‘ON THE RISE’: Experts reveal how to avoid investments becoming meth labs

A spike in rental properties being used as clandestine drug labs has sparked a warning from experts to have homes and units tested before buying or renting. Spot the signs here.

Becoming a house owner is the ultimate dream for most Australians, but for many Toowoomba landlords it’s one that has recently turned into a living nightmare.

After trusting tenants with their biggest investment, many have been left out of pocket due to neglect, disrespect and severe damages.

We recently reached out to several Toowoomba cleaning and real estate experts, who have shared some of the most harrowing scenes they’ve witnessed throughout their careers.

Tenants taken to court more than ever

After almost five years of operating real estate agency Blackbird and Finch, principal and co-founder Simone Files said she had never witnessed tenants behaving so badly, than what she had in the past year.

“I’ve certainly noticed an increase in I would say the last 12 months and we have never been in court so much in our lives,” Ms Files said.

“It would be very rare that you would need to execute the warrant and we only had our first one last year after four and a half years, but ever since then, we’ve had a succession of them and are in court regularly.”

Ms Files said her agency was managing 260 rental properties, with only two properties currently advertised.

She said while it was difficult to pinpoint the reason for the increase of incidents, she believed the housing crisis was partly to blame.

While the agency principal said most tenants did the right thing, there were some who were not looking after properties or were behind in rent payments.

She said when the tenants are then asked to move on, they have no where to go so they refuse to move out, forcing the real estate to go down the path of getting a warrant of possession.

“They seem to think the judges are just going to let them stay which isn’t the case,” Ms Files said.

“Lots of good people are out there at the moment and trying to find properties, so if you’re not looking after the place or paying your rent on time, we will make the decision in consultation with the owner and give you notice to leave.”

Rebecca Fogarty (left) and Simone Files co-owners of Blackbird and Finch real estate have to deal horror tenants. Monday, June 20, 2022. Picture: Nev Madsen.

While Ms Files said some tenants took the request reasonably well, others didn’t and some were leaving the properties in a filthy state.

She said some of the worst scenes to date had been tenants who abandoned the house with rubbish and the furniture still inside and food in a fridge that had been turned off for a month.

Ms Files said permanent marker scribble left on the walls and one particular incident where a woman used a stiletto high heel to puncture holes in every wall panel of the entire house also left landlords with out-of-pocket expenses.

She said lately landlords had been left with the costs of rekeying and cleaning their properties, as well as repairing the damages.

Most recently, the agency submitted a $10,000 court claim and left with a $5000 win.

Simone Files (left) and Rebecca Fogarty co-owners of Blackbird and Finch real estate have to deal horror tenants. Monday, June 20, 2022. Picture: Nev Madsen.

Ms Files said her advice for landlords was to go through a reputable real estate agency, rather than private and to ensure they have good quality landlord insurance protection.

“When a warrant is issued, the lease ends so you go into rent compensation, but some insurers do not compensate you because they claim the tenant was on a periodic lease, but it can take weeks for them to get out,” she said.

“Sometimes accidents happen but in the case it is malicious or intentional, you want to be able to claim the maximum amount that you can.”

Ms Files said tenants should always opt for bond cleaners recommended by the real estate agency to ensure they are reputable, insured and will return if the first attempt is not up to scratch.

With the housing crisis, Ms Files said it was imperative that tenants do the right thing in order to receive a positive reference.

Focused on Cleaning owner Tim Kingston (front) and general manager Allan Wood, Monday, June 13, 2022. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Meth labs prevalent in Toowoomba

Owner and director of Focused On Cleaning Tim Kingston said the organisation specialised in biohazard cleans, including the decontamination of houses which had been used as labs to produce methamphetamine, as well as death and murder scenes.

Mr Kingston said meth houses were “very prevalent at the moment” and his company were conducting a few tests a month, with 22 houses testing positive in the past year.

“We usually get called to the site when people purchase a property and have felt a bit crook for a while, because exposure to VOC in meth can irritate the throat or the landlords will give us a call after there’s been a raid at the property,” he said.

“A big giveaway is when there are some patched up holes in the walls which is evidence of anger and people using this drug regularly usually have short tempers.”

The biohazard cleaning specialist said if the house tested positive, his team would then cover the entire house in a wet foam and marshmallow-type substance on the walls, which extracts the remnants from the paint.

Over the years, Mr Kingston and his team have been called out to many shocking scenes, including the aftermath of murders, deaths and crime scenes.

He said demolition was required in most cases and houses would need to be treated to ensure properties were safe for people to be reinhabited.

“We recently had a young man who died and had been there for nine months and that was one of the worst ones,” Mr Kingston said.

“There’s also been people found deceased in showers and the water has been running for some time, which results in a lot of water damage to carpets, walls and concrete.

“We’ve noticed an increase of these situations in the last 12 months, which we think is a result of the Covid-19 lockdowns because people have been isolated from loved ones and haven’t been socialising … even attempted suicides peaked during this time.”

While one would imagine the sights to be traumatising, Mr Kingston said the organisation had procedures in place and staff were prepped well in advance.

