Landlords have been warned they could have unwittingly fallen victim to an organised drug ring as police work to uncover more clandestine cannabis grow houses they believe have been set up in rental properties across the ACT.
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Police say recent raids uncovered the most extensive grow house network in the capital's history and disrupted a highly sophisticated drug syndicate that had operated in the ACT for up to six months.
Investigators believed the same organised crime group was behind eight hydroponic set ups, which together contained 912 plants worth an estimated $6 million, and signalled many more property owners could have been affected.
ACT Policing said this week owners were "very distraught" to discover their homes had been used by the alleged criminals and faced an anxious wait to learn whether they would have to foot the bill for repairs.
One of those landlords revealed the extent of the damage exclusively to The Sunday Canberra Times as he warned other property owners to be vigilant for suspicious activity.
Real Estate Institute of the ACT spokesman Craig Bright said the grow house network was the most well-planned and extensive he was aware of in the capital and believed there would be many more victims.
"I'd be highly surprised if there weren't others; though to what extent we won't know."
Kevin* and his wife privately rented the north Canberra house they owned to a group of four men after they listed it online in February this year.
The pair later became suspicious when the tenants insisted they pay their rent in cash and became increasingly difficult to contact.
They also noticed there were always cars parked out the front during the day and the blinds were constantly shut.
Police swooped on the property as part of Operation Armscote on Wednesday.
More than 90 cannabis plants were seized from the house but no arrests were made in relation to that set-up. Police have so far charged six men in relation to the alleged drug ring.
Kevin said the discovery had been "a bit scary" and his wife was "shocked and traumatised" to learn their home had been trashed.
Carpet was ripped up, holes torn in the ceiling and walls, dozens of extension cords and wire chains hung from the ceilings and wall cavities. Large pots and containers of chemicals were strewn throughout the house.
"It's not all about the money," Kevin said. "We lived here for three years and our first child grew up here; we had all good memories.
The couple purchased landlord and tenants insurance only a week before the raids and had yet to find out whether they would be covered for the damage. Kevin roughly guessed it could be more than $30,000.
"We felt so many things were weird but we just didn't take further action. We thought the human nature was not that bad."
"If we had any knowledge of this we could have found out very early and we could have stopped it all."
Mr Bright said he extent of the damage could mean landlords would need to enlist a forensic cleaning company and there was a very real possibility they could be considered stigmatised properties.
Mr Bright urged landlords to enlist a property manager rather than list properties online to ensure accountability and legal compliance.
He believed many of the affected landlords had entered into a "fairly casual agreement" and wouldn't have the correct paperwork they would need to make an insurance claim.
"There's never a foolproof method but these people are very exposed."
"There have certainly been circumstances where insurance companies haven't honoured claims based on the activities that have taken place at the homes."
*not his real name.
Information to Crime Stoppers, 1800 333 000 or at act.crimestoppers.com.au.
