Landlords are being hit with huge clean up bills when tenants use their properties as meth labs. A simple clean-up, including pre-clean and post-clean lab tests will set you back between $3,000 and $5,000 if the property has been contaminated by ice users. That is, your tenants have been smoking the drug in various areas of the house rather than producing the meth in what’s often known as a clan lab (clandestine laboratory).
However, once they begin cooking up a batch or two of their preferred poison, the clean-up costs will escalate. From mere tens of thousands to replace wall linings, floor coverings, appliances and white-ware, to the cost of having the property demolished and re-built if it can’t be adequately cleaned to below safe levels. NSW police estimate that that is 10 houses per year on average in NSW alone.
Then take into account legal costs to recover what damages you can from the tenant, lost rental revenue, reduced property value, and the fact that your house will be forever pointed out by helpful neighbours to anyone moving in as ‘the meth house’.
If you don’t think that this could affect you as a landlord or property manager because you feel that your tenants are nice and wouldn’t do that sort of thing, then why are so many owners being caught out. You may have a ‘NO PETS’ policy for your rentals. Why? Because you don’t want to take the risk of someone else’s loveable pet cat or pooch damaging your investment. So why would you take the risk that they may or may not use meth in your property?
Around 65% of meth labs are found in rental properties
One Clarence Valley landlord found out first-hand just how much it could affect her life after a drug bust revealed her tenants were allegedly involved in the manufacturing of ice.
Despite never having any association with the drug, the lengths she had to go to for her house to be declared safe for habitation left her about $30,000 out of pocket.
According to the Australian Crime Commission’s latest Illicit Drug Data Report, the majority of clandestine laboratories continue to be detected in residential areas, with increased detections in public places, rural and commercial/industrial locations in 2014–15. The proportion of addict-based clandestine laboratories detected in 2014–15 increased to 60.9 per cent.
“It’s been quite overwhelming,” the Clarence Valley landlord said.
“I don’t think its something that most people would think about when they begin to lease out a property, that it would become a drub lab. I definitely didn’t.”
By including a clause in the Tenancy Agreement that says you will conduct meth testing on a regular basis and that the tenant will be help liable for any clean-up costs, you are already putting a deterrent in place. Just make sure that you have tested prior to letting so that you know that the property is clean, and do conduct tests during the tenancy so that your tenants know that you are serious.
There are now calls for mandatory meth testing of all homes put up for rent or sale. This is unlikely to be mandated which leaves it up to individuals to decide whether they take the risk or take the cautious approach and conduct testing on their properties.
This also goes for people planning to rent. You wouldn’t want to risk your family’s health by moving into a new home only to find that everyone is getting sick from the elevated levels of meth contamination. Yes, it does happen.
Don’t take the risk. If you’re a landlord, you should be testing prior to letting and at the end of the tenancy at the very least. If you want to ensure that your investment is protected throughout the tenancy, include that testing clause in the agreement and make sure that your tenants know you are serious by doing some tests.
For tenants, don’t risk moving into a meth contaminated house. Don’t take the landlords word that it’s clean either. They may not know or not want to know. Do your own tests before moving in and be certain. If the property is badly contaminated and you move in, not only are your risking your family’s health, but you may very well have to dump all of your furnishings, kids toys, and items that have become contaminated as well.
Property Managers, you have an obligation to your clients to protect their property. That’s what they pay you for and this includes protection from meth contamination damage. Will an owner be happy if you report that his property needs to be contaminated because you failed to ensure that it was tested regularly?
Make meth testing part of your “Property Investment Protection Plan”. For less than $100 you can conduct a thorough test of all likely contaminated areas of a 4 or 5 bedroom house including garage and/or workshop using Narcotect D4D PenTest drug test kits. For more regular testing, the Narcotect Field Test Kit contained in a hard-wearing carry case will be your best option.
