As if private landlords don’t need another example of why they should get out of providing rental housing this should give them the incentive. Meet the tenant from hell.
“A New Lynn landlord says methamphetamine-related damage by a tenant was so bad they had to take out a mortgage and delay their retirement to pay for the cleanup.
The tenant, Catherine Anderson, has now been ordered by the Tenancy Tribunal to pay $11,050 to Bharti Budhia, the owner of the Golf Rd property.
The level of contamination in one of the rooms was six times higher than the new threshold recommended in a landmark report last year.”
Otago Daily Times
Good luck with getting reimbursement from his methamphetamine loving ex-tenant who is probably incapable of holding down a job.
The toxic effects of methamphetamine on the human body are numerous.
SHORT-TERM EFFECTS:
Loss of appetite
Increased heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature
Dilation of pupils
Disturbed sleep patterns
Nausea
Bizarre, erratic, sometimes violent behavior
Hallucinations, hyperexcitability, irritability
Panic and psychosis
Convulsions, seizures and death from high doses
LONG-TERM EFFECTS
Permanent damage to blood vessels of heart and brain,
high blood pressure leading to heart attacks, strokes and death
Liver, kidney and lung damage
Destruction of tissues in nose if sniffedRespiratory (breathing) problems if smoked
Infectious diseases and abscesses if injected
Malnutrition, weight loss
Severe tooth decayDisorientation, apathy, confused exhaustion
Strong psychological dependence
PsychosisDepression
Damage to the brain similar to Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and epilepsy
Foundation for A Drug Free World
It will come as no surprise that neighbours witnessing the behaviour that accompanies methamphetamine use complained to the owner about the comings and goings on the property rented by Anderson. Budhia installed security cameras in the driveway before ending her tenancy.
“Police were able to identify individuals visiting the house in the footage. The guests and their vehicles had strong associations with meth use and manufacturing, the ruling said.
A police report presented at the tribunal hearing said, of those identified in the security footage, “one has since died of a drug overdose and a number of others are in prison”.
Another person who used the property as a bail address had since entered Odyssey house, a treatment centre for drug addiction.
After Budhia – who also lived on the property – raised concerns with Anderson, she ended the tenancy in September 2018.
Testing done that month found traces of methamphetamine were present in all rooms of the house. The kitchen had a reading of 99 mcg/100cm2 and a bedroom had a reading of 58 mcg/100cm2. That was well above the “acceptable” level of 15mcg recommended by former Chief Science Adviser Sir Peter Gluckman in a report last year. That report said a reading of higher than 30mcg was indicative – but not definite evidence – of a meth lab.”
No surprise that private rental housing providers are leaving the market, but what about properties managed by Housing New Zealand? What is this costing the taxpayer?