Rental Property Investor · Cleveland, OH · Member since 2008 · 44 posts · 8 votes
This i know may be an unusual question, but my tenant who complains about a lot of things is saying that her kids are being bit by spiders and she wants me to do something about it.... Can someone tell me if this is my responsibility???...
It all depends how your lease reads. I had a crazy tenant once who was always complaining about spiders, so I sent out my pest control guy and he said there was nothing wrong and not a spider problem anywhere (she just liked to complain.)
So see who is responsible for what, then if it's your responsibility send someone out there to take care of it....it's not that expensive.
There was an old lady who swallowed a spider, it wiggled and jiggled and tickled inside her...
Not what was it that she swallowed to catch the spider? A bird! You need birds!
(Sorry. I could not resist the above.)
You have received good advice so far. Check your lease. We have a pests clause. If your lease does not have one, let me know and I will be happy to post our pests clause. OTOH, you may want to pay an exterminator just to show good faith. It is a balancing act.
Is this a SFH or a Multi unit? There has been a resurgence of bedbug infestations recently. If this is the actual case it can spread through a multi and make many unhappy tenants.
As above...what does your lease say about it? As a rule, we advise tenants that "normal" pest control is their responsibility. We only get involved with a serious infestation. You generally do NOT want Vector Control contacting you, so use good judgment. On multi-family properties, you usually avoid a lot of headaches by just having quarterly treatments routinely. Make sure the vendor advises you of "problem" units that may be originating your problems.
I just had a tenant call me about three weeks ago complaining about spiders. She pays on time and never causes trouble, so I called the exterminator that day and they were out to spray a couple of days later. I followed up with the tenant a few days later and she said they were gone.
It cost ~$100, so yes I invested some money, but I believe that tenant will be willing to stay with me longer due to the sense of urgency I displayed (and display each time an issue arises). That $100 is much cheaper than having a vacancy ($575/month) and the cleanup costs associated with a move out.
"Sometimes you have to spend money to make money..."
Thanks guys,
I am going to follow up with the balancing act and show good faith despite the fact that she is a small monthly pain in #&$&$. Heathen, if you would not mind, that would be terrific. [EMAIL REMOVED BY MODERATOR]
Thanks so much! the knowledge i learn from everyone is priceless.
Why not just post the pest clause for everyone to see?
Additionally... Ryan - if you post your e-mail on the web, you will begin to receive a lot of spam. I would refrain from posting it publibally, but if you must then you can use this following format