Rental Property Investor · Whittier, CA · Member since 2014 · 325 posts · 269 votes
We are landlords in California. The subject property is a 6 unit (duplex plus fourplex).
About 10 months ago, one of our tenants had problems with roaches. We distributed a letter to all tenants in the building about roach behavior and control, and had their place sprayed. Things seemed to be solved.
A couple months ago, we did an inspection and found that they once again had roaches, and that they were feeding the little buggers (dirty dishes on the countertops, overflowing garbage, living in their refrigerator, eating dinner on the living room couch, not mopping up spills).
We have sent them a letter telling them that they need to clean things up, and to work with the on-site manager to set up a time to admit the exterminator. They are refusing the exterminator, claiming that their child became ill (months later) from the last spraying.
We are concerned that:
a: the roaches will spread to other units
b: the tenants may claim retaliation if we give them a 60 day notice
I don't know of any law that is broken because you want to give notice! Either give them notice or raise the rent high enough on the renewal that they give notice :)
Get them out of there, or your other units will have roaches too in no time! These renters brought them with them and will take them to there next place as well - not all of them unfortunately. That is why they don't want you to spray - after all they are used to them! TAKE YOUR ROACHES AND GET OUT OF HERE!!
One time an inherited tenant was evicted. They kept saying their kids were sick so no inspection of the unit. They left 3 weeks after. You open the door and a waterfall of roaches came down to the outside.
Exterminators said it was one of the worst cases they had ever seen. They came in with BIO suits and canisters and filmed for their company videos for training.
It took them 4 months just to knock the population level down to a point where you could go inside the unit to try cleaning the walls. The people lived like animals.
You need to get rid of your tenants. With connecting walls the roaches will spread to other tenants units even if they are clean. Also if you spray the tenants with roaches unit it will not matter. Exterminators will tell you if you put poison bait down but there is grease and actual food to eat the roaches will go for that instead. So you have to perfectly clean the place and then place bait. There are many inside the walls you can't see. You also have to treat connecting units. If you don't the roaches will go away from the poison into other units trying to get away.
It is very tough to get rid of the issues. Those dirty tenants will bring the whole building down so you need to evict as they do not want to stay clean.
"You open the door and a waterfall of roaches came down to the outside.
Exterminators said it was one of the worst cases they had ever seen. They came in with BIO suits and canisters and filmed for their company videos for training.
It took them 4 months just to knock the population level down to a point where you could go inside the unit to try cleaning the walls. The people lived like animals."