Mice: my problem or the residents?

[Steve Boianelli]

Hey BP. I'm trying to help out my resident who has mice. I'm on the fence about who is on the hook here? What experience have you all had with this situation? My lease doesn't specify "pest control" but the resident has been living there for about 18 months. I make the argument that the mice are a part of the "maintenance" section of the lease. It's winter and it's cold so mice are trying to survive. I've already suggested to him to get traps and buy those pest deterrent devices from a home improvement store. What are your thoughts BP?

Thanks!

Steve 

[Roy N.]

As you stated, it is natural that mice come indoors in the autumn/winter.   With older (and many not so old) buildings, it's almost impossible to prevent their entry, but it is possible to make the building less attractive of a place to stay.

Mice breed quickly, so ultimately they become the property owner's problem regardless of how they entered and whether the tenant laid out a buffet enticing them to stay.   In all our older (read: rubble foundation) buildings, we provide tenants with a {virtual} handout in the autumn indicating things they can do to make their home less appealing to mice.  We also place bait stations in the cellar and around the property in the autumn and make traps (w/ instructions) available to tenants at the first sign of rodents.

In our multi-unit buildings on the edge of more  mouse populous neighbourhoods, we have a pest control service monitor and maintain a "trap line" in the properties.

In all cases, a coordinated effort between landlord, tenant and {if present} pest control service, is essential to prevent a mouse or two from becoming a colony.  The key is to respond immediately and not allow the mice to establish a population.