Public Housing meth contamination clean-up bill tops $21m
16 September 2016 –
The cost to the New Zealand tax payer for testing, cleaning and repairing meth contaminated state housing has risen $18m to $21m over the past year, according to this news story.
The bill has been steadily rising too from $2.9m last year up from $700,000 the year before that. This doesn’t include the cost of the 13 houses that have been demolished over the last 3 years due such high levels of contamination that they cannot be cleaned to a safe level.
“If a tenant is responsible for the contamination, we will terminate their tenancy and suspend them from living in one of our properties for up to one year.”
The agency said it took a “suspicion-based approach” to testing its tenanted properties for meth.
“This may take the form of information received from the New Zealand police, complaints from neighbours, or observations by tenancy managers or maintenance contractors. In some cases, a current tenant may complain of health issues and ask for their property to be tested.” said Housing NZ in a media statement.
Such is the prevalence of meth use and manufacture in public housing that it would be naive to think that this isn’t also happening in the private housing sector at similar levels.
This means that the house you may be considering to buy for your family or as an investment may be meth contaminated and the only way to confirm this is by conducting surface testing throughout the house.
Once you buy the problem, you own the problem and the cost of lab testing, cleaning and replacement of meth-damaged carpets, curtains and appliances could run into tens of thousands of dollars.
Similarly, if you are planning to rent a property, don’t risk your health and the costs associated with having to move again if it’s contaminated. Conduct a simple, inexpensive surface drug test and know whether the property is safe or not.
How do I test a house for meth/ice?
A simple swab test will provide you with an indicative result within seconds. Not only does the Narcotect D4D PenTest detect most of the common illegal drugs, including ice, cannabis, ecstasy and others, but also several of the precursor ingredients used in the manufacture of ice.
We suggest 4 Narcotect D4D PenTest surface test kits for an average 3 or 4 bedroom house. Get piece of mind that you’re not buying or renting a potentially costly and health-risking property for less than $100.