Tenant Kicked Out after Leaving Cannabis on Table during Open House

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]T[/dropcap]here is a time and place for cannabis, but a home viewing open house is probably not one of them. Tenant Anthony Kenneth Murrell of Palmerston North, New Zealand, was kicked out of his home after he left cannabis plants on the table during the home viewing of the open house at his current residence. 

Property owner Ravindra Pal Singh put the home up for sale on the housing market while Murrell was still living in the house. Murrell rented a cottage back house. Singh was shocked to hear that two potential groups of homebuyers mentioned there were cannabis plants. Upon inspection, the plants were plainly visible to see and sitting on a table.

The agent showing the house took photos of the plants and reported the incident to the Tenancy Tribunal and also mentioned that early, another cannabis plant was found growing in a bucket. “Murrell must have come into the house at some stage during the open home because by the time the house was locked up, they were gone,” Singh told The New Zealand Herald. Singh found a mysterious cord leading to the garage, but Murrell said it was for a house party. Singh later saw the cord still connected, which led her to find plants growing inside a cupboard in the garage with the assistance from “a very high-power heating and lighting system”.

Singh found 20 immature plants growing on the property. Shortly later, he found an additional 15 plants. Singh gave Murrell the option of moving out within a month to avoid any charges from police, but that plan didn’t work out. An adjudicator ruled that Murrell was in breach of the Residential Tenancies Act by cultivating cannabis and that he was liable for $510 in unpaid rent. Meanwhile, the first legal cannabis cultivation license in New Zealand was granted last August. Currently a legalization referendum is also underway to legalize recreational cannabis in the country.