Tenant killed three spiders in the house.馃え
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Joe VilleneuvePro Member
Plymouth, MI 路 Member since 2013 路 13k+ posts 路 19k+ votesAs far as the garbage disposal not working, they were correct. From what you described, the person who was supposed to dispose of the garbage,...wasn't. However, in your defense, I assume there was never a provision in your rental agreement stating you were supposed to provide that person.
Now, the big one, the spiders. Here's a couple of options of how I would have handled it.
Option 1: The Endangered Species Act
1 - Ask them to describe the 3 spiders in detail.
2 - When they did, you should become very mad, because...,
3 - ...as you will tell them, they killed 3 endangered species of spiders (this is where you give them names, like Gomez, Leggs, and Webmaster), and send them a notice (official looking) stating this and the potential consequences (fines mostly) for doing so.
4 - Then you tell them about the 4 other spiders, and yes they have names too, and the 3 mice (with names) and the large rat (fur ball), all on the endangered species list. Mention how the mice and rats are extremely difficult to see/find during the day, but own the house at night when everyone is in bed.
Then see what happens.
Option 2: The Close your Eyes and Wait Act
1 - Tell them there's more where they came from, and if they want to eliminate them they should call an exterminator.
2 - The cost of the exterminator is not the landlord's responsibility
...of course they wouldn't be able to get past the laughing on the other end of their call to the exterminator to worry about any arguments about the cost, and who pays for it.
Option 3: The Placebo Act
1 - Buy a supply of aspirin (not for you, although you may want to keep some).
2 - Put them in a bottle labeled Anti Spider Pills
3 - Tell them to save the next spider(s) they kill.
4 - Give the bottle to them and tell them to crush the pills.
5 - Mix the crushed pills with the crushed spider and spread them throughout the house.
6 - Tell them this works, but only if they do this often since it depends on the quantity of spiders they use...the more the better.
This last one should at least keep them busy for a while, and you will have a free "spiders be gone" service.
36 Replies
- Real Estate Agent 路 San Antonio, TX 路 Member since 2017 路 814 posts 路 466 votes4y
Originally posted by @Mary M.:
@Jim K. - Glue traps are inhumane and should not ever be used. (This is not a joke, they torture the poor critter(s) that gets stuck).....
As for the situation, where is the OPs PM? why are they not interacting with the tenant?Also, PMs are notorious for spending far too much of an owners money so OP needs to immediately set limits on what the PM is allowed to approve expense wise - I would set it at 0 (or $50) this way you can approve all expenditures -
I understand tenants dont like crawly things, and if this were me I would probably have a discussion with them letting them know spiders are good and protect the home from flies and many other not good insects. But I dot think I would spray any kind of poison.....@Mary M. (broken link)
Spiders in Texas could be a bit scary for some tenants. They could be species that do not carry poison to human body, however, their bite can be very painful to them and also for pets. Not to mention scorpions and such creatures. Is a genuine concern for the tenant. I believe tenants want to be in a peaceful environment.
To me a spider is an "eight-legged predatory insect with an unsegmented body consisting of a fused head and thorax and a rounded abdomen. Spiders have fangs that inject venom into their prey, and most kinds spin webs in which to capture other insects." WOW that was a lot... That said, to other people spiders are just pets. I think for the majority of spiders, they belong on the backyard, not in the tenant's sleeping quarters.
Nothing against them, they provide good and as such they should belong to the environment they meant to be where they strive most :)
- Rental Property Investor 路 Pittsburgh, PA 路 Member since 2016 路 9 posts 路 4 votes4y
I had a tenant like this. I told her that I didn鈥檛 think it was a good fit. I said I didn鈥檛 think I would ever satisfy her needs and offered to let her out of the lease without penalty. She agreed. I offered to let her move immediately as long as she paid the rent until I re-rented. Or, she could stay until I found a replacement tenant as long as I could show the house. Naturally, she didn鈥檛 like either option and instead wanted to move immediately without obligation. I reiterated that those were very fair options that I presented.
I never heard from her again and come renewal, she renewed.
- Rental Property Investor 路 Sioux Falls, SD 路 Member since 2015 路 9k+ posts 路 18k+ votes4y
Originally posted by @John Brodeur:
@Joe Splitrock, I agree that the happy clause would be a last resort and that the OP should contact the PM immediately. A strong PM should be able to handle the situation with the tenant without going down the happy clause path in most situations. I was just saying that in my experience tenants that are this needy rarely just stop being needy and sometimes can escalate issues even further.
I understand, It could be the best option in the end. I am a fan of charging tenants for junk service calls. That stops the nonsense pretty quickly. My system is a little different. I don't have people submitting tickets, just a text in most cases. So if someone texted me, "I killed 3 spiders" my response would be "ok" or "call an exterminator as per your lease". If someone said "garbage disposal doesn't work" and there wasn't one, my response would be "that is because there is no garbage disposal". I don't consider it a nuisance because it takes me 30 seconds per response. I know some people get annoyed by tenant requests, but I don't really care. As long as it doesn't cost me time or money, I just respond and move on.
