The wait is over, the new standards for meth testing have been released. Aiming to guide landlords on the exact process to test their properties for meth contamination, and how to clean them if traces are detected. The new standards are designed to give people greater confidence in available properties, now that there is an understanding of how harmful certain levels of meth can be.
Let’s have a look at the new standards and what they might mean for you as a landlord.
Increase in Safety Levels
The old standards stated that any reading that showed more than 0.5 micrograms of meth contamination per square metre was deemed unsafe to live in. Any tenants would have been evicted and the whole home would have been decontaminated. Recent research has highlighted that a mere 0.5 micrograms is not dangerous to any inhabitants of the house.
The standards have now been raised so that anything below 1.5 micrograms of contamination per square metre is considered safe. Experts have confirmed that this new level poses no health risks. This new standard will reduce the need for hundreds of families to be evicted, and for millions of dollars to be saved in decontamination costs.
Remedying Contamination
If levels above 1.5 micrograms per square metre are detected, then any inhabitants must move out and the home must be decontaminated by a professional cleaning company before anyone is allowed to live there again.
Different Readings for Different Spaces
One thing to be mindful of when the testing takes place is that different surfaces can measure different levels of contamination depending on their absorbency. Readings taken in a small entranceway area show the bricks reading a contamination level of 0.09, the gib board reading 0.05, but the wooden door and beam reading a whopping 5.9 and 6.9.
It is very important that the company selected for testing your property is thorough in their inspection, and tests all possible surfaces.
The Practicalities
Sensible
There has been talk about the new standards for around 12 months, from a wide group of people supported by local government and Standards NZ. There has been a wide range of expertise involved in setting the new standards – real estate agents, property managers, property investors, councils, government departments/entities, accreditation bodies, and representatives from decontamination and testing agencies.
Because of the broad knowledge base involved, the standards take a step in the right direction for increasing quality and consistency around testing and decontamination services.
Confidence
These regulations give a definitive answer on what is a safe level of meth, and what is not. This will give people confidence that the home they are living in is safe. Tenants can rely on the fact that the house is safe and they will not have any related health issues.
Tenants can be assured that the processes of screening, sampling, testing, assessing, decontamination of contaminated properties, and the disposal of their contents are done with good practices.
Regularity
Because the contamination reading rate has increased it will mean that more homes can be tested more often. Meaning safer communities and peace of mind for many.
Bringing It Back
If meth contamination is discovered in a home, then the new standards will make the process of decontamination easier, quicker and cheaper. Homes can be brought back to the levels safey by a certified meth cleaning company.
Question Marks
It is not a legal requirement to comply with the standards yet, so the next step is having a government body to oversee the new regulations. Some companies may choose to operate outside of the standards, so it is important to choose a company that is working within the standards when it comes to testing and decontamination.
You can download the new standards from the Standards New Zealand website.
Source:
http://www.methsolutions.co.nz/new-meth-testing-standard-nz/