Landlord Responsibilities

[Michael Whitaker]

I have a property. Prior to leasing it to a tenant, the property is pest-free. Months after moving in, the tenant claims there is a pre-existing pest problem. I am 99% confident that the pests are a result of the tenant's living arrangements. Who's responsible for pest control, the landlord or the tenant? Also, should the lease have a pest control clause? If so, is it best to hold the tenant responsible for a portion of the cost? How much of the cost is considered reasonable?

[Michael Seeker]

@Michael Whitaker - if the lease doesn't clearly outline that the tenant is responsible for it then you are responsible.  This could be one of the cheapest lessons you ever learn from the school of hard knocks, so spend the $100 to have the property treated and then update your lease to indicate such things are the tenant's responsibility.

The reality with rental properties is that EVERY issue is your responsibility whether the lease says so or not.  If you can get the tenant to take care of things that is awesome, but even if the lease says they are responsible that doesn't always mean they will comply (or do so satisfactorily).  

As an example, I had a property where the tenant was responsible to keep the yard maintained according to the lease.  They cut the grass every month or two so it always looked like crap.  I ended up mowing it a couple times because there was literally nothing I could do to make them cut it and they always had an excuse.  I learned a lot of lessons from those tenants and I no longer deal with those sorts of issues.  But it's important to not make the mistake of thinking you are "not responsible" for something because at the end of the day you own the property.  They can move on to the next place anytime they like and leave your property in any condition they like.