- Investor 路 San Antonio 路 Member since 2020 路 3k+ posts 路 3k+ votes4y
Originally posted by @Mary M.:
@Jim K. - Glue traps are inhumane and should not ever be used. (This is not a joke, they torture the poor critter(s) that gets stuck).....
As for the situation, where is the OPs PM? why are they not interacting with the tenant?Also, PMs are notorious for spending far too much of an owners money so OP needs to immediately set limits on what the PM is allowed to approve expense wise - I would set it at 0 (or $50) this way you can approve all expenditures -
I understand tenants dont like crawly things, and if this were me I would probably have a discussion with them letting them know spiders are good and protect the home from flies and many other not good insects. But I dot think I would spray any kind of poison.....I wonder if Oregon spiders and Texas spiders are the same size? Lol
- Rental Property Investor 路 Sioux Falls, SD 路 Member since 2015 路 9k+ posts 路 18k+ votes4y
Originally posted by @Joe S.:
Originally posted by @Mary M.:
@Jim K. - Glue traps are inhumane and should not ever be used. (This is not a joke, they torture the poor critter(s) that gets stuck).....
As for the situation, where is the OPs PM? why are they not interacting with the tenant?Also, PMs are notorious for spending far too much of an owners money so OP needs to immediately set limits on what the PM is allowed to approve expense wise - I would set it at 0 (or $50) this way you can approve all expenditures -
I understand tenants dont like crawly things, and if this were me I would probably have a discussion with them letting them know spiders are good and protect the home from flies and many other not good insects. But I dot think I would spray any kind of poison.....I wonder if Oregon spiders and Texas spiders are the same size? Lol
Haha, up north here a spider is pea size at best, but in warmer climates those are some little beasts and can even be deadly. Isn't the entire point of sticky traps that "critters get stuck"? My parents had a mouse infestation and tried snap traps. The mice licked the peanut butter off the traps without triggering them. My parents put out sticky traps and all the mice were gone in two days.
- Real Estate Agent 路 Virginia Beach, VA 路 Member since 2012 路 2k+ posts 路 1k+ votes4y
For pest complaints, if it's within 30 days of move in and the pest spray we usually leave there isn't working, the PM will send a pest company for a one-time treatment, even though tenant is responsible to keep pest-free. For what we call "stupid trips" we have our PM note them in the file but not send anyone out until there is an actual problem, like a leak or a broken appliance, then take care of all of them on one trip. Before setting this up with PM, we were getting charged constantly for "stupid trips." If PM told tenant it had a disposal, they should have a plumber go out on their dime and clean out the drain if tenant was actually clogging it with food scraps.
- Member since 2021 路 237 posts 路 153 votes4y
@Joe S.
Educate them on expectations. Don鈥檛 assume common sense. If it continues, educate them on moving somewhere else.
- Rental Property Investor 路 Portland OR 路 Member since 2018 路 2k+ posts 路 3k+ votes4y
@Joe Splitrock we have big spiders here but not deadly?.....
sticky traps are inhumane for a number of reasons - first and foremost they torture the animal that is caught and they die an agonizing death, they chew their limbs off or die of starvation of lack of water.... second: other animals also get stuck and die. Snap traps are humane generally and generally do a great job getting rid of pests - you have to find the bait that works best...
I wish that humans would think about how their actions harm other inhabitants of this world and treat all living beings with respect - even if you must kill them - do it humanely. - Accountant 路 San Angelo, TX 路 Member since 2021 路 48 posts 路 80 votes4y
Whoa, three WHOLE spiders? Those poor dears! (<that was sarcasm.)
I step on three spiders every single day on my way from my bed to my coffeemaker. (<that was not.)
When someone starts making petty claims like this, it tells me that they're trying to force your hand on something. Are they trying to get out of their lease? Do they want a rent reduction? Want to remodel? There's something they're trying to accomplish, most people aren't "Karens" without cause, despite what social media generally says.
What does your contract say about breaking a lease early, rental rate, repairs, etc? And as others have mentioned, what does it say about frivolous maintenance calls? This should be nipped in the bud and the PM shouldn't be entertaining calls about wildlife that's less than an inch tall.
- 4yDrew SygitBusiness MemberProperty Manager 路 Royal Oak, MI 路 Member since 2012 路 12k+ posts 路 9k+ votes
Learn from this and have the PMC add a clause to leases for your properties that states, "Tenants may be responsible for the first $150 of any and all repair issues, solely at landlord's discretion."
Logical Property Management4.9459 Reviews - Investor 路 San Antonio 路 Member since 2020 路 3k+ posts 路 3k+ votes4y
Originally posted by @Mary M.:
@Joe Splitrock we have big spiders here but not deadly?.....
sticky traps are inhumane for a number of reasons - first and foremost they torture the animal that is caught and they die an agonizing death, they chew their limbs off or die of starvation of lack of water.... second: other animals also get stuck and die. Snap traps are humane generally and generally do a great job getting rid of pests - you have to find the bait that works best...
I wish that humans would think about how their actions harm other inhabitants of this world and treat all living beings with respect - even if you must kill them - do it humanely.Mary are you a vegetarian?
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