Routine testing seen as the way to curb meth use in rental properties

9 September 2016 –

After discovering that 70% of rental properties in just one area were contaminated by meth, a private investigation and meth testing company have determined that only routine testing by landlords and property managers is going to curb the damage to property caused by the use of this drug.

Often, drug users will invite other users to join them in a ‘session’. So not only do you have just the tenants smoking ice in your house, but several of their mates as well. A favourite method of using is what’s referred to as ‘hot boxing’. This is where a number of users get to get together in a smaller room, close the doors and windows, and smoke meth. This means that they all share the vapour and get the most ‘value’ out of it.

Unfortunately, this also ensures that this room becomes heavily contaminated with meth residue which is absorbed into walls, carpets and furnishings. So if you were moving into this house, and the signs of contamination were not obvious, how would you know?

There have been many cases of families, and especially children, becoming ill for no apparent reason after moving into a new home. Cases of asthma, skin rashes, allergies, sleeplessness, and headaches which were never suffered before are being experienced. Only after testing has it been discovered that there are readings of contamination, from meth and the chemicals used in it’s manufacture, that significantly exceed Government Health Department safe-levels.

According to Rod Moratti, of Methtec Limited,

“People are largely restricted to using methamphetamine in the privacy of their homes or at parties that take place in homes.

“This means that if every property is rigorously tested between sales and tenancies, there will be enforceable financial implications for allowing ice to be manufactured or used in your home.”

His reasoning is that if property owners allow meth to be used in their property, either knowingly or not, they will be required to spend thousands of dollars in clean-up costs before the property can be sold or re-let. This would provide the incentive to ensure that the property is kept meth-free and the only way to do that is by routine testing, either at just the start and end of a tenancy, or more effectively, during the tenancy as well. This would introduce a deterrent factor that would hopefully discourage the tenant from using meth inside the home.

“If every landlord and property manager takes up the challenge to protect their properties, we will severely restrict the opportunities for people to do meth.”

For more on this story, click here.

Until recently, home testing has been pretty expensive. The most common way to have a test conducted was to hire a company who performs the testing and a week later, provides a report on their findings. Not only has this cost a minimum of $200 for a basic test, but most companies only test a small area per the Government Meth Lab Clean-up Guidelines. This does not give a true indication of whether meth contamination is present unless the small area (100 square centimetres) is contaminated. And you have to endure several days of further worry waiting for their report

Now, you can do your own home surface meth test covering a far bigger area than the lab tests for a significantly lower cost. Testing the average 3 or 4 bedroom house should cost less than $100, and the results are available in less than 90 seconds.

Remember, at this stage, you only want to determine whether there may be meth residue present. If a test indicates a negative, you can be assured that it’s clean. If a test indicates positive, you will need to have further lab-verified testing carried out to determine that the substance is definitely meth and what level of contamination is present.

Simple, inexpensive and reliable home meth test kits are available from Narcotect at less than $20 per kit. We suggest that 4 kits be used in an average house which will allow testing of up to 4 areas giving a reliable overview of the property’s health.

For more information on how to purchase the Narcotect meth surface test kit click here.