State housing tenants caused a record $6 million damage last year - up 50 per cent in the past five years.
Nearly $100,000 was spent decontaminating houses that had been used as methaphetamine labs.
One South Auckland tenant was charged $9125 after leaving a house in such a state that carpet had to be replaced and broken windows, latches, interior walls, a fence and a gate had to be repaired. The tenant started paying off the costs in December 2003 and still owes $7172.
Latest figures show that state housing tenants caused $6.08 million of damage in the year to July compared with $4.02 million in the year to July 2001.
This involves damage that can reasonably be assumed to be the tenant's fault, and was either intentional or caused by negligence. Most damage is discovered after tenants leave.
Cleaning and fixing windows were the main costs. Others included removing rubbish, repairing walls and cupboards, storing possessions abandoned by tenants and fixing broken hardware.
Housing New Zealand recovered about half of the damage costs last year, compared with 73 per cent the previous year.
A spokeswoman said costs had increased because Housing New Zealand was better at identifying intentional damage, and housing stock had increased by 8 per cent.
Costs were not always recovered in the year they were charged and some tenants paid them off in instalments, she said.
Former tenants who owed money for damage must make arrangements to pay their debt before they could be re-housed.
Six state houses have been used as methamphetamine labs in the past two years. One Napier house had to be demolished because it was too expensive to decontaminate. More than $15,000 was spent cleaning another contaminated house. A seventh house is being tested.
Housing New Zealand has covered most of the costs of decontaminating P lab houses, with the tenants involved contributing $5900 of the $99,999.
There are 11,600 people waiting for Housing New Zealand homes.
(Abridged)
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