The phrase pest control covers various kinds of outbreaks and infestations. Landlords must deal with the common problem at their rental units. It’s imperative to take the complaints seriously since they can become huge issues fast, resulting in renter turnover and even fines from the department of health.
If your renters experience a pest infestation, you must alleviate the problem immediately because it’s your responsibility to eliminate your rental unit of pests. Here’s what you should know about pest control.
Tenant’s Responsibility
If you suspect a pest infestation in your rental unit, contact your manager or landlord immediately. Your landlord must hire a competent exterminator to measure and inspect for the degree of infestation in your unit and adjoining ones.
Numerous management companies have a reporting system for such maintenance issues. However, in emergency cases such as when a rental has a bedbug infestation, a phone call or email will frequently suffice for property managers and landlords. Once you notify the landlord, they’ll arrange for an expert to fumigate.
Before any exterminator accesses your unit, the landlord must provide appropriate notice of entry for the inspection or collaborate with you to develop a plan for entering your unit that suits you both. Sufficient notice is particularly significant in pest control cases since tenants oftentimes need to arrange to be out of their rental for a prolonged period when pest clearance is taking place.
It might also be necessary to prepare the rental, for instance in the case of bedbug or cockroach fumigation when renters have to bag up their food and other items to prevent contamination from the associated chemicals.
If you’re responsible for the infestation, the property owner is still responsible for eliminating the pests. However, he or she isn’t financially liable. For instance, if you bring in fleas or keep the rental in a filthy condition that generates cockroaches, the landlord should still contact an exterminator. However, you’ll be liable for the service fees because your actions led to the infestation.
Treatment Notification
Landlords should offer written notification to their renters once they’ve engaged the services of an extermination company. The notice should explain the pesticides that the company will use as part of treatment. In the event that the company alters pesticides, it should notify the renters of the changes.
Landlord’s Responsibility
Generally, a property owner is responsible for pest control except when the renter is the cause of the infestation due to lack of cleanliness or poor housekeeping. The implied habitability warranty means that property owners must sustain livable conditions in a rental.
Therefore, the landlord is responsible for arranging and paying for pest control for the most part. In the event that the infestation is the result of natural circumstances, the property owner is liable for handling the issue. Therefore, if the rental is next to a grassy field and the renter reports mice, the property owner must arrange for and cover the exterminator’s fees.
Natural pest conditions include spiders, rats, ants, and at times bedbugs and cockroaches. Most property owners schedule seasonal prevention and maintenance and immediate control. Moreover, they cover the costs to prevent the problem from worsening. However, it doesn’t mean that they cover the bill in all cases.
Final Thoughts
Tenant laws guarantee an appropriate living environment for all legal renters. A property owner is responsible for ensuring the rental meets all state, local, and federal safety and health codes while ensuring it’s appropriate for human habitation. Nevertheless, there’s the responsibility for the renter and that of the landlord.
For more information on pest control treatment, contact us at Apartment Agents or leave a message.