Testing a house for meth contamination Photo: Katy Gosset/RNZ
New regulations for methamphetamine contamination bring to an end almost a decade of uncertainty about how it should be treated - but one industry commentator says it's "turning a blind eye to casual drug use".
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has this week clarified that a rental property can be considered contaminated with methamphetamine if levels reach 15 micrograms per hundred square centimetres.
It needs to be decontaminated until levels are below that but contamination will be assessed on a room by room basis.
If levels reach 30 micrograms, landlords and tenants will have the options of ending a tenancy. Tenants can give two days' notice and landlords seven days.
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The regulations will developed by the Parliamentary Counsel Office. After this, they will require final approval by Cabinet.
Regulations are expected to be in force in 2026, but an exact date has not been set yet.
Sarina Gibbon, director at Tenancy Advisory, said it would give certainty in an area where there has been significant confusion in recent years.
In 2018, a report by Peter Gluckman said the acceptable level of meth contamination was 15mcg, ten times the national standard.
While that has often been accepted as the new threshold, the rules have not officially changed. It has been unclear in some cases what level of contamination insurers would be willing to allow a claim on.
But she said there were concerns about the new regulations.
"You could have tenants who go into a completely meth-free property, contaminate it to 14 and basically we're turning a blind eye to casual drug use.
"The government is stuck between a rock and a hard place because Gluckman is the most prevailing science around the health effects of meth to the human body and there's been no other science, no other research done to prove that Gluckman is in any way outdated or deficient."
She said it would be interesting to see how properties were dealt with when their reading was between 15 and 30. "It means the property is damaged ... but the law would let you be in it.
"I don't have a science background so I don't feel like I am the authority to say is this right, is this wrong ... most of us are just relieved that there is a standard, a common understanding and agreed terms of reference are being defined.
"I personally think it's pretty tragic that we're even talking about acceptable levels of contamination ... but we have to rely on the government and trust that they're making good judgement. They called it, they put a line in the sand."
She said it could create a two-tier environment where people expected rental properties could be contaminated at low levels with methamphetamine and nothing would be done about it.
Real Estate Institute chief executive Lizzy Ryley said it was a proportionate response to meth contamination, which balanced the protection of the landlord's asset and the cost of decontamination, with tenant safety.
She said the new regulatory framework would provide clear guidance on testing, decontamination, and handling abandoned goods in rental properties affected by meth.
"We commend Associate Minister of Housing Tama Potaka for his leadership and commitment to resolving this long-standing issue. REINZ acknowledges the collaborative approach taken by HUD and Minister Potaka in listening to industry feedback and progressing this important reform.
"The introduction of clear standards and processes will give tenants, landlords and property managers much greater confidence and certainty," she said.
The NZ Property Investors Federation also welcomed the regulations.
"The new rules seem sensible and will provide certainty to everyone in the rental property sector," spokesperson Matt Ball said.
"The key change is setting a level of methamphetamine residue at which a rental property will be considered contaminated and must be cleaned. Currently there is no regulated level, only guidance, which causes confusion, worry and unnecessary stress and expense.
"Dealing with a contaminated rental property can be one of the most stressful and costly things a landlord has to handle. The proposed regulations should make a bad situation easier to deal with. We welcome the changes and look forward to the regulations coming into effect in 2026."
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