Tips for Landlords on Keeping Dealers Out

How can landlords ensure that rental properties do not turn into drug houses?

San Diego police and assistant city attorneys acknowledge that landlords must respect tenants’ rights and cannot barge into homes and order people out merely because they suspect the occupants of dealing drugs or other crimes.

But they suggest a number of specific actions landlords can take.

Lt. Dan Berglund, head of the police Narcotics Street Team and chairman of the San Diego Drug Abatement Task Force, said nothing is more important than the careful screening of prospective tenants.

“If they verify an applicant’s background and find out where they lived before and verify that too, it will solve a lot of problems,” Berglund said. “It will keep a lot of bad people out.”

Watch for Warning Signs

Joseph M. Schilling, a deputy city attorney who helped create the Drug Abatement Task Force, said property owners should also be aware of subtle warning signs that can serve as clues that a potential tenant is undesirable.

“If a guy pays $2,000 in cash up front at the beginning, the landowner thinks, ‘Great!’ ” Schilling said. “But that should be a tip-off.”

Berglund and Schilling offered several more tips on how property owners can protect their rental homes and apartments from turning into illegal drug houses:

- Be very explicit in working out rental agreements and include a provision in the lease that calls for immediate eviction of the tenants if drug dealing occurs on the premises.

- If the rental property is a large apartment building, hire a residential manager who can be trusted to alert you about any suspected criminal activity.

- Visit the tenants and inspect the inside of the property at least once a year.

- Make a point of occasionally driving by the property to see if there are any glaring signs that all is not well inside.

- Give your phone number to neighbors and encourage them to call you if they observe problems. Also, check with the police to see if officers have been dispatched to the house.