Pest problems can start happening at any time, to resolve the situation these unwanted visitors are best evicted by you and your tenant working together. There are many aspects to pest control, landlords and tenants are keen to understand their role and responsibilities within this area, so we’ve taken some time to explain the best practices and who is responsible for what.
What should be done when pests are discovered?
Assuming a property has tenants in, it’s likely they will first see the infestation. It is the responsibility of the tenant to report it promptly to their landlord.
Who should contact pest control?
If it is evident that the tenant is responsible for the pest infestation, they would normally take responsibility for arranging a pest control appointment. However, if it is evident that the pests are gaining access due to an abundance of entry points for pests, then the landlord should contact a pest control to both clear the pests and fix the issue.
What can be done to stop pests entering the property?
If your property has reoccurring issues with pest control, it would be prudent to book an appointment with a pest control company who’ll be able to advise you of the best ways to pest-proof your property more permanently - the best outcome for both you and your tenant.
Who’s legally responsible for pest infestation?
Landlords are responsible for ensuring that properties are well maintained and habitable, so whilst there are a number of actions you can ask your tenants to take to make entering the property less attractive i.e ensuring food is not left out, the likelihood is that from a legal stance a landlord will be responsible.
Ultimately rodents will be getting into the property through holes and gaps that should have been repaired and it’s a landlord's responsibility to ensure a property is habitable. Landlords can receive fines for not addressing their responsibilities appropriately. Recent news highlights a landlord fined a significant amount of money for failing to remedy their rodent infested property.
What are a landlord's responsibilities for pest control?
- Blocking up all access points for rodents - you need to protect your property from pests being able to get in and your tenants belongings
- Regularly perform checks on problem or old pipework or plumbing - these are most likely to be the weak area that allows pests to enter your property
- Ensure there are no pests in the property prior to you taking on a new tenancy
What are a tenant’s responsibilities for pest control?
- Pets are a known source of smaller pests (fleas or mites), alongside caring for their pet, your tenant would also be responsible for eradication of fleas or mites from the property by arranging for appropriate cleaning
- Covering up / sealing access to food - leaving food out will attract rodents, in this instance it would be a tenants responsibility to solve
- Appropriate cleaning will prevent smaller bugs from being attracted to the property, if the property hasn’t been cleaned for a long period of time and pests appear as a direct result of this, it would be the tenants responsibility to solve
Other challenges that landlords face are around the responsibilities of dealing with damp and mould. We’ve developed an informative guide on this - take a look here for more information.