Dealing with mice - what do you do?

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Dealing with mice - what do you do?

Tim Richter
Rental Property Investor · Peabody, MA · Member since 2019 · 55 posts · 19 votes

Hi everyone!

I’ve been owning my first multi family for just over a year now. My girlfriend and I live in the upstairs unit and we have a tenant in the downstairs unit paying rent.

Throughout their tenancy I’ve received complaints regarding mice. Speaking with neighbors, this is a common problem in our area. Upon inspection of my tenants apartment it’s obvious why the mice like it there. Common clutter and food is in easy to reach spots for mice. I’ve spoken with her about this, but old habits die hard as they say. I’ve attempted to seal the perimeter of the house and given her traps to put down, but the problem persists.

So, I decided enough is enough, I’ll hire an exterminator. I’ve called a couple places for quotes and was a little surprised after receiving our first quote. $3850.00!!! It does come with a one year guarantee and the option to buy annual warranties for relatively cheap.

My question is what do you do when mice or rats are in your units? Do you bite the bullet and pay a professional or are there other strategies that you use?

Thanks for your responses!

Tim

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Jonathan StyerBusiness Member
Real Estate Broker · Columbus, OH · Member since 2018 · 330 posts · 396 votes
5y

If you've sealed up any mouse hole entrances with steel wool and spray foam, laid down traps then its time to tell the tenant in writing that if they don't stop leaving out snacks for the mice they'll be asked to leave. 4 grand is crazy, you're problem is the tenant. 

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  • Tim Richter
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Peabody, MA · Member since 2019 · 55 posts · 19 votes
    5y

    @Michael Ablan lol we have one upstairs. She’s not much of a mouser

    0Reply
  • Tim Richter
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Peabody, MA · Member since 2019 · 55 posts · 19 votes
    5y

    @Sean McKenna thanks for your response.

    Pest End is the company that gave me the quote lol. They seem like a good company I’m just surprised at the price.

    0Reply
  • Sean McKennaPro Member
    Flipper/Rehabber · Goffstown, NH · Member since 2019 · 80 posts · 59 votes
    5y

    @Tim Richter

    3800 is crazy. I would probably call them back and ask if they made a mistake typing that number. Ask if they typed to many zeros. I think the guy I delt with at pest end was called Dennis.

    Definitely get some other quotes. Don’t go dropping thousands on this problem. Should only be hundreds. I frequently work in Haverhill. If you want me to stop by and see how bad the building is let me know. Send me a PM and I’ll give you my personal number.

    As far as dealing with the tenant. You need to be a boss of the business here. Document an action plan, what does the tenant need to do to help make this business run better. Keep a tidy house as per MA state sanitary code XYZ.

    1Reply
  • Account Closed
    Real Estate Agent · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2020 · 111 posts · 51 votes
    5y

    To avoid this exact situation, we include in our lease terms that pest and rodent is tenant responsibility. If you rent to a tenant and there were no mice in the unit, the tenant has done something to attract said vermin. However, here in Pittsburgh, we are a pre-existing city. We deliver our properties rodent and pest free, so if there were holes to be sealed up, that had already been taken care of before placing a tenant. 

    1Reply
  • Brian Zaug
    Lagrangeville, NY · Member since 2017 · 144 posts · 218 votes
    5y

    @Tim Richter. Adirondack mouse trap. Put 1 in the attic, put 1 in the basement.

    I caught over 40 mice in under a week. No more mice. Happy tenant. Cost me $13

    2Reply
  • Alexander Szikla
    Real Estate Agent · New York City · Member since 2020 · 819 posts · 641 votes
    5y

    You want to address the issue since mice could ruin electrical wiring, dry wall, pose health hazards, etc. 

    However, if the tenant is negligent, it should be on them. Feel free to document, find a more affordable solution (Should be more like $385!) and take it from their deposit if they don't pay for it. 

    In my rentals, I tell me tenants (and write in my lease) that any problem that arises in the 1st 30 days, I will resolve. Afterwards, it is their responsibility.

    Aside from traps, try the poison bricks that dehyrdate them. There are also ultrasonic plug ins that deter them from coming in. 

    1Reply
  • Judy Parker
    Rental Property Investor · Closter, NJ · Member since 2015 · 884 posts · 722 votes
    5y

    Seal ALL exterior points of access. Mice can get in through a hole as small as your thumb.

