Pest control...you pay or tenant?

Question

My tenant told me they saw a roach (1 roach) in the house the other day. He didn't seem really upset about it, but it got me thinking...should I have a pest control company come out quarterly to spray or should that be on the tenant? My feeling is it should be on the tenant, but what are your thoughts? In my area, it's around $350/year to have a company spray quarterly.

Thanks

Michael Peters · Answer

First post and excited to join the community!  Our leases all specifically outline that tenants are responsible for all pests treatments.  We also ensure this is gone over verbally during our lease signing to ensure there is no confusion.  We would also never turn a property over to a new tenant with any issues at the property.

Once a tenant is in the property I consider any pest issues to be something they caused and their responsibility to resolve.  We have made a few exceptions but more often then not a complaint of an infestation typically turns out to be a dozen ants caused by food on the floor and a wasted trip to the property.

I just resolved a situation today with a newer tenant.  They have been in the property for a few weeks and contacted me about encountering spiders at the property.  Since they were still relatively new I did my due diligence.  Keep in mind I manage this on behalf of another owner so I have to be conscious of their repair costs.  I confirmed with the prior tenants that they had not had any insect issues at the property.  There was only a 2 week vacant period between the tenants so I was easily able to verify with our maintenance and cleaning vendors that they had not seen any issues.  Finally we have a 3 day period for tenants to report any issues not caught in our property condition catalogs.  After explaining that entire process they were able to accept the responsibility saving myself a trip to the property and the cost of an exterminator by making a few phone calls and sticking to our lease agreement.

Rob B. · Answer

All depends upon the lease (as stated above), but also make sure it is in accordance with state law; sure it can be in a lease clause, but if this is something that is stated explicitly in your state law then no matter what language you use, state law takes precedence. I think some of it also depends upon timing (ie. when the infestation happens/became noticable).

In many instances, there's a lot they can do to try and mitigate some of that risk of another infestation happening (ie. sealable, odor containing/closed trash cans, taken out regularly; regular cleaning of the apartment space; ensure food is in tightly sealed containers, even if in the refrigerator; early communication about any standing water or wood rot; wash bedding frequently -  a lot of people eat in bed, and this is an easy way to attract insects and pests because oftentimes most people don't wash their bedding nearly enough). I hope this helps!

Josue Vargas · Answer

@Clint G.

No.  Don’t immediately hire a pest control company.  Read your contract (if it’s the simple TREC contract... you may up paying the pest control co.)

Jonathan W. · Answer

@Andrew Hogan ok...

@Clint G. I see. In our area the prices vary a lot and are still cheaper then that. A lot scam artist pest control salesmen in the area too.

I shopped around a lot and found a very outstanding person who does it for a shocking lower price. Simply because he doesn’t pay someone else to come out and spray for him. He does it himself and he’s a complete pest control wonk

Andrew Hogan · Answer

@Jonathan Watt You get what you pay for, good things aren't cheap and cheap things aren't good.

@Clint G.I'm glad you got that sorted out. In the future, if you're serious about getting rid of bugs. I'd highly recommend Moxie Pest Control (also called Joshua's Pest Control in San Diego, Kansas, and Missouri). I'm not affiliated any longer (formerly worked for them) but can testify to the superior service and company values.

You should get a discount if you refer your other rentals.

BTW you never see only ONE roach and that's usually a sign that your tenant is a dirty one...

Peter Tverdov · Answer

If an infestation happens at the beginning of a tenancy, the owner will pay that. If it happens in the middle and the exterminator determines it was tenant caused, the tenant will pay.

FWIW, if they found 1 roach that means there are 100. Get an exterminator please.

Randy E. · Answer

For single family houses, I include language in the lease that explicitly states the tenant is responsible for pest control.  My thinking is that if the house was pest free before the tenant moved in and the tenant later complains of pests, then the tenant introduced and/or otherwise caused the problem.

For multi-family units, I would include pest control as a landlord-provided service.  In multi-family buildings, it is entirely possible that one tenant can introduce a pest problem that spreads to other units.  Thus, it would be hard to prove exactly which tenant created the problem.

Frank Maratta · Answer

@Clint G.

Just dealt with this in one of my apartments that has been vacant for 6 months. Tenant moved in and Said there were roaches. I didn’t even believe her at first, but I called the exterminator and had him bomb.  He said it was a high probability the tenant actually brought the roaches with her. She has 2 stoves and a deep freezer and loves to cook. She’s also a total nut job and unfortunately presented herself well to my leasing agents and got a great landlord recommendation (probably just wanted to get rid of her).  From this point forward I am putting language in my lease that specifically says cockroach infestations are the responsibility of the tenant to exterminate.  This was clearly her fault and not mine.  Other pest infestations like mice are going to be difficult to prove who is at fault, so just plan on paying for that yourself.

Clint G. · Answer

The lease states that the tenant pays, now that I'm looking at it. That's what we'll stick with!

Jonathan W. · Answer

@Clint G. When they first move in, it’s on us. Although the place is pest free when they do.

If it’s the start of their tenancy m, we will pay but after a few months, it’s on them

350 a year? I’d get another quote

Pest control...you pay or tenant?

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