Unwanted pests present more than health and safety risks. Disagreements between tenants and landlords about who is responsible for dealing with the problem are bound to happen. If you’ve discovered that your rental home has since acquired a pest problem after you’ve moved in, you should take immediate action. When renters hesitate to act immediately on the pest problem, it ends up making the problem worse. As a renter, you must realize that pest control is in the scope of your responsibility, and you must also know some ways to prevent a pest problem in your Homestead rental home in the first place.
It is your responsibility as a tenant to pay for pest control if it is clearly stated in your lease and/or whether your actions are the reason for the infestation or not. There are many different types of pests that can invade a rental home. Some kinds of pests, including ants, cockroaches, and fleas, are often attracted to a home because it is not kept clean enough. Whenever garbage bags are left sitting or uncovered food is stored in the home, cockroaches and ants will easily discover it and swarm the home. 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. If a dog or other pet is living with you, it could bring fleas into the house as it goes in and out throughout the day. Fleas carry diseases and can quickly infest every corner of a home.
Oftentimes it is the tenant’s actions or behavior that is the reason why the pests were invited into the home. This is why, under the terms of most leases, the responsibility is usually placed on you, as a renter, to pay to have the unwanted pests removed. With that in mind, if you find a moisture problem in your rental home and you fail to report it, you could find yourself responsible for the pests that are attracted to such conditions as well. In the majority of cases, a professional exterminator will be called in to see if your living conditions caused the pest problem. You just might need to bear the cost for any and all necessary pest removal services if their investigation reinforces such an opinion.
Something an excellent renter can do is to be proactive about their rental home maintenance; that would be really helpful. A good renter has plenty of options available to ensure that their rental homes are kept pest-free. Making sure that the home is clean, both inside and out is probably the easiest and most effective 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.
The best deterrent for pests that want to be indoors is to make sure that you seal the food tightly and store them properly in the refrigerator or pantry, and also to sweep up crumbs daily. 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. For renters who also live in areas that are highly prone to fleas and ticks, there are many good flea prevention products on the market that can help you. In order to avoid the expense and annoyance of having to bear the cost for pest extermination on your rental property, you should take the appropriate action right away.
Are you on the lookout for a Homestead rental home? Check out our available rentals and call us at 305-501-1511 for more information.
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