Push for Methamphetamine Testing for Perth Houses
In Australia, analysts have said landlords and homebuyers should consider screening prospective properties for methamphetamine contamination as a best practice before buying or renting them. The real estate industry also is calling on the state government to legislate a mandatory system similar to the zero-tolerance approach in New Zealand, where every property needs a decontamination clearance certificate. Due to the high costs of testing for meth and then cleaning up residue, and some questionable results, real estate agent Phil Taylor has stopped insisting on tests for meth. However, of the tests completed, nearly 75 percent came back over the minimum standard of 0.5 micrograms per 100 square centimeters. In some cases, meth residue can hang around for decades, and that residue can stem from users, not necessarily a drug lab. Supporters of government intervention say laws would make the need for testing more black and white. But cleanup of these properties can run tens of thousands of dollars on top of the testing costs.