Private landlords call for compensation over meth standards

Private landlords are calling for compensation for pointlessly remediating their rental properties. Photo / NZ Herald

Private landlords say they should also be compensated for being forced to rely on a meth contamination level now found to be safe for their rental properties.

"There is no doubt that how Ministry of Health guidelines were interpreted by councils and government departments meant that landlords, including Housing New Zealand, were required to take action against meth 'contamination'," NZ Property Investors' Federation (NZPIF) executive officer Andrew King said.

"We were told that we were irresponsible and uncaring if we didn't and the cost to our industry has been enormous."

"Rental property owners have been forced to spend millions of dollars on testing for meth and many unlucky souls spent tens of thousands cleaning their properties when microscopic levels of meth were discovered.

"If it is fair and reasonable to compensate state house tenants for the way meth guidelines were implemented in New Zealand then it is fair and reasonable that private rental property owners, who are tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket, should also be compensated," King said.

Housing New Zealand has said it will reimburse tenants who were left out of pocket by its previously punitive approach to meth contamination in its houses.

A report by HNZ shows 800 tenants were kicked out of their state houses for meth contamination and 542 tenants were charged nearly $7 million in total for meth contamination between 2013 and 2018.

HNZ spent $120m on decontaminating and restoring properties, and demolished 40, while using a meth standard now found to be safe.

HNZ chief executive Andrew McKenzie estimated tenants would receive $2500 to $3000 for reimbursements of costs such as destruction of furniture and moving costs.

Housing Minister Phil Twyford ruled out compensation for private landlords.

"All the decisions that landlords make about how they will handle the meth issue, they are theirs to make."

The government standard published in 2017 was a guide only, he said.

"The Government has no plans to provide compensation for private landlords or other tenants."