Roaches! Who should get the bill?

Question

I'm managing a 24 unit building in the rougher part of town (its Fargo, ND so its not that bad). I had a tenant call to report he saw a few roaches and sure enough he's got them. Even was kind enough to catch one so we could identify it was indeed a roach. Got a pest control expert in there asap and the bill will be around $180. I'm unsure of how I should handle the bill.

On the one hand: The tenant called and reported it right away and I'm very grateful as we got to it right away. He's been there for a year and a half and although not the cleanest apartment it certainly doesn't warrant cockroaches. We've had 3 new tenants move in in the past month.

On the other hand: our policy is that tenants are responsible for pest control.

My dilemma is how I might handle this. Should I stick to enforcing that rule with no exceptions, eat the cost ourselves since he's a good paying tenants with little problems (besides his drinking), or find a halfway point? My approach as a landlord is to be the one person on the tenants side as opposed to just another force they need to fight against.

Russell Brazil · Answer

Steven J.. Regardless of what the lease says in this instant, it is pretty standard that in apartment complexes the owner pays for pest control. This should just be built into your operating costs. In fact on a 24 unit property you should have it sprayed monthly or at least quarterly just a matter of operations. If you get into a situation in an apartment building of trying to make the tenants pay for pest control, you are going to have unhappy tenants on several fronts. First whoever is causing the roaches will not pay, and will get the whole building infested. Secondly when someone reports the roaches, they are going to point to the fact that their unit is clean so they will blame it on the neighbor...and they can very likely be true.....this is why as a matter of standard operations owners of apartment complexes pay for pest control.

Stephen Akindona · Answer

I agree with @Russell Brazil. You can not make individual residents of an apartment complex be responsible for pest control, just like you can not make individual residence be responsible for yard maintenance. Apartment complex property management has slightly different nuances than single family. If it were a SFR you can make the tenant responsible for pest control all day long, but doesn't work in an apartment complex.

Troy Sheets · Answer

I hope you had the whole building treated and scheduled for another treatment in a month?! They're not just in one apartment and even if the treatment killed every living roach now, the eggs will hatch in the next few weeks and start the infestation all over again. Get it under control now, act aggressively to wipe it out before it gets worse. You could start losing tenants over this. Roaches can come in with moving boxes and all sorts of other ways you'd never expect. It's most likely not this tenants doing, check the apartments of tenants who have moved in more recently, say in the last few months.

Tomas Calvino · Answer

I also respectfully disagree with myself realizing that it is a large multifamily. If you are referring to a single family home, I would follow what is on my lease. But I can definitely see how it could be a problem with a big 24 unit considering the roaches could be caused by someone from another unit.

Patti Robertson · Answer

In most states you are responsible for keeping the property bug free, but if your lease requires the tenant to do so, you can bill them for the expense. If the tenant doesn’t pay it, give them a notice to pay or quit and notify SEC 8. If you can, file to get a judgment, and notify the case worker. Encourage the tenant to contact charities to get assistance for the past due balance to avoid being homeless due to an eviction and a lost voucher. You can also give notice for whatever else you found if you are willing to fix it and bill the tenant. You would be surprised how many will actually come up with the money to fix what they caused when held accountable.

Steven J. · Answer

Glad to hear my instincts feel right and are acceptable in this situation. The tenant, while not the cleanest person in the world, certainly is not a slob bringing in that type of pest. If it was blatant that he was a hoarder and lived in filth then yes, and I wouldn't be continuing the lease at that point. Hopefully, the situation remedies it self now that we've had the pros come through.

Rafael Norat · Answer

Tenants termites and toilets... !Great handling of the situation guys...Unless its a blatant violation, I could see how the landlord may have to work with the tenant. Better in the long run.

Tomas Calvino · Answer

If the unit did not have any roaches when it was given to him, and your lease states that it is their responsibility, they should pay for it. Since you already got the problem taken care of, I can see how it might upset the tenant that he'll have to pay for it. I'm sure if you told him before hand that they have to pay for pest control, that might have changed his mind about whether he wanted you to take care of it or if he could have just taken care of the problem himself. Regardless, the lease says what it says. If you go changing it at your discretion, they could find many more issues for you to fix. For next time, I would let them know when they call you, that it is their responsibility, you could get someone out there to fix it, but you will have to bill them afterwards. Then they have the chance to say no and fix it themselves if they don't want to pay for a professional. Although from a landlord point of view, I'd rather have a professional do it, rather than the tenant.