What is the legal meth contamination limit in a NZ rental?

There are two thresholds. A property is contaminated if any part of it has meth residue above 15µg/100cm², and that part must be decontaminated back to 15µg/100cm² or less. If any part exceeds 30µg/100cm² the property is uninhabitable — 30µg/100cm² is the maximum inhabitable level set out in legislation.

Is the whole house contaminated if one room tests high?

No. Contamination is determined room by room. Tenancy Services gives the example directly: if a bedroom is above 15µg/100cm² but the kitchen is below it, only the bedroom needs decontaminating. This is one of the most practically important features of the regulations, because it limits the scope of remediation.

Do landlords have to test for meth between tenancies?

No. Landlords are not required to arrange meth testing between tenancies. You can test if you think it is needed, but there is no standing obligation to do so. Testing becomes mandatory only in specific circumstances — see the section on when detailed testing is required.

When is a landlord legally required to arrange detailed testing?

In two situations. First, if Police or a local Council notify you that meth has likely been manufactured at the property. Second, if a valid screening assessment carried out by anyone shows at least one area above 15µg/100cm² and you are made aware of that result. Detailed testing must be done by a qualified professional, and that professional must not be the same person who will carry out the decontamination.

Can I end the tenancy if the property is contaminated?

If any part tests above 30µg/100cm² the property is uninhabitable and either party may end the tenancy, provided that party is not at fault: a landlord gives 7 days' notice, a tenant gives 2 days'. The exception is where the contamination is confined to a "remote and inconsequential" part of the property — then neither party can end it immediately, the rent must reduce, and either may apply to the Tenancy Tribunal.

Does landlord insurance cover meth decontamination?

Some policies carry a specific sub-limit for it. Tower publishes up to $30,000 for meth contamination damage on its Landlord's Plus policy. Cover varies significantly between insurers and has changed over time, so the only reliable answer is the one in your own current wording — which is worth checking against the 2026 thresholds rather than assuming your policy still matches the rules.

If you let

Meth contamination: the 2026 rules

The Residential Tenancies (Managing Methamphetamine Contamination) Regulations 2026 set statutory thresholds, approved testing methods and notice periods. This is what they say, and where insurance meets them.

The short version

Contaminated: any part above 15µg/100cm². That part must be decontaminated to 15µg/100cm² or less.
Uninhabitable: any part above 30µg/100cm². This is the statutory maximum inhabitable level.
Contamination is assessed room by room, not whole-house.
Above 30µg/100cm²: landlord may give 7 days’ notice, tenant 2 days’, where that party is not at fault.
Test results must be given to existing tenants within 7 days of you receiving them.
Breaching the obligations: exemplary damages up to $7,200; in some situations pecuniary penalties up to $50,000.
There is no general duty to test between tenancies.

The two numbers that matter

Everything in this area now hangs off two figures set by the Regulations.

15µg/100cm² — micrograms per hundred square centimetres — is the contamination threshold. Any part of a property above it is contaminated and must be decontaminated until it is at or below that level.

30µg/100cm² is the habitability threshold. If any part of the property is above it, the property is uninhabitable as a matter of law. That is not an opinion a tester offers; it is the maximum inhabitable level set out in legislation.

Room by room, not whole house

This is the change that most affects what a contamination event actually costs you. Contamination is determined on a room-by-room basis. Tenancy Services gives the example in its own words: if a bedroom is above 15µg/100cm² but the kitchen is below it, only the bedroom needs to be decontaminated. A single high reading no longer condemns an entire house.

What you must and must not do

Landlords must not knowingly rent out a property contaminated with meth, and must decontaminate before re-letting. If a tenanted property is found to be contaminated, you may continue renting it only while it is being decontaminated. Renting out a contaminated property risks breaching not just the Residential Tenancies Act but potentially the Building Act 2004 and the Health Act 1956 as well.

Testing: screening versus detailed

A screening assessment detects whether residue is present and whether more testing is needed. Anyone can carry one out at any time — tenant, landlord or professional — provided it uses an approved method and follows the instructions.

Detailed testing confirms how much contamination there is, where it is, and whether decontamination is required. You are required to arrange it in two situations:

Police or a local Council notify you that meth has likely been manufactured at the property; or
a valid screening assessment by anyone shows at least one area above 15µg/100cm², and you are made aware of the result.

Detailed testing must be done by a qualified professional, and — a detail worth noting if you are being offered a package deal — that professional must not be the same person who will carry out the decontamination.

Approved and unapproved methods

Screening and detailed testing must both follow NZS 8510:2017, as modified by the Regulations. Approved methods are individual sampling, laboratory composite testing, and validated screening test kits.

Two things are not approved: field composite tests, which combine swabs from several locations and so cannot tell you which room is actually contaminated; and unvalidated testing kits, which may react to other substances or give inconsistent results. Given that the whole regime is now room-by-room, a test that cannot identify the room is of no use to you.

