Housing NZ tenant in the dark over lead paint
A Housing New Zealand tenant is wondering how many others have been exposed to lead-based paint after her Auckland home was stripped of it without her knowledge.
Chelsea Bullen, a mother of three, said the outside of her Mt Albert home was stripped and repainted in October.
She was originally told it was just to ‘‘revamp’’ the state houses in the area but a month after the work was done, she found paperwork left behind by the painters which suggested otherwise.
‘‘On the paperwork it said that the reason why the house was being repainted was because they were stripping the [lead-based] paint.’’
Another piece of paper stated the risks associated with stripping lead-based paint, she said.
According to the Ministry of Health, removing lead-based paint can result in lead poisoning if not done safely.
Untreated lead poisoning in adults and children can cause
brain damage or death.
Preschool children are particularly at risk, the Ministry of Health said.
Bullen has three children: a 2-year-old son and 1-year-old twin girls.
Her son has an immune deficiency disorder, of which Housing NZ was aware, she added.
Had she known the paint was lead-based, she would not have had her children at the home during the repainting process, she said.
‘‘I was never advised, at all, that they were stripping the house because there was lead in the paint.
‘‘I would have taken my children to my mother’s house to stay there.’’ Bullen said the sanding process took at least 21⁄2 weeks and the dust got ‘‘all through the house’’. She said she was constantly vacuuming and cleaning down surfaces. The dust also got all over her children’s toys.
‘‘I rang Housing [NZ] and told them the issues and basically they just don’t want to know about it,’’ Bullen said.
‘‘It’s really upset me a lot, especially for the children and their health.’’
Bullen said the home was unhealthy and she had put in a request to move but nothing had been done.
Her doctor had also written a note saying they needed to be in a healthier home and she was starting the application process to take Housing NZ to the Tenancy Tribunal.
‘‘It’s almost like we’ve just got to be grateful we are in a house, regardless of if it’s a healthy home or not,’’ she said.
Housing New Zealand area manager Steve Nagel said an information sheet was usually left with tenants but this did not happen in Bullen’s case.
‘‘While the job to remove the lead paint on, and repaint, the exterior of the house was done safely and correctly, we normally make sure our tenants know this work is happening,’’ Nagel said.
‘‘We usually provide information about lead paint to our tenants but this did not happen in Ms Bullen’s situation and we are sorry for this.
‘‘We will continue to work with Chelsea to make sure her housing needs are met and she is satisfied with her family’s home.’’
Housing NZ could not immediately say how many of its homes have had lead-based paint removed and how many still had lead-based paint.
‘‘I was never advised, at all, that they were stripping the house because there was lead in the paint.’’ Tenant Chelsea Bullen