tenant complaining of sour smell in kitchen pantry

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tenant complaining of sour smell in kitchen pantry

Jay Garrison
Chicago, IL · Member since 2018 · 90 posts · 37 votes

Hello,

I have a tenant who is overall a good one, but had a mouse infestation due to leaving a big bag of ramen noodles on the pantry floor for months... mice got in and caused a big infestation. I paid for the pest control to come out and handle it (this was last fall) but yesterday she complained of a sour smell. I went up and looked in the pantry, kitchen... no mouse carcass, and the smell is definitely not coming from the vent. 

Suggestions? I didn't put anything about pest control in the lease, but next time I will.

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John Warren
Real Estate Broker · 3412 S. Harlem Avenue Riverside, IL 60546 · Member since 2015 · 6k+ posts · 5k+ votes
5y

@Jay Garrison this is absolutely the worst. Most of the buildings I buy here in Berwyn and Cicero have rodent issues when we take over, and the more successful you are at killing them the more you get this smell issue. It goes away in a few weeks so you have a few options. You can drive yourself crazy trying to find it... or you can wait for the smell to go away in about 1-2 weeks. A third option would be to put some sort of scent remover or wall plug in there for a bit so you can get to the other side of this issue. 

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  • Melissa Rios
    Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2015 · 33 posts · 17 votes
    5y

    This happened to me when I was a tenant many years ago.  A mouse had died underneath the pantry.  Pest control had laid traps without telling us (tenants) before we moved in.  In our case, the landlord came by and removed all of the bottom drawers, evidently he knew where all the traps were laid.  There at the base, were dead mice.   I don't know if the smell your tenant is complaining about is from that;  just mentioning it in case you have any method of looking behind or underneath the pantry.  

    1Reply
  • Eric James
    Investor · Malakoff, TX · Member since 2017 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    5y

    The dead mouse is hidden somewhere. Probably no way to get it. The tenant will just have to live with the smell until it goes away.

    1Reply
  • Garnett Broy
    Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2014 · 16 posts · 3 votes
    5y

    Maybe buy a small inspection camera (or check FB marketplace) and drill a hole inside your base cabinets to check out the space under the cabinets but above the floor. Something like this:


    Your friend has shared a link to a Home Depot product they think you would be interested in seeing.



    https://www.homedepot.com/p/RI...

    1Reply
  • John Warren
    Real Estate Broker · 3412 S. Harlem Avenue Riverside, IL 60546 · Member since 2015 · 6k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    5y

    @Jay Garrison this is absolutely the worst. Most of the buildings I buy here in Berwyn and Cicero have rodent issues when we take over, and the more successful you are at killing them the more you get this smell issue. It goes away in a few weeks so you have a few options. You can drive yourself crazy trying to find it... or you can wait for the smell to go away in about 1-2 weeks. A third option would be to put some sort of scent remover or wall plug in there for a bit so you can get to the other side of this issue. 

    2Reply
  • Jason Albasha
    Lender · Chicago · Member since 2018 · 118 posts · 66 votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Jay Garrison:

    Hello,

    I have a tenant who is overall a good one, but had a mouse infestation due to leaving a big bag of ramen noodles on the pantry floor for months... mice got in and caused a big infestation. I paid for the pest control to come out and handle it (this was last fall) but yesterday she complained of a sour smell. I went up and looked in the pantry, kitchen... no mouse carcass, and the smell is definitely not coming from the vent. 

    Suggestions? I didn't put anything about pest control in the lease, but next time I will.

    It depends what was used. If they're glue traps or snap traps, then that means the pest control had access to the area, and so you should have access to fetch it.

    If they used poison then you might be out of luck and have to wait as this means it could be anywhere, including most likely an inaccessible area.

    The long term solution is to figure out where they're getting in from, and plug that up.

    2Reply
  • Jay Garrison
    OP
    Chicago, IL · Member since 2018 · 90 posts · 37 votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Eric James:

    The dead mouse is hidden somewhere. Probably no way to get it. The tenant will just have to live with the smell until it goes away.

    I bought some off the shelf "charcoal" air fresheners from Big Box Outlet #589, and she seems happy, which translates to my happiness. When I told her it would be 10 days till the smell went away, she about fainted. I shortened it to "around 7" and she seemed happy with this sleight of hand. 

    1Reply
  • Jay Garrison
    OP
    Chicago, IL · Member since 2018 · 90 posts · 37 votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @John Warren:

    @Jay Garrison this is absolutely the worst. Most of the buildings I buy here in Berwyn and Cicero have rodent issues when we take over, and the more successful you are at killing them the more you get this smell issue. It goes away in a few weeks so you have a few options. You can drive yourself crazy trying to find it... or you can wait for the smell to go away in about 1-2 weeks. A third option would be to put some sort of scent remover or wall plug in there for a bit so you can get to the other side of this issue. 

    I try to gently let tenants know that each fall/winter, in an really old graystone, there are probably going to be some occasional incursions. Berwyn and Cicero have some great older buildings as well, and I am sure you get interlopers there!

    0Reply
  • Eric James
    Investor · Malakoff, TX · Member since 2017 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Jay Garrison:
    Originally posted by @Eric James:

    The dead mouse is hidden somewhere. Probably no way to get it. The tenant will just have to live with the smell until it goes away.

    I bought some off the shelf "charcoal" air fresheners from Big Box Outlet #589, and she seems happy, which translates to my happiness. When I told her it would be 10 days till the smell went away, she about fainted. I shortened it to "around 7" and she seemed happy with this sleight of hand. 

    Well done. Just don't make your happiness dependent on your tenant's happiness, lol. 

    0Reply
  • John Warren
    Real Estate Broker · 3412 S. Harlem Avenue Riverside, IL 60546 · Member since 2015 · 6k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    5y

    @Jay Garrison I have had rodent issues in many of the buidlings, and sometimes it is impossible to get ahead of in the larger buildings. We made a big push in one of the bigger buildings in Berwyn to get the mice out which included traps, exclusion, etc in all the units. We installed automatic door closers, and tuck pointed the bottom of the exterior. The next week when I stopped by, a tenant had propped the laundry room door open and then left... sigh. 

    1Reply
  • Joseph Konney
    Real Estate Agent · Forest Park, IL · Member since 2014 · 255 posts · 141 votes
    5y

    @Jay Garrison - To expand on the exclusion topic, thoroughly check baseboards for gaps between the wall/floor (get low to the ground and check closest, behind dressers, etc), check for gaps around all water/gas/vent supply and drain pipes (including for radiators), install door sweeps / weather strips where there are even small gaps. Rodents climb, so just because an entry point is not on ground level doesn't mean it doesn't need addressing - that includes the roof. 

    Additionally, I'd recommend some exterior tamper resistant bait stations outside the property. Just like humans, rodents can be picky about what they eat, so you may want to rotate different kind of baits to see what they accept the best (try a pro pest shop like Bug Stop in Chicago for a better selection and product than big box chains). Smaller tamper resistant stations may be good for the inside where you have children and pets too.

    1Reply
  • Jonathan KlemmBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Contractor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    5y

    @Jay Garrison - That stinks no pun intended.  Rodent issues are annoying and can be difficult and expensive to deal with.  I think one of the bigger problems you already identified is your tenant.  Leaving old food and/or not having a clean place definitely leads to rodent issues.  

    I'd personally have an exterminator come back out and take a look.  Not much else you can do at this point besides work towards addressing the issue.  I've got a good exterminator if need a referral.  Good luck!

    [email protected]
    Quality Builders4.966 Reviews
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