29 Sep 2015

P house poison: 'We were sick instantly'

7:06 pm on 29 September 2015

A mother of five who said she was tricked into renting a former P house in the town of Tokoroa has moved out, claiming it made her and her children sick.

Testing air quality in a clan lab.

A scientist tests air in a former meth lab (file photo) Photo: Forensic & Industrial Science

The woman, who wants to be known only as Tara, said when she took the tenancy in July, the landlord assured her the house was clean.

"We moved into the house and we were sick instantly and I thought it was just a common cold - I never suspected P, it's just something I would never think about," she said.

When neighbours told her of the house's history, she had the house tested. Those results, along with tests conducted for previous tenants, confirmed the presence of methampetamine.

"I'm gutted. I feel ripped off and, without knowing so, we put our children in a dangerous sitation and I'm angry about the whole thing."

She said one of her children has a heart condition, which had worsened while they were living in the house.

But the landlord, John Oakley, said he had been upfront with Tara about the house's history before she moved in.

Tara said she had been left out of pocket - forced to leave $30,000 of possessions in the house, some of which had tested positive for methamphetamine.

She is now living in another rental property and is living off money and donated furniture provided by the Salvation Army, friends and the mayoral fund.

Her case will be heard by the Tenancy Tribunal on 9 November.

Meanwhile, the South Waikato District Council has issued a cleaning order for the house, after its own tests confirmed a positive result.