Tenant conditions - cockroaches

[Joe P.]

Hi all -- looking for some advice. My tenant has been complaining that there are cockroaches in the unit. When I purchased the property, there weren't any. I do inspections about once a month and this tenant isn't the cleanest, but I'm noticing its getting worse.

Its been about a month since I've been in the unit, and with an exterminator this time, we see there is an infestation. Its bad, and they clearly aren't cleaning the kitchen/bathroom, are leaving food out, etc.

In our lease I have a rules addendum that says any bugs/issues due to conditions of tenant would be their responsibility to pay for.

A few things I'm interested in doing, and gaining advice for:

1.  I know I need to do periodic inspections on this tenant moving forward. How do you enforce things like keeping the unit clean?

2.  They need to pay for this service and execute a massive cleaning ASAP -- what kind of official notice can I use here?

3.  If they decide not to do one or both of the above, can I evict for bad conditions not adhering?

I'd like to get moving on formal notices here -- realizing I'm behind the 8 ball because of poor or insufficient management on my part. Happy to take the beatings from other landlords here, but seeking good advice to quickly nip this in the bud.

[Marc Winter]

If this is a multi-unit property, it is the owner's responsibility (the way we interpret) and if it is a single, it is the tenant's responsibility.  Keep in mind, roaches need food and water to survive.  Make sure there are no leaks.  I understand you can't control the food side of it.

You will never get a slob to change their ways--that's the way they choose to live.  If they are paying the rent on time, and otherwise are not destroying the 'unit', I would leave them there and initiate a monthly extermination done by a licensed pest control company, and back charge the tenant for it.

You can't change their lifestyle, but you can protect your property from becoming a health hazard.  (BTW--roaches are a major trigger for asthma and other bronchial problems.)