Making meth testing easier

Concerns about the costs of meth testing rental properties could be alleviated by a DIY plan being suggested by landlord advocates.

Tuesday, October 3rd 2017, 4:00PM

by Miriam Bell

Recent Crockers research into the risks facing property investors shows that, as compared to 2016, investors’ concerns about meth contamination have noticeably declined.

However, 25% of investors still listed meth contamination as a risk to their rental properties in the research and public concern over the issue remains high.

This year has seen some significant advances in the drive to better manage meth contamination of rental properties.

The long-awaited new meth testing and decontamination standard is finally in place.

Additionally, legislation which would give landlords the right to test for meth and enable tenancy agreements to be terminated when levels are unsafe is currently going through Parliament.

Now the NZ Property Investors Federation wants to make the meth testing process faster and easier for landlords.

NZPIF executive officer Andrew King said landlords should be able to conduct their own initial meth tests on a property using lower-cost DIY testing kits but in the presence of a witness.

This would allow them to determine whether meth was present in the property or not and, if it was, at that point a professional testing company could be called in to do full testing.

King, who was on the committee that developed the new standard, said the new standard allowed for landlords to do their own testing.

But to do so the landlord would have to be trained to do it properly and they would need to use an approved test kit to do the testing.

Under the standard, training would require completion of a registered NZQA unit standard to demonstrate competence in carrying out the approved screening methods.

King said the size of the NZPIF’s membership base means they are able to do deals with providers to offer lower cost options to members.

“So instead of members going off for individual training at whatever the cost we would be looking at getting the core providers to come and provide training to members as a group, in bulk.

“The same with testing kits. It would be much the same as some of the deals we have offered in the past with insulation, for example.”

The Insurance Council, which was also on the committee that developed the new standard, has indicated that it would support this approach, King added.

“Insurers want as much meth testing done as possible because they want to keep claims for meth contamination down.”

Earlier this year, insurance giant IAG released an e-book on meth contamination, which offers advice and tips for people unsure of what to do in different circumstances.

It has also introduced policy wording changes to ensure consistency and clarity on levels of insurance cover for property owners, including landlords.

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