Your notice and disclosure obligations

If you carry out any testing during a tenancy, two duties attach immediately. You must give the correct notice of entry before you or your contractors go in. And you must provide the test results to the tenants within 7 days of receiving them.

Failing these obligations exposes you to exemplary damages of up to $7,200, and in some situations pecuniary penalties of up to $50,000. This is the part of the regime with the sharpest teeth, and it is entirely within your control.

Ending a tenancy over contamination

Where any part tests above 30µg/100cm², the property is uninhabitable and either party may end the tenancy, provided they are not at fault for the contamination. The landlord gives 7 days' notice; the tenant gives 2 days'.

There is an important exception. If the contamination is confined to a remote and inconsequential part of the property, nobody can end the tenancy immediately. A part qualifies only if it is physically separate or can be closed off so contamination does not spread, and the rest of the property can still reasonably be used as a residence without it. Where that applies, the rent must reduce to reflect the lost access, and either party may apply to the Tenancy Tribunal, which may end the tenancy if it would be unreasonable to require you to decontaminate that area or unreasonable to require the tenant to stay even at a reduced rent.

Recovering from the tenant

A tenant who smokes, sells or manufactures meth in a rental is using the property for an unlawful purpose, which breaches the Act, and is also breaching the obligation not to damage the property. The Tenancy Tribunal may order a tenant who used the property for an unlawful purpose to pay damages of up to $1,800.

Set that number against the cost of professional decontamination and the point makes itself: recovery from the tenant is not where this gets paid for. Your policy is.

Where insurance sits

Meth cover is a sub-limit, not a general benefit, and it varies. Tower publishes up to $30,000 for meth contamination damage on Landlord's Plus. That is Tower's own published summary and its wording governs.

The genuinely useful question for any landlord right now is not “am I covered?” but “does my cover still line up with the 2026 thresholds?” Policies written against an older understanding of contamination levels may respond differently than you expect. That is a wording question, and it is exactly the sort of thing worth putting to a broker who reads them for a living.

Questions people actually ask

What is the legal meth contamination limit in a NZ rental?: There are two thresholds. A property is contaminated if any part of it has meth residue above 15µg/100cm², and that part must be decontaminated back to 15µg/100cm² or less. If any part exceeds 30µg/100cm² the property is uninhabitable — 30µg/100cm² is the maximum inhabitable level set out in legislation.
Is the whole house contaminated if one room tests high?: No. Contamination is determined room by room. Tenancy Services gives the example directly: if a bedroom is above 15µg/100cm² but the kitchen is below it, only the bedroom needs decontaminating. This is one of the most practically important features of the regulations, because it limits the scope of remediation.
Do landlords have to test for meth between tenancies?: No. Landlords are not required to arrange meth testing between tenancies. You can test if you think it is needed, but there is no standing obligation to do so. Testing becomes mandatory only in specific circumstances — see the section on when detailed testing is required.
When is a landlord legally required to arrange detailed testing?: In two situations. First, if Police or a local Council notify you that meth has likely been manufactured at the property. Second, if a valid screening assessment carried out by anyone shows at least one area above 15µg/100cm² and you are made aware of that result. Detailed testing must be done by a qualified professional, and that professional must not be the same person who will carry out the decontamination.
What are the penalties for getting this wrong?: Landlords who fail to meet their notification and disclosure obligations may be liable for exemplary damages of up to $7,200, and in some situations pecuniary penalties of up to $50,000 may apply. Separately, the Tenancy Tribunal may order a tenant who used the property for an unlawful purpose to pay damages of up to $1,800.
Can I end the tenancy if the property is contaminated?: If any part tests above 30µg/100cm² the property is uninhabitable and either party may end the tenancy, provided that party is not at fault: a landlord gives 7 days' notice, a tenant gives 2 days'. The exception is where the contamination is confined to a "remote and inconsequential" part of the property — then neither party can end it immediately, the rent must reduce, and either may apply to the Tenancy Tribunal.
Does landlord insurance cover meth decontamination?: Some policies carry a specific sub-limit for it. Tower publishes up to $30,000 for meth contamination damage on its Landlord's Plus policy. Cover varies significantly between insurers and has changed over time, so the only reliable answer is the one in your own current wording — which is worth checking against the 2026 thresholds rather than assuming your policy still matches the rules.

Where this comes from

All thresholds, notice periods, testing requirements and penalties on this page are from Tenancy Services (MBIE), Guidelines on meth contamination, page last updated 12 May 2026, describing the Residential Tenancies (Managing Methamphetamine Contamination) Regulations 2026 made under the Residential Tenancies Act 1986. The Tower sub-limit is from Tower's Landlord's Plus page, retrieved 8 September 2026. This page describes the rules; it is not legal advice on any particular property.

Does your wording still match the 2026 rules?

Meth sub-limits were written against an older set of thresholds and vary a lot between insurers. A registered local broker can read your actual wording against the current regulations and tell you plainly whether there is a gap — including telling you there isn't one.

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