Use It? Lose It! – Smoking Cannabis At Home Could Lead To Evictions
A group of housing providers on Merseyside have teamed up with local authorities to combat cannabis use in rented accommodation. They have launched a campaign – ‘Use it? Lose it!’ – to warn tenants they risk being evicted from their home if they use or grow the illegal drug.
Registered housing providers including Riverside, Liverpool Mutual Homes (LMH), Plus Dane, Adactus, Cobalt, One Vision, Pier Head, Contour, Your Housing and South Liverpool Homes (SLH) are working alongside Liverpool City Council, Merseyside Police and Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service in the crackdown. Posters and leaflets will be distributed to tenants across the area as part of the initiative, which follows a series of house fires in the region caused by cannabis farms.
Donna Kelly, regional director at LHT, is leading the campaign and says: “Cannabis use in rented properties, particularly those with communal areas, can be a real nuisance to residents. Not only is it illegal, it is also often linked to other anti-social behaviour. While we are always here to offer support to residents with drug problems, we are also concerned about the impact of cannabis use on the wider community.”
“This campaign sends out a clear message to those using illegal drugs: we take this matter very seriously and will take the appropriate action to protect other residents – including eviction.”
Mark Wiggins, Liverpool local policing superintendent, adds: “Growing cannabis is not a victimless or low level crime and Merseyside Police is committed to bringing the people responsible to justice. Our communities can help us stop these groups, who are only interested in making money from turning houses and flats into potential death traps.”
“Nobody wants to live next door to these houses and we would ask that if you believe someone is using a property for this purpose, please tell us so we can take positive action and find those responsible for setting them up.”
But, according to a report in The Mirror, in the small print of every tenancy agreement there is a line that could see you evicted if you’re caught in possession of cannabis. The line: “We will not tolerate anti-social behaviour,” goes beyond vandalism or noise pollution.
The decision to smoke cannabis, according to the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), breaks three standard terms and conditions which are common to most tenancy agreements. These include: “Not using the property for illegal or immoral purposes; not consuming illegal substances; and, subject to the landlord’s consent, not smoking in the property.”
Charlotte Herring, from the UK housing association, said: “If we suspect cannabis smoking we will alert the police, in case it is part of a wider investigation, and investigate ourselves. In general, if we prove cannabis smoking, we will both give a warning and offer support to help the resident to stop.” She added that legal action is a ‘last resort’.
If you are caught, your landlord has the right to contact neighbours and housing officers for advice, issue a formal warning, notify the police, refer you to a support group, and ask the courts for a conviction order. Neighbours are encouraged, if they wish to report it, to speak to a housing officer (if the property is council-owned), or the landlord directly (if it is a private house). Landlords are encouraged to do background checks, via references, on tenants, as well as inspecting the property every quarter.
Also, under Section 8 of the Misuse of Drugs Act (1971) it is an offence to allow others to use your premises to smoke cannabis. So, even if you don’t use cannabis yourself, letting your mates skin up in your house or flat could see you evicted and/or facing criminal charges.
