Renters warned of P drug risk

Rental tenants in Wanganui could unwittingly move into a house that has been a methamphetamine (P) lab and put themselves and their families at serious risk.
A young father about to move into a rental property said he had been told by friends to beware as it had been a P party house.
The man, who didn't want to named, said he had been so worried he had wanted the house checked out. He had gone to the internet, found the New Zealand Drug Detection Agency and was able to order an amphetamine detection kit for $30.
He said the landlord had said he knew nothing of P users living at the house and had been happy for him to take the kit and check the house.
To the man's horror the house tested positive for methamphetamine cooking.
"I felt really sorry for the landlord. He was so upset. I don't what the clean-up costs are but I know they don't come cheap. He told me he will let me know how it goes so at this stage I don't know if we'll be moving in or not."
Wanganui property manager Tracey Onishenko said when the prospective tenant had told her what had happened it had scared her. "I have no idea how to tell whether a house has been used to cook P. I think property managers and landlords in Wanganui need to do a course on how methamphetamine cooking can be detected in a house. Our tenants need to be safe and we need to ensure they are."
Ms Onishenko said she was going to call a meeting of property managers and landlords in Wanganui to discuss bringing in a seminar course from the New Zealand Drug Detection Agency (NZDDA).
Detective Inspector Chris Bensemann said the reality was amphetamine use and the cooking of P was happening throughout New Zealand. "It is happening in every small town and city in the country it would be naive of anyone to think otherwise."
People involved in selling and renting properties in Wanganui should definitely know how to recognise the signs of methamphetamine cooking.
"I would say it's absolutely necessary."
Methamphetamine use is a multimillion-dollar industry in New Zealand, he said.
"The more people know the signs of P having been cooked in a house the better. I would hate to see any family moving into a property contaminated with such dangerous and toxic chemicals."
The detection agency NZDDA operates throughout New Zealand and has a central North Island agency in Palmerston North.
Central operations manager Jason Trembath said the agency offered seminars particularly suitable for groups such as property managers, real estate agencies, councils and other groups involved in property management.
"We've been holding seminars with real estate groups from Taranaki through to Palmerston North. We haven't been asked to come to Wanganui so I think what Tracey's doing is excellent."
Mr Trembath said methamphetamine was evil. It was everywhere throughout New Zealand and it didn't look like disappearing any time soon.
Once methamphetamine had been cooked up in a house it permeated into linings and it could cost thousands of dollars to clean a house so that it was safe to live in again.
"People working in property need to be aware of what signs to look for it's very important with so much of it about."
 
DRUG SIGNS
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
- Stained carpets.
- Splatters of red and brown on walls and floors.
- Acid and alkaline burns on carpet.
- Stain discolouration in sinks.
- Strange odours.
HOW TO SPOT A P HOUSE
- Windows and curtains are closed often.
- There are strange comings and goings.
- Discarded chemical containers outside.
COST OF THE CLEAN-UP
- The cost to decontaminate a P house can range anywhere from $200 to $20,000-plus depending on the extent of contamination.
- Redecorating is additional.