Local Focus: 'If it seems too cheap, it probably is'

Meth decontaminator's words of wisdom. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

Mike Williams' company Anpure is one of just a handful contracted by Housing New Zealand to take on the messy work of methamphetamine decontamination.

"There's a lot of demand for what we do however there's not many people who can do it properly," Williams says.

"It's something that we really specialise in and we're passionate about. Unfortunately, because there is so much demand, every man and his dog is picking up a hammer and saying they can decontaminate a house and the results prove otherwise."

In an attempt to stop the cowboys, the Government, in June, issued a voluntary standard for those who test and carry out the decontamination.

But Williams says not everyone will follow those guidelines, including some landlords.

"Normally from our experience, they are looking for the cheapest quote. They're not looking at the methodology, they're not looking at what you're doing, they just want that clear result."

He says it's often landlords who are looking for a quick sell or want to put in new tenants as soon as possible.

Property managers Oxygen have formed their own policy around methamphetamine testing.

Tai Kekena of Oxygen says landlords now have to opt out formally and in writing, to avoid having their property tested before and after a tenancy.

"Peace of mind for both tenants and landlords," Kekena says.

Oxygen is one of a handful of companies creating their own policies to fill what they see as a vacuum created by the new standard.

"We have a responsibility to our clients and to our tenants so that we have a quality property to rent to them. So it's not just a double garage in the back blocks of somewhere - it's quality."

Standards New Zealand acknowledges there will be a lead-in time before most people are adhering, as Oxygen is, to the new standard.

And until then these are Williams' words of wisdom: "If it seems too cheap it probably is."

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