What was Tenancy Tribunal case 5348503 about?

The tribunal order states: The Tribunal orders suppression of the tenant’s name and identifying details.

How much money was awarded in case 5348503?

Verified claim lines are listed on this page.

What type of tenancy dispute was case 5348503?

The dispute type was not classified.

Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5348503?

The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/12781596-Tribunal_Order_Redacted.pdf.

What was Tenancy Tribunal case 5348503 about?

The tribunal order states: The Tribunal orders suppression of the tenant’s name and identifying details.

How much money was awarded in case 5348503?

Verified claim lines are listed on this page.

What type of tenancy dispute was case 5348503?

The dispute type was not classified.

Where can I read the official tribunal order for case 5348503?

The official Ministry of Justice published order is available at https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/TTV2/PDF/12781596-Tribunal_Order_Redacted.pdf.

New Zealand Tenancy Tribunal Case 5348503 — Tenancy dispute

Tenantcheck Insights

Reasons

The landlord attended the hearing.

The landlord has applied for an order that the tenant pay the cost of decontaminating the hallway at the tenancy premises. At the hearing the landlord asked to amend the application to include termination of the tenancy. The landlord was advised to file another application.

The landlord carried out testing for methamphetamine in June 2025 and found the hallway had a reading of 15.3μg/100cm 2 . The nine other rooms tested had readings less than 15μg. The landlord also carried out testing in 2024, but not in the hallway. Five out of six rooms in the house showed an increase in the level of methamphetamine from 2024 to 2025. The bathroom showed a decrease by almost 2μg.

Section 138C Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (RTA) provides for regulations to be made prescribing the maximum acceptable level for contaminants, but as yet no regulations have been made in relation to methamphetamine. The other source of guidance is the Gluckman Report, "Methamphetamine contamination in residential properties: Exposures, risk levels, and interpretation of standards”. The report stated that guidelines should be proportionate to risk and that exposure to a level below 15μg/100cm 2 was unlikely to have an adverse effect. It recommended retaining the level of 1.5μg/100cm 2 where contamination resulted from manufacture, due to the risk posed by harmful chemicals used in the process. This approach was recently accepted by the High Court in Nisbet v Te Ahuru Mowai Limited Partnership CIV-[2025] NZHC 2467.

There is no suggestion that methamphetamine has been manufactured. I accept the hallway is contaminated to a level higher than the 15μg recommended by the Gluckman Report.

For me to make an order that the tenant should pay for the cost of decontaminating the hallway the landlord must prove that the tenant caused or permitted the contamination, or that it was caused by someone at the premises with the tenant’s consent. The landlord cannot prove this because the landlord has not previously tested the hallway for methamphetamine.

The landlord submitted that the increased levels from 2024 allow me to draw the conclusion that the tenant is responsible for the hallway contamination. However it is also possible to draw the conclusion that the hallway was already contaminated when this tenancy started. I find the landlord has not proved the tenant caused the contamination. The application is dismissed.

I have used my discretion to allow suppression for the tenant. This is because the landlord has not proved there was a breach of the RTA so there is no public interest in his name. See section 95A RTA.

Reasons

The landlord attended the hearing.

There is no suggestion that methamphetamine has been manufactured. I accept the hallway is contaminated to a level higher than the 15μg recommended by the Gluckman Report.

Tenancy Tribunal case 5348503 — Tenancy dispute

At a glance

Claims & awards

Tenancy Tribunal case 5348503 — Tenancy dispute

At a glance

Claims & awards

Order

Reasons

Topics & place

Residential Tenancies Act sections

Frequently asked questions

Order

Reasons

Topics & place

Residential Tenancies Act sections

Frequently asked questions