How do you explain the obvious to a tenant..you're not clean...

[Maya Torres]

I have tenants who are not the cleanest. Plain and simple. Wife says she has a moth problem and asks me if I have the same problem (I don't) because I live next door and asks if she can get it looked at. Makes me feel like my unit is the problem as a landlord. How do you explain it to the tenants that if they kept their house clean they probably wouldn't be having all of these issues? I know it's not my duplex because I live in it and I don't have an insect problem. Insects don't discriminate. Suggestions please. 

[Karl B.]

I'm imagining your tenants walking around with holes in their clothes from the moths. :-)

I would ask the tenant if they know how the moths got in (open windows at night?). If they tell you they have no clue it's likely from their food (see below). 

I would print this out and give it to the tenant: https://www.countryliving.com/uk/homes-interiors/interiors/news/a1511/how-get-rid-of-moths/

I've never known anyone who had a moth issue in their house so I did some research and I would tell the renters to keep their food in plastic containers/the fridge and make certain there isn't any open food/crumbs in the pantry. 

Here's another source: https://www.terminix.com/blog/home-garden/moths-in-house/

"These moths can also be introduced through food. As their names suggest, they’re not gluten free, and will lay their eggs in food material such as flour, cereal, chocolate, beans, dried fruit, bird seed and pet food. The moth larvae then try to make their way out of the containers to pupate."

PS. For Christmas you should give them a DVD copy of the film The Mothman Prophecies. :-)