As a landlord or property manager you should occasionally inspect your properties either by doing a drive by and/or walk through inspections. This could save you a lot of money on basic maintenance and repairs, but it also allows you to spot illegal activity if present.

Here are a few things to look for during your inspection that may indicate illegal activity:

• If the smell of cat urine is present, but there is no cat, you may have a meth lab
• Chemical odors or a hospital smell might mean drug activity
• People smelling like cat urine, rotten teeth or brittle bones
• Check for wiring that bypasses the electric meter, this may mean you have marijuana growers
• High traffic in and out of the unit may indicate the selling of either stolen merchandise or drugs
• The tenant coming and going several times throughout the day

Dealers will often use a respectable looking person, usually a female, to rent a unit and then move in with them. Without regular inspections you may not find out until it's too late that you have a dealer. You can reduce the possibility of a drug dealer moving in by asking the applicant for a most recent pay stub verifying the company's license with local and state government, asking who will be living there and if they have a criminal record. Watch for people who say they don't have a bank account, living a wealthy lifestyle or pays cash for everything so they won't leave a paper trail. Don't become paranoid or overly cautious simply pay more attention to the clues and you won't get burned.