Neighbors have roaches and mice. Infesting my rental. Recourse?

Question

I have a property in Baltimore county, and the neighbors are very messy / don’t take care of their home. My tenant has been complaining of roaches and of mice. I’ve had scheduled pest control coming out, and they’ve even come out more frequently than scheduled. Despite this it seems the issue is ongoing and not necessarily improving.

I should note, my tenant keeps things very tidy and has even attempted her own DIY pest control measures on top of the professional treatments.

At this point I know that the majority of the problems is the gross neighbors. What can I do, or request for Baltimore county to do!? I have done what I can and the tenant is frustrated. There must be some recourse to have the neighbors handle their mess / infestations. Any advice is appreciated.

TLDR; neighboring townhome in Baltimore county causing mouse and roach infestation. Can I get any authority involved to force them to clean up?

Nathan Gesner · Answer

Sorry about that. I thought I read it was another one of your renters.

Yes, contact the City and file a nuisance complaint. Many cities will investigate and can fine the neighbors if they are actually causing a problem. It may not be enough to solve the problem. They may clean it up for a short time and then get right back to it. You may need to consult an attorney to sue them.

You can also research to see if they are owners or renters. If they are renters, try contacting the Landlord and putting pressure on him to get rid of the renters.

Bill Crow · Answer

@Brian Greeson

Family of wieners.... that has to be one of the best spell-check edits I have seen.  :)

Brentin Trent · Answer

Account Closed

The ideal would be to buy the property next door. I haven’t had a chance to inquire.

I’ll verify, but I don’t think the tenant wants out of the lease. She has sent me some photos of the issues.

Account Closed · Answer

That's a good idea.  I'd contact the owner, if the owner is someone other than who is living there (next door).  You can get the name and address of the owner through the tax assessor's office, usually.  Some put the actual tax bills online, where you can search by address and see the name and address of whoever is getting the tax bill.  Other places require you to go in person.  But, that info is public info.

I did this when I lived in a condo I bought in Davis, CA and a rental had college students with a huge dog that pooped all over the common area.  I'd asked the tenants to pick it up and they actually swore at me and told me to stick it, basically.  So, I found out who the owner was and asked him to deal with them.  He was really grateful I'd contacted him because the dog had been snuck in and did a ton of damage to the unit.  He evicted them.  And fired his PM.  So, if your neighbor is renting it out, maybe they'll actually be grateful and clean it up.  Crossing fingers.

Account Closed · Answer

My first thought was - I wonder if your tenant wants out of the lease?  I'd ask the tenant if they want to be let out of the lease and see what happens.  If she jumps at it, you'll know that she may have just wanted out of the lease.

This is something I learned tenants will do if they want out of a lease without any kind of penalty.  All of a sudden they are complaining about all kinds of maintenance issues, you end up in and out of the apartment a bunch of times with them complaining about pests and mold and funny smells or noise - you name it - instead of just asking if they can break the lease.

So, I'd start there.  And I really think all you can realistically do, other than that, if the infestation is real, is up your pest control.  You could try complaining to the city, but I wouldn't expect anything to happen right away, if ever.

When I lived in the country, mice were a constant problem.  No matter what you do, it's a constant battle.  And, when I lived in TN, roaches were a constant battle.  There are things you can do to mitigate things, but they're just not going to get completely eradicated in some areas.

I wonder if you could buy the property next door?  You might get a good deal and then you could clean it up and get a good tenant in there.

Tim Jacob · Answer

Baltimore county is pretty strict on trash control due to rodents.  I would report them constantly on that.  Fines can be hefty to say the least.  Hopefully they will get the message.

Kristyn Grimes · Answer

@Brian Greeson so sorry to hear that you're dealing with crappy neighbors and it seems to be ruining the quite enjoyment of your good tenant. I agree with the above in that you should contact the city or county or whomever does the condemning or ordinance enforcement in your area. A property I was looking at had a back neighbor that had a pretty pool. When I did my due diligence of speaking to neighbors to get inside info, they told me that they had to call the EPA on those pool owners because after hurricane Harvey, they let their pool essentially turn into a cesspool. I can't confirm that it was the actual EPA they had to call but there's always someone in the city looking out for the folks who are doing what they're supposed to do. I'd be very careful if you do decide to knock on the neighbor's door to confront them about the issue. Maybe take someone with you and definitely wear a mask. As a side note and a previous renter who is in your tenants position, try not to disclose that your tenant is the one sounding the alarm on them. After the apartment manager did so and they found out it was me, they tried to make my life a living hell like doing mature things like leaving dog poop bags on my front door...

Best of luck to you!

Brentin Trent · Answer

@Nathan G. I believe they are owners or family of wieners. I didn’t even think to consult an attorney, it could be worthwhile. Thanks! I’ve already gotten in touch with the county I’ll see if they get back with me

Jaquetta T Ragland · Answer

@Brian Greeson definitely call the city. If it’s real bad inside...they could condemn the property.

Nathan Gesner · Answer

You haven't done what you can do. What you can - and should - do is get rid of the tenants causing the problem!

You could call the city and report them for a health violation. See if the city will inspect and put them on notice or give you additional recommendations.

If that doesn't work, you should step up as the Landlord and give them notice of an inspection. Document everything, demand they clean it up within one week and keep it clean, or give them notice of termination and get rid of them. You should also let them know you are going to continue sending exterminators and that the charges will be passed on to them.

In the future, you need to learn how to handle this yourself. If someone is causing damage to your property or creating a nuisance that threatens the neighbors, you have to step up and deal with it.

Neighbors have roaches and mice. Infesting my rental. Recourse?

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