Question about extermination requests

[Tracey B.]

Mike and others who rent to government people, how do you guys handle requests for exterminating? I have never been asked this before and since I have started renting to government voucher tenants, I have had 2 requests. Do you tell tenant its their responsibility or do you do it once and subsequent visits on them? The first tenant, that is what I did and I never heard back from them. Also, what do you do when you notice they are not cutting the grass and its in their lease? What I have decided was that I will charge them whenever I go by and see it overgrown and have to hire someone to do it. Any thoughts or suggestions or recommendations from other people who deal with these types of renters.

[Account Closed]

My contract states that the unit has been treated for pests before the tenant moved in and it is pest-free. That it is the tenant's responsibility to deal with vermin. They know that and they sign that they agree.

However, if you have an apartment building, it is always the landlord's responsibility to control infestations. It is simply impossible to determine who is responsible for the introduction of the bugs or mice.

One thing to think about: if you have Section 8 tenants, they will live with mice and cockroaches before they will buy a few dollars worth of Combat gel or a couple of mouse traps. If you depend upon them for pest control, it won't get done.

I treat all my vacancies with Tomcat bait blocks, and I spray all the interiors of all the cabinets with Spectracide. If we had cockroaches in my area, I'd place Combat Gel on the backsides of all the drawers.

In my area, I have to go around and spray all the eves with wasp and hornet spray. I always get the houses back with lots of live wasp nests. Tenants would rather live with hornets than to pay $4 for a can of wasp and hornet spray.