Tenant doesn't want to pay for exterminator

[Kevin Ha]

Hello guys,

I'm back with another round of questions from a newbie investor. Maybe you can help me navigate this awkward situation. Currently, I have a tenant that moved in February. Since then she has have a mice problem. It started with her saying that she had been hearing scratches along the walls so we boarded some things up and I gave her suggestions on how to keep the house clean so that mice won't exists. At that point it was dirty but she said that it was just that one day. I also suggested sticky traps as they were the best working (not the most humane, i know) but others just wouldn't do the job.she started catching them, she's apparently up to #10 in the last 2 months. However, when she started renting in February, there was not a mice problem and it didn't start until late April/May when she first started to notice them. She even got a cat saying it was to help with the mice, but I had ask to have her remove it as it was against the no pet clause in the lease. She is on a government program (CityFEPS) helping with her pay in NYC. At this point, I've said that I can no longer can help you and you need to call an exterminator. she said she did and the estimate was going to be about $350. She's stating that it is difficult for her to pay because of Covid and what not and says the exterminator also said she's going to need to do the whole house+basement. The first floor unit also has a tenant so I'm not sure about removing them just so the exterminator can lay traps and interrupt their lifestyle. they also have no issues with mice. I think she's going to use that to say I should pay for some if not all of the exterminator bill since it will require the whole house. Also, In my lease, it stated that the unit they are renting from is pest free from the date of rental and if any pest situation arises, that they will be responsible for it and not me. Also, I had passed inspection for the CityFEPs to be approved for a tenant to live here. I'm in NYC, Brooklyn if it helps. I called HRA but they said that because I own the property that is it still my responsibility and ultimately I would have to pay anyway. Is there anything I can do? Thanks for the help.

Warm Regards,
Kevin

[Ahmed Saad]

The advice I give is the advice of an experienced owner-operator in Brooklyn. Understand that maintaining the property free of vermin is your responsibility. That said follow these steps and you will be fine. Ignore them at your peril.

1. Hire a licensed pest control company. Don't hire one of the big guys, hire someone that does the work himself and owns the company. I can recommend one or 2 offline if you wish. They are the boots on the ground and tend be be better than a big company that just employs some schmuck who doesn't care.

2. Walk the property with them. Have them show you the possible points of entry. With mice it' ALL about closing points of entry. If the problem is as bad as you say, you have multiple points of entry and breeding. Close all the open areas and fix things that need to be fixed (think holes around radiator pipes, behind the stove, door sweeps). Fix them ASAP. This just needs a handy man.

3. Pest control really only works when the whole property is treated. Make sure you secure access to the whole building. Make sure trash areas are kept clean. Make sure no trash if left in the hallways. Explain to the tenants they are NOT to store garbage under the kitchen sink. 

4. Do monthly service. As winter approaches the problem will get worse, not better.

5. If you ignore the above, the tenant can call HPD which will, I promise you, be much much much worse than paying $100 month for an exterminator. You will be on the hook for the exterminator, whatever repairs HPD will require you to make, AND the tenant can stop paying rent claiming the premises are not livable. And you cannot recoup lost rent. AND you cannot evict them for non payment. And you will not be able to do a single thing. I don't even know anything about FEPS but if it's a govt program it will make everything worse. 

6. Welcome to being a NYC landlord and I promise you the advice above is worth it's weight in gold.

7. Oh, and where there are mice, roaches are not far behind. Make sure you get the property treated for roaches.

8. Also, it might be worth it to let the tenant have the cat. It is a genuinely good deterrent of mice and you don't need to pay of it ;)