He said staff wore masks with fragrances in them to assist with the smell too.

“After you do a few jobs, you get used to it and once you remove the source of contamination, it’s usually not so bad,” he said.

“But the particles and molecules end up on the walls and we need to dispose of anything that can absorb any of that including clothing and books.”

Mr Kingston said it could take anywhere from two days to two weeks to complete a job.

If you or someone you know is struggling, please phone Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Angie's Domestic Duties owner Angela Brown, Monday, June 13, 2022. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Hoarders, farm animals and ceiling footprints

Angie’s Domestic Duties owner Angela Brown said they had been “flat out” with bond cleaning jobs across the region.

“We would do four or five bond cleans a week, but over the Christmas and New Year period this skyrockets to two or three a day and sometimes we have to decline up to five jobs a day,” she said.

“A lot of the bond cleans we do are severe, especially if they abandon the property and it hasn’t been touched for some time.”

When it comes to some of the most shocking scenes she’s witnessed, Ms Brown said there had been a few.

One house took a team of six people to complete over two full days and had crayon and permanent marker scribbles on the walls, footprints on the ceilings and so many cockroaches that they had to get the house bombed before they could return.

Another house was filled with knee-high rubbish throughout, dozens of dead mice and piles upon piles of dirty nappies.

One house was repossessed and demolished in the end because it was cheaper than what it would have cost to be cleaned.

Some of the strangest incidents to date have been the peculiar things they find inside some houses, from large boulders and motorbikes in the loungeroom, to piglets and horses going about their business.

Ms Brown said one of the hardest things to clean was the yellow nicotine stains left behind by tenants who smoke inside and could often be found on walls and windows and leave a lasting smell.

On one occasion, a client who had hoarding tenancies had collected so many items over the years that cleaning staff could not open the door to a room and had to squeeze one of their smallest staff members inside.

“Things weren’t just piled up – it was floor to ceiling with suitcases, boxes, newspapers, food from the 90s and a mattress on top,” Ms Brown said.

“These are the jobs we love because when you see the end product, it makes you feel incredible and when we left the house looked beautiful.”

The business owner said tenants should always choose reputable cleaners and ensure they take the time to review their entry report or they may be liable for it.

“We don’t go into a person’s house and judge them because this is our job – it’s what we do,” she said.

“The issue isn’t just bad tenants, but can also be us fixing the errors made by cleaners who aren’t professional and people tend to find on Facebook.”

Don Adikari from Dust2Clean is an expert on cleaning and restoration. Monday, June 20, 2022. Picture: Nev Madsen.

Bed bugs lead to category 3 clean

Dust 2 Clean Carpet Cleaning and Restoration Services Toowoomba director Don Adikari said he had been working in the industry for 14 years and established his business almost a decade ago.

Mr Adikari said one of the worst situations he recalls was when a homeowner entered into a private agreement with a resident and was not completing inspections every three months.

“I’ve done a lot of very awful cleans over the years – some were so bad I couldn’t even go and eat my lunch afterwards,” he said.

“This one particular situation was very unfortunate though – the mattress was covered in bed bugs and there were worms inside the bin because it hadn’t been emptied for some time.

“By the time we got there it was a category three clean and quite inhabitable.”

The business owner said issued including red dirt which could cause severe stains and mould growth due to the recent storms, were particularly prominent issues in Toowoomba.

He said it was crucial for tenants to advise their property management about water damage within 48 to 72 hours before it could spread.

“(Mould) is a bit of a grey area at the moment – I’ve found cases have happened because of loose construction causing moisture to get into the house and the bad weather which comes down to the owner,” Mr Adikari said.

“However, tenant’s negligence and behaviour can also cause the issue if they aren’t performing regular cleans or keeping the house well ventilated enough.”

Mr Adikari said his advice for tenants was to maintain properties with regular cleans, as well as a carpet clean and big spring clean every six to 12 months.

“Sometimes there’s a misconception where people think ‘the cleaner will look after that at the end of the lease’ but you have to still maintain your property to pass the exit inspection,” he said.

“It’s part of the tenants responsibility to do this – this is your property and this is where you live, so take some pride in that and try to keep it clean.”

When it comes to mould, Mr Adikari said cross-ventilation and using a portable dehumidifier were key in reducing mould.

Sue Taing and Ben Doeur of Ben's Cleaning, Monday, June 13, 2022. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Mould and grease cause hardest bond cleans

Ben Doeur and his wife Sue Taing from Ben’s Cleaning assist with a range of services including bond cleans.

The pair was also recognised at the Quality Business Awards this year when they received The Best Home Cleaning in Toowoomba award and an overall quality rating of 95 per cent.

They said the hardest parts of cleaning a house were the walls, bathrooms and kitchens.

“We find the grease build-up on the rangehood, cupboards and inside the filters are very hard to clean, especially for people who cook two or three times a day, use a lot of oil and don’t clean regularly,” Mr Doeur said.

“For bathrooms, the hardest part is cleaning the build-up on shower screens if you don’t clean the water off completely.”

Mr Doeur said he had also come across hoarders over the years and mould was becoming a bigger challenge.