stuff.co.nz – Housing NZ puts off property sale over meth concerns

30 May 2016 – Author: Selina Powell – Source: stuff.co.nz

The sale of a Housing New Zealand property is in limbo over concerns it has been contaminated with methamphetamine.

Viewings of the four-bedroom house in Blenheim were suspended last Tuesday after a prospective buyer claimed the house was contaminated with meth.

A Housing New Zealand spokeswoman confirmed the sale of the Lucas St property was put on hold on Friday and an urgent test of the property for methamphetamine was conducted on Monday.

The prospective buyer who alerted Housing New Zealand to the contamination issue had not provided details about what testing they had carried out on the property, the spokeswoman said.

Until staff had viewed the results of their own tests they could not provide further detail about the contamination status of the property, she said.

“Once we have our own testing done, we will know the facts of the situation and we can make a decision about the future of this property.”

The results of the Housing New Zealand meth test were expected by the end of the week, the spokeswoman said.

A policy introduced at the beginning of May required all Housing New Zealand properties to be checked for meth contamination before sale.

The Blenheim property was listed for sale on May 3, after the policy was implemented.

However, a Housing New Zealand spokeswoman said the process started before the new rule kicked in.

Housing New Zealand only tested rental properties if there was a suspicion they had been contaminated either by meth use or cooking.

If test results revealed that meth levels were above Ministry of Health guidelines, then the property would be decontaminated, she said.

“If a property is positive with levels above that of the guidelines we would not allow tenants to remain living in the property.”

A prospective buyer, who did not want to be named, said she was told she could not visit the Lucas St property before a meth test was carried out.

She said it was a shame to see vacant Housing New Zealand properties in Blenheim.

“I think there’s an urgent need for homes for families out there and they shouldn’t be sitting empty.”

Figures from Housing New Zealand showed the state housing provider had made $1.39 million in sales of Marlborough state homes over the past two years.

Of the 25 Housing New Zealand properties sitting vacant in the region, 13 state homes were for sale while a further six vacant properties were undergoing methamphetamine decontamination.

Nationally, data gathered by Labour revealed the Government had 129 officials working on its policy to sell off state homes and had paid consultants $26.7m to provide advice on the project.

During a speech at REAP House in Blenheim on Friday, Marlborough police community constable Russ Smith said methamphetamine was easier to get in Marlborough than cannabis following successful police operations to crack down on cannabis cultivation.

The drug was a contributing factor in many arrests in the Marlborough region, Smith said.