Steve Hart: Meth test rort exposed

Light shone on an industry that has cost home owners lots of money and lots of stress. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

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A year ago the Herald reported on the meth-testing industry and questioned the criteria used to pull houses apart to 'make them safe' to live in.

We shone a light on an industry that has cost home owners lots of money, lots of stress, and in some cases led to much-needed State homes being taken off the list of available property. (You can read Greg Fleming's report online here).

Fact is, you are just as likely to come into contact with meth contamination on banknotes as you are on the walls of a home.

There was no real surprise when a report from the Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor Peter Gluckman found that New Zealand had made a "leap in logic" in setting standards to clean houses where meth had been smoked.

Will the government compensate the owners of homes that were deemed to be contaminated? I doubt it. It's a shame that homes were deemed uninhabitable due to a hint of meth, but damp homes that really do pose health issues are given the all-clear.

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We also explore why some landlords have such a bad name among tenants and how some firms offering discounts for insulating your home are rorting the system when it comes to government subsidies — leaving home-owners no better off.

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