Pests and rental properties – who is responsible?
Landlords have a duty to provide and maintain a fit and habitable dwelling. This includes taking steps to prevent pests from infesting the property. However, tenants also have a role to play in preventing pest infestations, by storing food properly, keeping the premises clean, making sure their pet doesn’t have fleas and reporting any pest issues to the landlord promptly.
Other things to consider when deciding who is responsible include:
- Whether or not pests or vermin were already a problem when the tenant moved in
- Whether pests have entered or an infestation has developed because of a problem with the property
- Whether the tenant contributed to the problem
Tips for keeping pests at bay for tenants
At home remedies –Things like bug spray, fly traps, barrier treatments, rat poison and ant sand will be great first line defences for pests. Bunnings is a fantastic place to get these items!
Removing rubbish and food waste – Don’t allow rubbish to accumulate! Ensure any food waste is properly bagged and disposed of correctly. Take note of weekly bin schedules (and periodic bulk waste collections) and ensure all waste gets collected as planned.
Regular cleaning – Make use of different cleaning solutions where appropriate to keep a hygienic environment!
Store food correctly – Ensure food items in the home are being correctly stored and are properly contained, especially if being kept in cupboards or on kitchen counters etc.
Maintain your gardens and lawns – Overgrown lawns and gardens attract rodents and other common household pests and regular mowing, removal of loose leaves, and cutting back of bushes will help keep them at bay.
Fleas and pets – its important to treat your animals for fleas, especially if they are outdoor animals. This will make not only the animal more comfortable, but prevent flea infestations too.
What if these measures don’t work?
Contact your property manager to find out what the next steps should be. It is important to note that these first line defence items above should be undertaken by tenants in the first instance to see if this resolves the problem. As we do live in a country prone to spiders, cockroaches, rats etc, it is important tenants understand that the bugs cannot be completely eradicated.
Your property manager will look into the various information and factors surrounding the pest issue to determine if there is are any pending maintenance issues or other factors that warrant the landlord treating pests. Once this is assessed, we can determine who is responsible and recommend the next steps, which would likely include a professional pest treatment for the particular pest of concern. We encourage tenants to not be afraid to raise these issues. Pests are a very common concern and we will always do our best to educate all parties and resolve the pest issue as soon as possible.