‘Significant increase’ in drug contamination

PROSPECTIVE Gisborne house buyers should insist on a narcotics test because of property ‘‘contamination’’ caused by the growing prevalence of methamphetamine or P labs, say staff at law firm Nolans.

“We are encountering a significant increase in issues surrounding the impact of methamphetamine,” said practice manager Ernie White.

There were financial and health implications for home buyers, or landlords and tenants, said registered legal executive Becs Sexton. Mr White said house buyers should make sure a narcotics test and/or due diligence condition (all investigations into the property) was included in their sale and purchase agreement.

“If your contract to buy a house does not have the appropriate due diligence conditions in it and you find out that the property is contaminated, you might find you are locked into buying that house.”

It was uncertain what recourse affected parties had in the event of contamination without the appropriate due diligence conditions, he said. Home owners faced another problem in that a contaminated house could plummet in value or struggle to attract buyer interest.

Ask vendor — agents must tell youMr White said house buyers should ask vendors and/or agents about meth contamination. Failure to do so lessened the remedies available. Real estate agents had to inform prospective buyers of any known contamination.

An issue facing buyers, landlords and tenants was that Ministry of Health guidelines concerning methamphetamine did not bring clarity. Ms Sexton said basic Ministry methamphetamine guidelines of 0.5 micrograms per 100cm² was based on manufacturing the drug and might not be appropriate for a property where meth had been smoked.

Fair Go and test suitabilityTelevision programme Fair Go and other parties have questioned suitability of the tests. Massey University environmental chemist Nick Kim said the guidelines were incorrectly applied to properties where methamphetamine had been smoked, not manufactured. He believed, in such circumstances, there were no health issues.

There are no legislative standards set for testing of homes, or of tests that are conducted and the test results. Standards New Zealand is working on developing a national standard on testing and on remediation of properties.

Ms Sexton said the public should not assume contamination occurred only in houses in the lower price bracket. Contaminated houses had been found in various Gisborne suburbs, in the city, in the rural sector and across the price spectrum. A client had recently had ‘‘a close call’’ while in the process of buying ‘‘a nice house’’. Housing New Zealand data reveals 688 houses tested positive in this country for methamphetamine in 2015-2016, up 200 percent on the previous 12 months.

Case examplesMs Sexton said a case before the Tenancy Tribunal resulted in a Housing New Zealand tenant being ordered to pay $19,481 after contaminating her Christchurch state house. In another Tenancy Tribunal case, a landlord was ordered to pay $7500 to a family who rented a methamphetamine-contaminated property. The compensation helped the family to dispose of contaminated property and also included a rent refund. The Tuakau landlord said he did not know the property was contaminated.

Lyndsay Ball, of Chem Dry Chemical Commercial Cleaning, said there was “no doubt” the number of Gisborne properties found contaminated by methamphetamine was on the increase. He was reluctant to give numbers.

“There are quite a few,’’ he said.

Mr Ball attributed the increase to greater public awareness due to media coverage. He was currently working with a client who was going through great turmoil after discovering his property was contaminated. Mr Ball agreed that property values were no indicator of likely contamination. It could happen anywhere.

The decontamination process was more complex than suggested in a recent Fair Go programme, he said. His company foamed the walls of contaminated properties and ensured humidity was maintained before extraction began. The cost of the decontamination process depended on variable factors, such the size of the building and degree of contamination. It was a costly exercise. Property was decontaminated to a level that exceeded the guidelines set by the Ministry of Health, Mr Ball said.

Signs to look forMs Sexton said research showed there were signs to look for in determining whether a property had been a P lab.

History of use as a rental property.History of frequent visitors or access denied to neighbours.History of the property’s windows and curtains drawn throughout the day.Installation of surveillance equipment and “high-spec” locks and security devices.Excessive and/or high fencing.Sickly sweet or solvent smells permeating the property.Highly-discoloured ceilings and/or benches — especially in the kitchen, bathroom and garage.Staining of concrete around the outside of drain covers.Unusual wiring/plumbing fixtures, installation of fans/additional ventilation systems.Corroded rubber and/or plastic around taps and stoves.People who entered a meth lab before it had been properly cleaned and ventilated might experience headaches, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath, coughing, chest pain, lack of co-ordination, burns and even death. Risk of injury or toxicity from chemical exposure varies, depending on the toxic properties of the chemicals or by-products, their quantity and form, concentration, duration of exposure, and route of exposure.

But people living in a house where previous residents smoked methamphetamine, and where there is some evidence of low concentrations on surfaces, have minimal risks of toxicity.