If you are a property manager, you are responsible for making sure that your residents are cared for at all times. Part of that responsibility involves pest control. If there are bugs in your rental property, you will quickly lose tenants and lose credibility in your community. Rather than putting yourself at risk like this, you need to have the right pest inspections conducted on a regular basis. Here are some to keep in mind.
Termites
Termites aren’t as easy to spot as some of the other pests on this list. The only time you will likely notice their presence is when they have already eaten through a large chunk of your rental property. Ideally, you should get in a habit of having a termite inspection once a year for all of the properties you manage. If most of your leases end in May or June, you could choose that time to get an inspection before new tenants arrive. If your house or apartment needs to be treated, you can have that treatment complete before the new residents get in.
Cockroaches
Cockroaches create serious health concerns, and they are a major concern for renters. Even if the renters bring upon the roaches with their messy habits, you have the responsibility of getting rid of the infestation. If you choose to fine them or evict them later because of the roaches, you can do that, as long as it is within the legal means of your lease. Before any of that happens though, you need an inspection and possibly an extermination.
Bed Bugs
Bed bugs don’t just live in mattresses. They can live on all kinds of furniture, and they can make homes for themselves in flooring. If you think one of your tenants is having a problem with bed bugs, get his unit inspected, along with any others that touch his. If you find a problem, get it taken care of and have all the other units on the property inspected. You might as well eradicate the bugs all at once.
Fleas
If you allow pets in your rental properties, you will need to inspect for fleas on a regular basis. You might choose to do this after a tenant has left because a flea-ridden dog or cat will just keep infesting the home as long as it lives there. You obviously don’t want to have a flea problem when the new tenants move in, so get it taken care of before that happens. As long as you always keep your residents as your top priority, you will not have to worry about pests in your properties.
