As a landlord, it’s your responsibility to keep your rental property in a safe and habitable condition, warns Cavalier Estates, LLC. Among other things, this means preventing pest infestations.
Now, a common complaint tenants usually have involved pests. Pests can cause several issues. Some of these are:
- Health and safety issues – Common pests like mosquitoes and cockroaches spread allergy, asthma, and food contamination illnesses.
- Tenant turnover – No tenant wants to live in a pest-infested home. And, if tenants are unhappy with the existing living conditions, they will pack up and leave.
- Tenant complaints – Who wants to live in a filthy property? Certainly not your tenant. If your tenant begins noticing pests in their home, they will complain to you. And if you fail to act after their repeated requests, they may move out without facing any repercussions. Even worse, they may report you to the local health department.
- Property damage – Pests can also cause damage to the structure of the home. Rodents, in particular, can chew through walls. The odor from the urine trapped within walls can also get difficult to get rid of.
Secret Places Where Pests Are Likely to Hide
Pests can be hiding just about everywhere – whether or not you can see them. To prevent getting them, you need to know where they are most likely to hide. With that in mind, here’s where to look for pests in your home:
- In basements and attics
- In your trash cans
- Behind appliances
- Around sinks, drains and exposed pipes
- Inside walls
- In crawl spaces
- Under piles of wood or leaves
- Around moldings and baseboards
- Under piles of paper
6 Tips to Prevent Pest Invasion on Your Rental Property
Yes, as a landlord, it’s impossible to control your tenant’s actions. That said, there are certain things though that are well within your control. The following are some things you can do to ensure your rental property is free from any pest infestations.
1. Set up regular exterminations.
You need to exterminate every month or every other month. Do this whether or not you have seen any sign of pest infestation on your rental property. Sure, regular extermination can be costly but it’s ultimately less expensive than losing a good tenant.
2. Get rid of stagnant water around your property.
Is there any standing water around your property? Or, have you noticed a leaky faucet or pipe? If you have noticed any of these things, have them fixed immediately.
Standing water cannot only provide good breeding grounds for pests, but it can also be bad for your home’s foundation.
3.Get rid of clutter.
Remove any clutter around your property’s perimeter. Trim bushes and hedges and get rid of weeds. You also want to move away any piles of compost, rotting logs or wood from your property.
Keeping your perimeter clean will help reduce spots where vermin are likely to hide. If pests live near your property, there is a higher likelihood that they will enter it.
4. Have proper trash bins.
Have proper waste bins to help prevent pests in your rental property. The bins should be in good condition and have lids that secure them at the top. You should also check them once a while to ensure they don’t have any holes or cracks.
You also want to ensure that the bins available are large enough to cater to your tenant’s needs. This makes sure that tenants don’t leave garbage bags outside the counter. Additionally, place these containers a good distance from the actual property if possible.
If placed near the property, the smell from the garbage can attract creatures.
5.Keep common areas clean.
Pests also need food to survive. Without it, they cannot lurk around for long. Although controlling how a tenant lives inside their home is impossible, you still have control of the property’s common areas.
Make sure the common areas are free from any debris or trash. Sweeping or vacuuming weekly should suffice.
6. Seal up possible entry points.
Critters can get in through the foundation joints, dryer vents, pipes and conduit, attic vents, roof joints, and chimney flue. Sealing these areas can help keep these little critters out.
On the inside, ensure to check the crawl spaces, attics, common areas, and basements. On the exterior, make sure you check areas like windows, doors, vents, and gaps around pipes. Again, check around the perimeter and near any doors, windows, vents, and pipes.
This can be time-consuming, but it can sure save you money and time later on. Properly applied caulk can help fill all small entry points. For mice, you want to add some steel wool into the hole as mice can chew through caulk alone.
There you have it. 6 tips to prevent pest invasion on your rental property. If you have reasons to believe you already have a pest infestation, seek professional help immediately.
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