Pubdate: Wed, 11 May 2005
Source: Richmond News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005, Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc.
Contact:  http://www.richmond-news.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1244
Author: Nelson Bennett
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

CITY WANTS LANDLORDS HELD LIABLE

If you rent a house or apartment in Richmond, you may be seeing more 
frequent inspections by your landlord.

And if you are a landlord, you could be on the hook for thousands of 
dollars in policing, remediation and inspection costs if your property is 
ever busted as a marijuana grow operation.

City hall is putting the finishing touches on a new bylaw that will put 
much greater responsibility on landlords to make sure their properties are 
not used as grow-ops, and - if they are - will force them to pay the full 
costs of policing and building inspections.

Mayor Malcolm Brodie said it's important for the city to "place the 
responsibility for the grow-ops back on the property owners where I think 
it belongs."

But some property owners in Richmond say the proposed bylaw will place too 
much responsibility on them, and not near enough on the criminal.

"Any tools that are given that assist us, of course, are welcome," says 
Jennifer Hillman, vice-president of Gold Team Management Services, a local 
property management company. "However, I would love to see some kinds of 
tools not just penalizing landlords, but actually assisting us in 
identifying and removing the illegal activities. The homeowner is being 
punished for someone doing something illegal in their home."

City council discussed the bylaw Monday. Councillors support it, but sent 
it back to staff because they want a provision included that will give 
property owners a chance to appeal the new charges.

Councillors said the new regulations should make landlords more vigilant.

The bylaw will require all landlords to inspect their rental properties at 
least every three months.

If they don't, and if a grow-op is found on their property, they will be 
obliged to pay the full bill for policing, as well as remediation costs, 
which could run into the thousands.

If they do inspect their premises at least every three months, and if they 
find a grow-op and notify the city and police, then they will not be stuck 
with the policing bill, said Don Pearson, manager of community bylaws.

"If you have done your due diligence ... you're not on the hook," he said.

Hillman said frequent inspections may not sit well with some renters.

"I don't want to put my tenants in the position where they feel I am 
infringing on their right to quiet use and enjoyment of their property."

There are so many marijuana growing operations in B.C., that police can 
hardly keep up. Convictions are so hard to get, Richmond RCMP won't charge 
people busted for a grow-op unless there is a strong likelihood of a 
conviction, a city staff report says.

Council hopes that the new bylaw - which is similar to ones in other B.C. 
municipalities - will help police combat the proliferation of both grow-ops 
and meth labs.

Police in Richmond investigated 187 incidents of potential marijuana 
grow-ops last year, and executed 68 warrants.

If a bust in East Richmond in March is any indication, grow-ops are 
becoming more sophisticated than ever.

In the last week of March, RCMP found a massive marijuana growing operation 
in 19 units of the 90-unit townhouse complex of Cranberry Lane in East 
Richmond.

Nanette Charest, property manager for Edmonton-based Carrington Properties, 
which owns the Cranberry Lane townhouses, said the company is already 
losing $40,000 a month in rental income as a result of the bust, and 
policing costs would be doubly unfair, she said.

"The landlord is not doing the illegal activity," she said. "This is not a 
landlord issue - this is a policing issue."
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