guy_with_hounds ([info]guy_with_hounds) wrote in [info]pittsburgh,
@ 2008-08-04 09:35:00
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Current mood: angry

Ants and the rights of rentors
OK...question for you all.  I've never heard of thisand need some advice.  

I rent a house, a trailer actually.  Problem is we have an ant problem.  Their are two types, small little brown annoying ones and big black carpenter ants.  Their were little ant traps and such when I moved in.  I've complained to the rental company at least twice about this, and now their telling me that extermination in my responsibilty. 

Something I've never heard of in any place I've rented before. 

Is this true?  It's not part of my lease that I can see.  If so, what are my options?

I would think they want to do so they can rent the place after me. 


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[info]headtilt22
2008-08-04 02:38 pm UTC (link)
I could see if it was an individual, but I would think that a rental company would pay for it and would have some sort of discount deal set up w/ the exterminator to service all their properties.

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[info]guy_with_hounds
2008-08-04 02:49 pm UTC (link)
My thoughts as well.

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[info]rapier1
2008-08-04 03:05 pm UTC (link)
While I would think the renal company would want to take care of this I will say that ant traps are very inexpensive. You'll need the traps that are good for sweet ants and carpenter ants - I just picked up a couple packs at target for $3.50 each. Put them down and the ants will be gone inside of week.

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[info]guy_with_hounds
2008-08-04 08:49 pm UTC (link)
We've been doing that. Sprayed too.

It's an ongoing problem I'm afraid.

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[info]cpdavngr
2008-08-04 03:06 pm UTC (link)
I dunno what the law is, but we had a big roach problem in one of the places I used to rent (top part of a house) and the landlord called the exterminators and paid for it.

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[info]dutin
2008-08-04 03:43 pm UTC (link)
Look over your lease. If it says nothing about it, your landlord be it an individual or a company is responsible. If it says you're responsible, you're responsible. Ant Terror is awesome.

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[info]marzipan_robots
2008-08-04 05:09 pm UTC (link)
I would imagine that unless you brought the ants (which obviously isn't the case), this would be the responsibility of the owners of the property. Sounds to me like they're just trying to get free extermination.

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[info]r0b0tafflicti0n
2008-08-04 06:42 pm UTC (link)
Regardless of the law, I think it's just bad business that they'd not take care of it!

I can ask my roommate when he gets home. He owns a bunch of rental properties.

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[info]hypnotyza
2008-08-04 07:06 pm UTC (link)
Well, the fact of the matter is that it's NOT your property...I find it hard to imagine a situation where you would be responsible for something like this without being the owner.

Even shoddy, lazy landlords I've seen have said "send me a copy of the receipt and knock it off next month's rent". And we're talking big things like tile around the bathtub and carpeting in the apartment.

I wouldn't do anything without getting something in writing that states definitively one way or the other. Who's to say that the landlords can't come back and blame you for something after-the-fact regarding the work the exterminators do? I know I'm worst-case-scenario'ing on you, but it seems like it's a distinct possibility considering the rental co.'s relative uncaring attitude thusfar.

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[info]t3knomanser
2008-08-04 10:12 pm UTC (link)
I come from NYS, where everything is the landlords fault. There's gotta be a tenants advocacy group in PA, but my guess is that renting an uninhabitable property is a violation of the law (and a pest infestation is the textbook on uninhabitable).

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[info]writer00
2008-08-05 02:33 am UTC (link)
If you know where they are coming in, sprinkle cinnamon there and the ants won't cross it. It's safe and very effective. Took care of our ant problem completely.

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[info]sadhe_sati
2008-08-05 03:26 am UTC (link)
Unless it says that you're responsible for it in the lease then the landlord should pay for it. Did you tell them about it right when you moved in? If not they may try and turn it around on you and say that you caused the ant problem for whatever reason and that you're responsible for it.

I had a terrible ant problem in an apartment I moved into a few years ago. But I got and traps and sprayed Raid EVERYWHERE, including around every door, every window, both inside and outside. I also sprayed it all around the apartment outside to keep them from coming in. The fumes were awful and I had to stay with someone for a few days, but within a few days they were gone. Make sure you don't leave any food or crumbs out, also. Clean up spills (especially spills involving sugary liquids) ASAP. Evidently the guy who lived in my former apartment before me was a slob and you could tell by all the various sticky liquids on the kitchen floor that the ants were just feasting on...

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[info]guy_with_hounds
2008-08-05 12:45 pm UTC (link)
We've metioned it at least three times to the landlord and they are still dragging their feet.

Luckily there is nothing in the lease about pest control that I can find but the care of the yard and surrounding area is my job. So they are basically saying it's my problem.

I've been spraying and laying traps. Still have the problem, I'm thinking they are in the woodwork of the house itself.

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[info]doorinward
2008-08-05 06:06 am UTC (link)
make sure you buy some Terro baits ASAP and leave them around. The things are magic and unlike other bait thingies and traps actually work (within 12 hours you will have a trail of ants taking the stuff back home with them. within a few days they will be gone). This might take care of it, believe it or not. Then check your lease and see if there is a specific note about pest control. If not, I believe it is your landlord's responsibility because it is about maintaining habitability.

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