How ice-smoking tenants ruined Connie Cicchini’s Brisbane home

Connie Cicchini’s retirement has been shattered after ice-smoking tenants destroyed her nest egg, leading to a two-year fight with NRMA insurance. Watch video.

Ice-smoking tenants not only destroyed a landlord’s retirement nest egg and led to a two-year fight with NRMA insurance.

Connie Cicchini wanted to use the income from her rental property in Zillmere, in Brisbane’s northern suburbs, to fund her retirement.

The three-bedroom home was comfortable but now it has no walls, carpet or kitchen.

An independent builder has quoted $346,115 to repair the damage, while NRMA’s builder came in at $167,210, with a margin increasing the insurance company’s offer to $209,013.

Ms Cicchini now wants the home, which her friends call “Connie’s crack house” knocked down and replaced.

“Either way, I’m screwed,” she said.

“This was supposed to be for my retirement. It’s been two years and it’s been a nightmare.

“I wanted to rent it out, it needs to be safe tenants and eventually I wanted to move in myself.”

Connie Cicchini outside her rental in Brisbane which was damaged. Picture: Matthew Poon

The claim was filed under a malicious damage clause in Ms Cicchini’s policy, with NRMA, unlike most insurance companies, agreeing to foot the bill.

Ms Cicchini claimed that NRMA initially refused to test for meth contamination even after a builder had recommended for it to be done.

Connie Cicchini inside her rental property. Picture: Matthew Poon.

“I had requested for weeks for NRMA to test for meth,” she wrote in a letter of complaint to IAG chief executive Nick Hawkins – the company that underwrites NRMA.

“I ended up having to organise independent testing.”

An executive relations specialist wrote back the day after Ms Cicchini’s letter to Mr Hawkins.

The insurance company offered a cash settlement because the preferred builder warned they were unable to provide a warranty for the repairs.

Connie Cicchini's rental which has had to undergo major repairs.

“We accepted our customer’s claim for malicious damage and completed decontamination and repairs to the property in line with Australian guidelines,” NRMA said in a statement.

“We are currently awaiting further documentation from our customer in relation to further repairs that have been raised and once received, we will review accordingly.”

HOW TO TEST FOR ICE CONTAMINATION

Testing for ice contamination has become cheaper, with instant tests available for about $100.

Swabs can be taken from surfaces and checked for methamphetamine residue, which is invisible to the naked eye.

Any areas that record levels above 0.5 micrograms per 100 square centimetres are considered unsafe by Australian standards.

Connie Cicchini's inside her rental in Brisbane. Picture: Matthew Poon.

The rapid tests are then referred on to specialist testing companies for further checks.

Daniel Watts, of Rapid Building Inspections, said his company was doing 150 meth tests per month.

“We do them as part of regular building inspections – 16 per cent of properties are coming back positive,” he said.

Most of the homes were only being tested as precaution, not because they were suspected of being lived in by drug users.

David Pie, of Meth Alerts Australia, said: “This is going to be the biggest issue the real estate industry has ever dealt with. Real estate agents have a duty of care to landlords and to their tenants.”