Methamphetamine Update

Until the government changes the standard, contamination over the current 1.5mg/100cm2 limit will trigger a landlord insurance claim.

It is concerning that the Real Estate Agents Authority moved so quickly to only declaring limits over 15mg/100cm2. Continue to do your due diligence when purchasing property as contaminated homes (over 1.5mg/100cm) are untenantable and uninsurable.

Status quo remains at Tenancy Tribunal post-Gluckman report

The Tenancy Tribunal has published its first orders on methamphetamine since the Gluckman report sent shockwaves through New Zealand last month.

The orders have been eagerly anticipated after the Prime Minister’s former Chief Science Advisor published a report last month saying that there was no evidence third-hand exposure to methamphetamine caused adverse health effects.

As a result, Housing New Zealand and the Real Estate Agents Authority quickly established new contamination levels of 15 micrograms/100cm2 for their businesses.

But it appears the status quo will remain at the Tenancy Tribunal until the Government establishes new ‘official’ standards in this contentious area.

All six orders published since the Gluckman report was released on May 29 follow Standards New Zealand’s NZS 8510:2017, which has a contamination level of 1.5mg/100cm2.

Only one Tenancy Tribunal order, application number 4128761, referenced the Gluckman report.

“There is currently some debate about the health impact of methamphetamine however I agree that the use of premises for an unlawful purpose is something to be discouraged,” the adjudicator wrote.

So it appears it’s business as usual for landlords and property managers until any legislative changes are made in this space.

For more information, read the full tenancy.co.nz article here.