'My dream home was a P-lab' | Bay of Plenty News | Local News in Bay of Plenty

On the day she moved into her new home the former owner left flowers for her in a glass jug.

Months later Lisa* saw that same jug in police photographs - not full of colourful blooms, but of chemicals used for making methamphetamine.

The Western Bay woman said she had no idea her dream home had been used to house an elaborate clandestine methamphetamine lab.

It was not until much later she learned a police clandestine lab contamination letter had been issued the previous year.

Her LIM report did not reveal any contamination or hazardous substance issues at the property, which Lisa bought in 2008.

However, just days after moving in, Lisa fell ill.

Sores - from which she still has scars - began developing over her body, she had difficulty with breathing and vision, felt nauseous and fatigued and had headaches and dizzy spells.

Two months later Lisa came across a newspaper article which revealed the former owner of her house - the same person who had left her flowers - had been arrested for manufacturing methamphetamine at another address.

She immediately contacted the "relevant parties" and learned of the 2007 police notification.

Despite the notification, the parties assured her there were no health issues with the property.

Lisa said having little or no knowledge of methamphetamine, she believed them.

"I relied on the information given to me and stayed in the property another two months and got sicker and sicker."

With her usual GP away, and after going from locum to locum, doctors were at a loss to pinpoint what was making Lisa ill.

In what Lisa described as a "last-ditch effort" to establish the cause of her illness, she decided to have her property tested by a forensic agency.

"They came and shut up the house that day.

"The level of contamination was that high. I was shocked," she said.

The house took six weeks to be professionally cleaned and was re-tested the entire time.

Once cleared, Lisa moved back in but shortly afterwards fell ill again.

This time she was hospitalised and had surgery for what proved to be a non-existent condition.

Lisa later learned her symptoms were a result of ongoing exposure to methamphetamine contaminants, however this was not considered a factor at the time, as the house had been tested and cleared only a month earlier.

Lisa's health continued to suffer over the next seven months. Out of "sheer frustration" and not knowing what else to do, she had her house tested again.

Lisa was devastated to find the house tested positive - contaminants had re-leached.

Over a year, in accordance with forensic guidelines, large parts of Lisa's house were stripped back to external walls and rebuilt.

Almost everything had to be replaced, from the window latches, to light fittings. What wasn't replaced had to have two coats of a forensically-approved sealer and two coats of enamel paint applied to it.

With no financial assistance available to her, Lisa and her partner regularly worked more than 75 hours a week to allow them to make a living and complete the renovations.

She had to move out and rent during some of the re-building.

Lisa remained sick and this year collapsed twice. She could no longer work and was put on a sickness benefit.

She survived by selling family possessions to fund decontamination of the house.

Lisa's house is today liveable, and she is trying to put it all behind her.

"It's been a long road back," she said.

However, she has incurred costs and losses well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars to have her house gutted and rebuilt. Lisa is sharing her story in the hope others will learn from her experience.

She warned many insurance companies would not pay for homes contaminated with methamphetamine to be fixed.

"I will never buy another home without having a minimum of a drug swab test done by a reputable agency," she said.

Lisa and a friend plan to set up a website to inform and educate home owners of the dangers of methamphetamine contamination and what they can do to prevent this from happening to them.

"I haven't had a life for two years," she said.

" I thought I had bought a home and a lifestyle - I was wrong, instead I bought a prison and a life sentence."

* Lisa is not her real name.

In tomorrow's Bay of Plenty Times we look at people seeking treatment for methamphetamine addiction in Tauranga, and examine how you can tell whether a house is a P-lab.