A tenant in Espoo grew cannabis plants inside his rental apartment for years. The successful cultivation required much higher humidity levels than typically found in Finnish apartment buildings during winter months.
The man used humidifiers in his unit apparently for several years. Police discovered the extensive grow operation during another investigation in August 2022. Officers found three cannabis plants in the apartment at that time.
Law enforcement launched a drug crime investigation into the man born in 1976. During the police operation, the landlord Espoon Asunnot discovered what their long-term tenant had caused.
The small apartment was dirty but not exceptionally messy. However, it had unusually high humidity levels. Walls and ceilings showed widespread darkening, and ceiling spray coatings had largely detached.
The property owner called in a drying company to inspect the entire unit. Professionals delivered a harsh verdict: microbial damage covered walls and ceilings throughout nearly the entire apartment. The ceiling was 85 percent damaged.
According to their report, long-term excessive moisture caused the destruction. The former tenant faced charges for aggravated criminal damage and drug offenses.
The drug charge involved only three plants because evidence didn't support longer cultivation activity. The main charge was aggravated criminal damage.
The prosecutor stated the tenant caused apartment damage through negligence between 2015 and 2022. He must have noticed the moisture causing damage over this extended period.
The severity of his conduct was highlighted by his failure to report the damage to the landlord at any point.
Espoon Asunnot demanded over 50,000 euros in compensation to restore the apartment to normal living conditions. The now 49-year-old man admitted the charges were correct.
He requested reducing compensation to one-third, citing the parties' very different financial situations. The District Court of Western Uusimaa found the charges proven and sentenced the man to nine months of conditional imprisonment.
He had no prior criminal record. The court refused to reduce compensation because the damage resulted from such prolonged negligence.
The convicted man must pay Espoon Asunnot Oy 54,243 euros plus late payment interest totaling approximately 17,000 euros additional. Espoon Asunnot Oy is fully owned by the city of Espoo and manages about 17,000 rental apartments.
It ranks as Finland's fourth largest landlord by apartment count after Helsinki City Housing, SATO, and Lumo. This case shows how hidden activities in rental properties can cause extensive structural damage that goes unnoticed for years.