MethSolutions committed to supporting the development of the new meth testing and decontamination

Lisa Gerrard, Chief Legal Officer REINZ

Lisa Gerrard, Chief Legal Officer REINZ

Standard NZS8510, because it is in line with our commitment to reducing the harm caused to people by MethAffected Property. And so, when REINZ advised that they wanted to run a session with their members and invited members of the Standards Committee to provide their perspective, we were only too happy to attend.

The sessions took place in Auckland and Christchurch. The audience was split into Real Estate Agents and Property Managers. Lisa Gerrard lead out and facilitated the sessions. As well as MethSolutions, there were representatives from Auckland Council and Richard Hern of Wynn Williams provided the legal context. Carol Benny of Harcourts also joined the Property Management panel in Auckland, providing a valuable perspective on the challenges facing property managers.

The summary take outs from the sessions were as follows:

  • The Standard goes some ways to helping increase consistency of service and certainty for people who need to make use of the services
  • The changing nature of NZ society, combined with growing awareness of the risk and moves by insurers to limit pay outs under property damage cover, increase the risk to professionals in the property management and real estate chain.
  • Proactive management of the risk will also bring opportunities

It was clear from the discussions, that many organisations remain seriously exposed to the risk. Part of the advice from REINZ and Wynn Williams, was to follow organisational policies and procedures when handling meth related issues. When asked how many organisations had such policies in place, less than 10% of attendees acknowledged they had them.

This is why MethSolutions has developed its proactive MethRisk Management programme. This helps people manage risk and take advantage of opportunity. Click here to find out more about how we help support businesses just like yours!