support workers who are able to help ensure that vulnerable tenants are equipped to cope with living independently. This is useful for landlords so they know who to contact if something crops up."
The landlords' conference was so successful the council is now planning a similar event next year.
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