Let’s start by stating the obvious: renters, like most people, do not like pests. A pest infestation in your rental property can be a severe source of stress for you and your renter. Under our state’s laws, and unaddressed, a severe infestation may even be grounds for your renter to terminate their lease.
Given these high stakes, Valley property owners should be motivated to do everything in their power to prevent pest infestations. That means working with a local pest professional to craft a pest prevention strategy that works.
From denying bark scorpions entry into the property to eliminating roaches, effective pest control in Phoenix will make your tenant that much happier. In this article, we’ll review how property owners and managers can better prevent and deal with a pest infestation.
Schedule regular pest inspections
It’s challenging to keep a rental property pest-free when you’re not physically in the property the majority of the time. Unlike your own home, you’re not able to keep an eye out for visible signs of an infestation. This is why it’s a good idea to build a productive relationship with your renter, but it’s also an excellent reason to schedule annual pest inspections and regular treatment.
Have a pest control specialist inspect your home so that you can deal with problems proactively. After all, unless they happen to be looking for mud tubes on the foundation, a termite infestation might not be something a renter ever notices but—left untreated—could be something you have to deal with for years to come.
Enlist the help of your renter
Arizona state law considers pest control to be the property owner’s responsibility. However, your renter needs to do their part to keep the property reasonably clean and inform you when there are issues. An adversarial, tense, or non-communicative renter-owner relationship is the perfect scenario for pest issues to spiral out of control. When property owners fail to respond to their tenants quickly, renters also start communicating less frequently and start to look for a new place to live when their lease is up.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Instead, engage with your renter by treating them as what they are: part of the solution, not the problem. From day one, set clear expectations for communication and response. Many successful property owners and managers provide tenants with their cell phone number, allowing them to exchange text messages at the first sign of any problem. You don’t have to become best friends with your renter, but you do want them to feel comfortable texting or calling you if there’s an issue. If that “problem” happens to be termite tubes in the property, it’s in your best interest to know that as soon as possible.
To build a positive feedback loop, act quickly, and decisively when your tenant calls you with a problem. Ask your tenant to keep an eye out for specific issues. You can’t count on your renter to do a full property inspection, but you can, for instance, ask them to watch out for half-eaten fruit under backyard citrus trees—a potential sign of a roof rat infestation. Your renter doesn’t want a pest infestation anymore than you do. Talk to them and enlist their help.
Invest in home sealing
Many Valley homeowners are turning to home sealing as a means of locking out pests. It’s also a good fit for your rental property. The concept is simple: many pests—including our infamous bark scorpions, but also roaches, crickets, rats, and more—get into the home relatively quickly. Cracks in the foundation, gaps underneath exterior doors, and unsecured weep holes are all superhighways leading into your property. Blocking these potential entrances can prevent many infestations: without easy access to the home, many pests will just move on.
Professional home sealing has been an especially effective means of blocking scorpion access in East Valley. Bark scorpions are predators who pursue their prey—roaches, crickets, and other smaller pests—into your home. Without access to their food supply, scorpions will go elsewhere.
To get a quote for how much it will cost to seal your rental property, talk to a local pest control company here in the Phoenix metro.
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