Tenant complains of rodents - who pays for pest control?

Question

We bought a duplex and several months later an existing tenant is complaining about rodents. I contacted a local pest control company and they want $100 to start and $45 per month for both units and a 1 year contract. My lease is vague about who pays for this but it seems to fall on the landlord since the landlord is obligated to keep the place habitable.

My thought was to explain to the complaining tenant that I will take care of the cost of the service for the first year.

How would other seasoned landlords handle this?

Thank you!!

My thought was to explain to the complaining tenant that I will take care of the cost of the service for the first year.

How would other seasoned landlords handle this?

Thank you!!

Account Closed · Answer

I would follow the Lease agreement and if it is not specifically stated, I have the responsibility.

Cheryl Fielding · Answer

@Kevin Thomas in my opinion (I have 2 Brooklyn multi-fam) it is absolutely the landlords responsibility. First of all, this is Brooklyn! There are bugs and rats and mice of all shapes and sizes and they need to be managed...regularly. I always get a preventative visit when I buy a place (make sure all the holes under the sink and in the basement are filled) and poison/bate stations are put down. Then if you are in a problem area or there have been problems in the property then monthly or quarterly depending on the severity from then on until you are sure you are over the worst! If there is no problem then still do the preventative and either wait until you suspect, or even better so a half yearly or quarterly visit. It will keep happy tenants, and boy oh boy, you don't want to deal with the alternate situation. I have lived and learned, stay on top of it :)

Good luck!

Jan H. · Answer

It's really smart to have a clause in your Lease addressing rodents and pest control, specifying that it's the tenant's responsibility. When a tenant moves out any of my properties, I hire a professional pest control company for inspection and treatment. I always have proof that pest control was done before the new tenant(s) move in, and anything after that is their responsibility. You can't control how clean someone is and to avoid disputes, best to set expectations upfront.

Op: I wold modify my lease for the next tenants.

Tyler Brown · Answer

It's one of those things that regardless who legally may be responsible, it's probably in your best interest to pay for it so you know its getting done.

If you tell the tenants that they're responsible, they're likely to simply not do it, and be content with some bugs, then next thing you know, you have an infestation.

I use a service that's $800 for the first year, then about half that for every additional year.  Unlimited service is included, so if the tenants see a single bug, I can have them out there spraying the place.  Pretty good value, if you ask me.

Dom King · Answer

Kevin, I think you handled it well, but just be more specific in your lease agreement for the future. If you run into any other pest control problem, try https://ocpest.net/. I used them when I was managing a complex in Orange County and they were always great. Good luck!

Michael Noto · Answer

I would not recommend letting a tenant coordinate pest and rodent control issues.  This is a problem that can become a very big one if that handled properly and if your lease does not explicitly say they are responsible then the odds of them just agreeing to pay for it are not good.

Just bite the bullet and pay for the initial treatment and then do quarterly treatments from there.

Dorothy Lopez · Answer

I think if your tenant is responsible for these rodents then they are the one who will get in contact with the local pest control company, but if they are not responsible for these rodents then I agree that you should take care of the cost of the services for the first year. My neighbour also had a duplex and they had found that there are many termites in their tenant house. They had contact with the Exterminator Brooklyn Services to get rid of these termites. For the first time they had paid the cost, then they had a deal that next time if any termites are found then the tenant, will pay for it.

Joel Owens · Answer

If you have more than one unit then generally need to treat the whole building as the bugs will flee away from the poison and into the other units even if those other tenants keep their places clean.

After sealing as mentioned it comes down to cleanliness of the tenants. Most landlords have periodic inspections of the interior of the units built into the leases to check for cleanliness issues, water leaks, mechanical systems,etc.

Expecting tenants to change lights, change air filters, make sure connections are properly hooked up is a long shot especially the further you go down the tenant quality ladder. That is why some landlords  have their own upkeep of units with certain items to make sure they are maintained properly.

With roaches for every one you see there tend to be hundreds behind the walls etc.  Pest control can't guarantee no bugs especially with tenants. If they leave trash outside the door instead of putting in the trash bin, if they eat on the carpets instead of tables, if they do not clean grease off of the kitchen walls, clean dishes,etc. then bugs will STILL appear. Tenants want to be lazy and someone sprays stuff and magically the bugs will go away. It doesn't work like that. Even if poison is used the bugs will go for the grease and food instead. If it is clean and not there then the bugs tend to eat the poison if they cannot get away to somewhere else.

If a tenant is being a slob and causing other issues for your connected tenants you might want to evict them. The good tenants will not want bugs coming over to their unit and feeling helpless because slobs live next door and will not change. What will happen is the good tenants leave and the slobs will remain.

I am glad I do not invest in residential anymore.............. : )

David Faulkner · Answer

I had similar issues and request with cockroaches ... I agree with what others may have already said ... I will pay for the treatment once and do all the reasonable preventative maintenance that I can, but also level set expectations by messaging to the tenants to not necessarily assume that this will be a regular ongoing maintenance that I the landlord will continue to pay for. Also, when the pest control pro goes on site I have them take pictures and identify all of the contributing factors ... in my case, the tenants lived like pigs, there was trash on the floors, dirty dishes with food in the sink, etc. ... gee, I wonder why they were getting cockroaches?!? Nothing a landlord can or should do to remedy those type of problem sources, but I give the benefit of the doubt and pay for the first time and document the root cause to assess any future requests ...

Josh D. · Answer

@Kevin Thomas You definitely want to nip this in the bud as rodents tend to multiply and their feces can cause health issues if it becomes an infestation.  As the others said, seal up any access point with steel wool or wire mesh.  You'd be surprised how small of a hole a rat can squeeze through.  Trim any limbs that are in contact or over the home.  I've been told by pest control professionals rats will not jump (unlike squirrels) but they will use branches to get on the roof if they are touching/close.  Set good old fashioned rat traps to get the rats already in the house and you should be good.  Stress to your tenant that they need to secure food and keep the home clean in order to remove food sources for pests.  It is nearly impossible to get rid of roaches or rats if tenants are total slobs.

Tenant complains of rodents - who pays for pest control?

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