Unwanted pests contribute significantly more than just health and safety risks. They may also cause disagreements between tenants and landlords about who is responsible for dealing with the problem. In case your rental home has started developing a pest problem from the day you moved in, you must take immediate action. For all sorts of reasons, countless renters fail to do so, which time and again, makes the situation more problematic. As a renter, it is necessary to be aware of when pest control is your concern, and what you can do to curb a pest problem in your Bedford County rental home before anything else.
Realizing when it is your responsibility as a tenant to pay for pest control is subject to your lease and/or whether your actions directly resulted in the infestation or not. There are many different types of pests that can invade a rental home. Many of these pests, including ants, cockroaches, and fleas, are often attracted to a home because it is not kept clean enough. For instance, if bags of garbage are left sitting or uncovered food is stored in the home, ants and cockroaches may generally find such situations highly attractive. Such insects thrive in environments with a plentiful food source and love to eat garbage and crumbs. Skunks, mice, rats, raccoons, and other animals are also strongly attracted by garbage left uncovered outside and can create havoc in a very short amount of time. In the case that you keep ownership of a dog or other pet, it may bring fleas into the house. Fleas carry diseases and can quickly infest every corner of a home.
In all situations mentioned above, it is the tenant’s behavior or actions that invited the pests in. Knowing this, under the terms of most leases, it would be your responsibility as a renter to pay to have the unwanted pests removed. In the same manner, in case that your rental home has a moisture problem that you did not report, you could be responsible for the pests that such conditions attracted as well. In most circumstances, a professional exterminator will be invited to distinguish whether your living conditions caused the pest problem. In case their findings validate such a conclusion, you could be requested to pay for any and all mandated pest removal services.
The most ideal thing that a renter can engage in is to be proactive about their rental home maintenance. There are a ton of things that renters can work out to secure and keep their rental homes pest-free. Securing and keeping the home clean, inside and out, could surely be the most uncomplicated and most spot-on way to prevent unwanted pests. Keeping garbage and food (both human and pet) in containers with tight lids and disposing of any trash right away is another important strategy for outdoor pests.
As concerns pests who like best being indoors, seeing to it that food is tightly sealed and properly stored in the refrigerator or pantry and that crumbs are swept up daily is the most suitable way to ward them off. For renters with pets, keeping your animal clean is the best way to avoid a flea infestation and all the problems that come with it. There are numerous good flea prevention products for sale that can give benefits in areas highly prone to fleas and ticks. By optimizing certain actions, you can dodge the cost and complexity of paying for pest extermination on your rental property.
Are you keen on finding your next Bedford County rental home? Check for yourself our available rentals and give us a call at 434-215-3028 for more information.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.