Insect infestation in rented property

babe-ruth

Hi all, i speak as a Landlord. Anyone know who's resposibility it is to sort out ant infestation in rented property. For some reason my terms and conditions don't seem to cover this so i'm not sure if it's one of those sort of things that the tenant should deal with themselves. Thanks

pmlindyloo

I've looked this up on the internet and some say it's the LLs and some say it's the tenant!

So if it's not in the tenancy agreement let's go with the common sense approach.

If it's a few ants then the tenant can deal with it themselves with the usual methods.

If it's a case of ants everywhere then it may be to do with the fabric of the building (for which you are responsible)

Are then any cracks/holes which the ants are getting through?

My suggestion would be to find out how bad the problem is and then move forward.

If the tenants have got in touch then I am presuming it is quite bad.

Personally I would find an agreed time to go round and find out what needs doing.

Not nice for the tenant if they're everywhere so be nice and help out. Shouldn't cost a fortune and if dealt with now could save you money in the future.

babe-ruth

Thanks for your reply Lindyloo. Yes i will certainly do that and i have looked on the council web site to see if they can get rid if the problem persists. They do charge though.

By the way the tenant decided to call & text me at 1.30am this morning to tell me about this, needless to say i didn't answer

pmlindyloo

babe-ruth wrote: »

Thanks for your reply Lindyloo. Yes i will certainly do that and i have looked on the council web site to see if they can get rid if the problem persists. They do charge though.

By the way the tenant decided to call & text me at 1.30am this morning to tell me about this, needless to say i didn't answer

Perhaps they had ants in their ...................:eek::eek:

babe-ruth

Perhaps they had ants in their ...................:eek::eek:

:rotfl::rotfl:

tbs624

How long has the T lived there?

Does s/he keep the property in reasonably clean condition?

Couple of links from Tessa Shepperson's LL Law blog for you here and here

Once you have checked the severity of the problem yourself you may feel it appropriate to pay the Council fee for ant destruction on this occasion ( you can of course set that down for your tax return) with clear written guidance being given to the T about how s/he can reduce the likelihood of further infestation.

On the timing of the calls/texts thank the T for notifying you of the issue but take the opportunity to remind him/her (in writing) that "out of hours" calls are to be restricted to genuine emergencies only

babe-ruth

Thanks tbs for your reply and the link

Does s/he keep the property in reasonably clean condition?

She has only been there a couple of months and i'm pretty sure she will keep it in a clean condition.

[QUOTEOnce you have checked the severity of the problem yourself you may feel it appropriate to pay the Council fee for ant destruction on this occasion ( you can of course set that down for your tax return) with clear written guidance being given to the T about how s/he can reduce the likelihood of further infestation.

We have rented the property out for about 14 years and no one has ever mentioned that there are ants before. I suspect it's just one of those things and this is the time of year that they are most active. It sounds like there is a nest under the pavement outside and they have somehow managed to get inside the property. Not seen it yet so only guessing. How do you reduce further infestation? I have them in the garden and have tried all sorts in the past to no avail, so now i just leave them to get on with whatever ants do:). Fortunateley they havn't attempted to come indoors.

On the timing of the calls/texts thank the T for notifying you of the issue but take the opportunity to remind him/her (in writing) that "out of hours" calls are to be restricted to genuine emergencies only

She was told this (in writing) when she moved in.

Flibsey

we have ants in a big way here, landlord told us to sort it as it's not his responsability. mid you, my landord's not the best landlord in the world....

Debt_Free_Chick

It's currently "ant season" as this year's young are about to fly - if we ever get a dry, warm day.

I've had a small number of flying ants in the house this week ... just waiting now for the onslaught!

[Deleted User]

I am a fairly clean person but did have problems with Ants a couple of times in one property. It seemed to happen when I had been rummaging around in the garden (digging things up in a major way) and when I had some builders doing a major kitchen refurb. With the first invasion, the problem solved itself in a week or two although I did use ant powder inside and outside the house to create a 'dead zone' perimeter. After the second invasion, I was able to trace how the ants were getting in and ant powdered the route. The invasion ceased after a day or two. And of course, I was particularly careful not to leave even a crumb on the worksurfaces.

Its just a case of common sense though. Find out how they are getting in and douse the route or if you can't, use ant powder liberally all around the perimeter of the house. I can't really see the need to call in professionals unless they are all over the house.

chrisvoi

Hi - my landlord -a council - solve the insect problem.

I had a problem with a rat, chewed my low voltage electric cable inside the electric switch cupboard that serve as a shoo cupboard as well. The door where kept closed so the rat could enter only through the crack in the building and into the cupboard following the electric cables layout. I need to add that it is impossible to block the entry points created by the cables.

I have notified the Council I rent the house from. They send vermin guy who put some poison.

By sending the guy they took the responsibility for the vermin problem.