Tips for Keeping Rental Properties Pest-Free: Landlord Edition

Once pests or vermin have entered your property, prepare for battle. For every roach or fruit flyyou see, there could be a colony hiding in your walls and floors. Preventative maintenance isthe most important thing you can do to keep bugs and critters outside instead of inside. Thatway, when your property is ready for a tenant, you won’t have to worry about pest control.

Close Up Holes

You’ll need an in-depth inspection of your property to check for potential entryways inside andoutside. Are there small cracks in any windows or door seals? Is there a weird gap underneaththe cabinets? Take your time during inspections especially if you’re buying a fixer-upper. Critterswill crawl through small holes to escape the weather or to look for food, so you need to plugthese holes.

Pull Appliances Away From the Wall

Pull dishwashers, refrigerators, stoves, and other big appliances away from the walls. Deepclean the crevices and look for holes that could hide pests. Patch up small holes behindappliances with wired mesh and plaster so larger critters also can’t get through.

Fumigation From the Start

If you just purchased a new rental property, fumigating the house before taking anything insideis best. That way you can know, with confidence, that pests are eradicated and won’t infest thehome. Bug bombers and foggers work fine if you want to DIY your pest control, but expertshave the best chemicals to reach hiding places where colonies and eggs can hide.

Allow Animals On a Case-by-Case Basis

While it is easier to prohibit pets at your rental property, that turns away many people who couldbe possible tenants. Cats and dogs can bring fleas, and fleas are extremely hard to exterminate.If you don’t want an animal-free property, encourage visitors and tenants to treat their petsmonthly for fleas and worms. You can also have “pet interviews” where you can meet thepotential tenant’s pet and see if the animal looks like it is properly taken care of.

Enforce Property Inspections

Write mandatory property inspections into your contract with a new tenant. Property inspectionsprotect your investment and maximize your property value. By enforcing property inspections,you can point out and address issues as they arise. Inspections will also encourage renters tokeep a clean and tidy home.

Maintain a Clean Landscape

Overgrown grass and tall weeds are the perfect hiding spot for bugs, rodents, and reptiles.Whether you’re the one responsible for maintaining the yard, or the tenant is, keeping a neatlawn and yard is crucial to preventing bugs from entering buildings. Mow grass to 2-3 inches tall,always dump standing water, and keep bushes and tree branches trimmed and away from thehouse.

Proper Waste Management

Set up waste pickup times with your local garbage collector to ensure trash leaves the propertyquickly. Trash left outside overnight or for multiple days invites critters to an all-you-can-eatbuffet. Raccoons and opossums are known to tear open trash bags and leave a mess in theirwake. Let tenants know the trash schedule and to not leave any bags outside.

Routine Pest Control

Once a tenant moves in, schedule a pest control company to spray the property routinely ––monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly. This is the best preventive you can have, as it will kill anypotential bugs and eggs on your property and prevent problems from becoming disasters.

Implement these pest control tips to maintain a pest-free property because everyone deservesto live in a clean and comfortable home. Consistency is key, so you need to hold yourself andyour tenants accountable for these preventative measures. Keeping the bugs out is easy;getting rid of them is the hard part.