A quarter of the population fears insects like spiders, bees, and wasps. Fear of insects is often justified thanks to the number of insects that do bite and sting people. Landlords understand that a simple pest issue can become a major problem in a hurry. Tenants can become upset, and some even start refusing to pay rent if they feel there is an insect infestation. Maintaining the property is required by law, and this includes providing a safe, habitual place to live.
Common Pests and Property Damage
Termites are one of the most common pests, but there are others that lead to unsanitary conditions including rats, mice, snakes, bed bugs, cockroaches, ants, fleas, ticks, beetles, and silverfish.
Do Landlords or Tenants Pay for Pest Control?
When it comes time to eliminate pests from the property, it is important to know who is responsible for payment. If it is found that the pest issues started when the tenant was leaving food our, or they failed to keep their property sanitary, the tenant may be expected to pay for pest control.
It is important to check the lease to determine what it states about cleanliness. Tenants are normally responsible for making sure the trash is taken out and they maintain cleanliness inside the unit. However, property owners are responsible for paying for pest control as it is required to provide pest-free rentals that are habitable.
Preventing and handling pest control issues in a timely manner reduces the risk of them spreading to multiple units. Keeping tenants happy is an essential aspect of property management as satisfied tenants typically stay longer, but they also send good referrals, and leave positive online reviews.
How to Prevent Pests in Rental Properties
To avoid dealing with a pest problem, plan on maintenance. Landlords should consider subscribing to quarterly pest control services. Companies can come out and spray for multiple types of pests. While it is important to spray for pests, it is a wise decision to make tenants aware of lease responsibilities. Pests tend to gravitate towards food and garbage that is left out along with standing water. Landlords can prevent pests by doing some basic upkeep and maintenance to the structure including sealing cracks, pipes, and walls.
Routine Property Inspections
Landlords can help to reduce pest issues by taking the time to evaluate the property often. Repairing the property and cleaning up some issues will go a long way in maintaining a nice property. Some additional things to consider doing include:
Make sure all exterior garbage cans have lids that close
Install drains in water-laden areas of the property
Following tenant turnover, it is important to inspect the property to check for signs of pest problems, and to make sure all areas where pests could potentially come in are sealed out.
Pesticide Pest Control Treatments
Hiring a professional company to handle pest control is the best method as they have Federal requirements they need to meet in order to use certain pesticides. Routine pest control sprays are designed to reduce the risk of certain pest problems on an annual basis. Different times of year will include different types of pests that need to be handled. Extermination cost is relatively inexpensive when it comes to paying for the after-effects of a serious pest problem.
Keyrenter Silicon Valley, CA, provides residential property management services to landlords of single family homes, duplexes, condos, and small multifamily units. Our purpose is to help landlords maximize the return on their investment property while eliminating the stressors associated with being a landlord. We provide a number of services including; property analysis, setting rent, tenant placement, leasing services, maintenance coordination, tenant relations, property inspections, rent collection.