Community Forum

I have a tenant who is suspected to be dealing drugs at one of our units. From the testimony of the other tenants, I am almost certain he is dealing. Since I can't evict based on heresay, how have others dealt with this problem? FYI, the local police don't seem to have much motivation to try and stop this man as they say there are "bigger fish to fry."

Have you considered utilizing a security guard? Often times just teh mere presence of others watching will make the dealers nervous and want to leave the property.

Deb

Sometimes a quite conversation helps. i.e. Tell the tenant who is dealing - LIsten i heard through the grape vine that the cops are getting ready to raid the place. I don't know if you are doing something, and quite frankly i don't care but if you are and you stick around bad things are going to happen.

It usally works pretty good.

The advice from Jesse was very good, but there are other things you can try as well.

First, it is surprising how many dealers don't pay their rent on time. You'd think with the extra cash that wouldn't be a problem, but it frequently is. When they are late, file your 3-day notice and when it expires send them immediately to eviction.

Second, get neighbors or staff to sign statements telling how they are disturbing others. Dealers almost always have noise complaints. You can evict them for disturbances.

Another: when doing preventive maintenance or pest control, or any other properly noticed inspection, check for drug items that have been left in plain view. If you see these, remain in the unit and call 911. That eviction should be simple. Drug people often leave some of their stuff out in the open.

Another: ask them politely to leave. Tell them you have had reports that they are involved in drug related activity and before an eviction is needed it would be better for all concerned it they would just sign an "Agreement to Vacate" and then leave as specified. This way they can avoid an eviction court record and associated costs.

Another item would be to install additional exterior lighting in the area of this unit making it more uncomfortable for them to do business.

Another ideas would be to recheck their criminal background (depending on the type of release they signed) to see if anything new has come in that would allow an eviction.

See if they lied about anything on their application, which, depending on your application form, may allow you to evict them.

I hope one of these ideas may help.

Yours,

Kevin Grail, CPM

It's not too simple. I received notification from the district attorney's office a few years back that one of my tenants had been dealing and that it was my job to evict them or face the city taking the property away. You need to be careful on both sides of the coin. If someone gets hurt from the dealings going on there could be extra potential liability. Consult with an attorney or better yet the D.A. of your city.

Local police is suppose to "Protect and Serve". It's best to keep in touch with local authorities so they'll realize it is a big concern. Here are a few steps that may help:

Do not confront a suspected drug dealer or user. People under the influence of a narcotic can suffer from hallucination, paranoia, and other adverse reactions from drug uses.

If confronted by a drug dealer or user, contact 911 immediately.
If you suspect someone is dealing drugs in your neighborhood you should contact your local Narcotics division and ask to file a complaint.

Information needed to help investigators with your complaint include:
Location: Exact address (if possible) or description of location.

Suspects: Names - full names, any personal information will help.

Description: Height, weight , hair color, eye color, complexion, type of clothing usually worn, ethnic background.

Vehicles: License plate numbers (Hawaii, California, etc.) of any vehicles used by the suspects, description of the vehicles (color, 2 or 4 doors, etc.).

Drugs: Type of drug that you believe is being sold or used.

Activity: What type of activity is happening to make you believe that possible drug dealing is occurring.

Vehicles coming and going at all hours
Loud parties all the time
People coming and going frequently

Date & Time: Note the time that the illegal activity is occurring. (Try to be accurate. Example: During the morning hours between 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. This help the investigator.)

Contact number: Complaints can be made anonymously, but a name and contact number can help the investigator greatly. All information should be kept confidential.