Having pests in your home is a problem many people have to deal with. Sometimes, it’s as easy as calling a pest control company and removing the pest. Other times, there are unclear lines about whose responsibility it is to take care of pest control. Where landlords are concerned, who is responsible, the landlord or the tenant?
Sometimes, the responsibility falls on the landlord because they have stated such in their contract, and as long as you can prove that, they have to take care of pest control needs. However, this isn’t always so clear-cut. Some landlords like to dodge the pest control bullet because the fees can be costly if pests are not treated promptly. This crosses the line into repairing the damage done by pests which can be very costly, too.
There are also situations where the landlord will claim that the tenant brought the pests into their residence. That they are unclean or have poor cleaning habits. However, tenants can claim that pests were present because they moved into the residence. Since both parties have a very valid case, it can be hard to know who is responsible for taking care of pest control. Nevertheless, the pests need to be removed anyway before more damage occurs.
The best thing that can be done upon moving in is to define who is responsible before signing a lease. If you want to live in a residence where pest control is taken care of by the landlord, make sure that is stated in the lease or don’t move in. If this is not stated in the lease, the landlord doesn’t have to take care of pest control issues unless they want to take care of them. However, when you sign a lease with a landlord, it becomes an unwritten agreement since signing a lease binds a landlord to create “liveable conditions” for their tenant. Pest living in your residence can make it unlivable. This makes landlords responsible for general pest control.
However, if the landlord can prove that pest control is needed due to something the tenant is doing (such as poor cleanliness) then the tides may change in favor of the landlord. Pests are drawn to poor cleaning habits such as food left out, dishes in the sink, poorly covered containers, etc. If there is a pet involved, the landlord can blame the possible flea infestation on the introduction of a pet to the residence. Also, the pests have to be reported to the landlord within a timely manner or the responsibility of pest control could fall on the tenant.
Learning who is responsible can be hard since there are so many different paths it could take, but one thing is clear, the pests are not going away on their own. If you have a pest problem and need help, call Wildout Animal and Pest Removal for all your pest needs. Not only can they remove the pest, but they can also set up preventive measures to make sure that they stay away. Just call today! 844-945-3688.