    1Reply
  • Anjali Khetarpal
    Real Estate Broker · Little Village, Chicago · Member since 2021 · 6 posts · 8 votes
    5y

    Have you tried getting a quote from different companies? I would figure a couple to few hundred per unit and $600-$1000 for multi-unit/full building treatment and seal. I've come across companies that charge more than that, and one with a monthly fee of $120/month (probably better suited for commercial spaces that have less control over people and pest entry)
    The most recent company I worked with charged approx $650 to bait 5 units and do an external seal with a 6-month guarantee. I thought that was a pretty good deal. They had to come back a couple of times... tenants' tendencies with open food and garbage sound similar to the tenants you've mentioned. I just had to be persistent and specific and explain to them that if they keep food out the bait won't work and the mice will be here until they let the bait work. I also noticed an entry point when the a/c window unit was installed during summertime- So, now, I require this specific garden unit (because the mice can reach the exterior window sill), to have me personally install the a/c window unit for the season. That way I can be sure it's being installed without any gaps for vermin entry.  
    I always tell my investor clients to include pest control in their analysis and budgets. 

    1Reply
  • Luciano A.
    Developer · Houston TX · Member since 2018 · 423 posts · 400 votes
    5y

    @Tim Richter

    As others mentioned using steel wool and caulking all holes even as small as a nickel size is important. We have had issues in our downtown properties and found electronic mouse traps to be a great way to get rid of these critters. Home Depot use to sell them but not sure if they still do. Can do some research and I'm sure can find a similar device online. 

    All you do is put some peanut butter in the middle of the trap and when a mouse goes into it, it will zap them with electric current and kills them instantly. No blood or guts to clean up. Just take the trap to the trash can and empty it. Then restart the process again. Once we have 3 small mice in the trap. Works really well and eliminated our mouse issues. 

    Victor Electronic Rat Trap

    Best of luck

    1Reply
  • Jim K.
    Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
    5y

    @Tim Richter

    One thing I would caution you to think about when it comes to rats and mice running around old buildings is the electricity. Older electrical wire was covered in asphalt-soaked cotton. Really old knob-and-tube is covered with natural rubber. Vermin love to chew on the wiring, but they can really do a number on old, decaying electrical work. Hit them fast and hit them hard and keep hitting them until they're dead. Obsessively find every hole you can stick your finger into in the foundation and stuff it up with steel wool. Snap traps baited with peanut butter where pets can't get to them, poison bait boxes where they can. This is where the DIYer can just spend a LOT more money on the actual remediation, which is what matters, because they're not paying some baloney vermin ninja to do the work for them.

    1Reply
  • Caleb Campbell
    Investor · Amherst, OH · Member since 2018 · 25 posts · 10 votes
    5y

    @Tim Richter I agree with JD and the rest of them. You have to seal up the house, mice are getting in somewhere. Not sure about your location, but where I live Columbia gas Company does free energy audits. These include a blower door, test air sealing recommendations and even offer rebates on insulation. This will narrow down your points of entry. Just an idea.

    1Reply
  • Robert Williams
    New to Real Estate · Joliet, IL · Member since 2021 · 89 posts · 135 votes
    5y

    @Tim Richter You did right by calling the exterminator. If the price is too high, call more companies. Different companies offer different services. I had mice within 2 months of building my home. Called company A they quoted me $4k, for a full walk around, sealing all gaps, traps, poison… but I’d have to empty the traps myself. Called company B they offered the same services for 2k and they came out every week to check and empty the tracks until they came two weeks catching 0 mice. I went with company B. Within a month no more mice, haven’t seen one since. Turns out the contractors didn’t seal around any of the incoming service pipes! Company B stuffed and covered them all with copper mesh and sealed them with some type of adhesive. Shop around, Google make a friend in all businesses.

    1Reply
  • Account Closed
    Member since 2021 · 237 posts · 153 votes
    5y

    @Tim Richter

    Stop their entry, then kill the ones that are present. And remove their paradise. (Get rid of the grubby tenant)

    2Reply
  • Tim Richter
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Peabody, MA · Member since 2019 · 55 posts · 19 votes
    5y

    @Christopher Schink this is something we’re planning on doing moving forward. Unfortunately we inherited these tenants and the lease that came with them. Again this is our first property so I’m still learning a lot.

    1Reply
  • Tim Richter
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Peabody, MA · Member since 2019 · 55 posts · 19 votes
    5y

    @Brian Zaug I didn’t know about these traps! They look amazing. Thanks for the info!

    0Reply
  • Tim Richter
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Peabody, MA · Member since 2019 · 55 posts · 19 votes
    5y

    Thanks @Alexander Szikla! I have another exterminator coming by today. Let’s see how we do lol

    0Reply
  • Tim Richter
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Peabody, MA · Member since 2019 · 55 posts · 19 votes
    5y

    @Judy Parker thank you for your response. There’s a lot of potential entry points, I’m definitely going to hire someone for this. Lol

    1Reply
  • Tim Richter
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Peabody, MA · Member since 2019 · 55 posts · 19 votes
    5y

    @Anjali Khetarpal yes I actually have another exterminator coming by today for another quote. Sounds like you’ve found some really good prices. I hope this ones better lol. Wish me luck :)

    0Reply
  • Tim Richter
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Peabody, MA · Member since 2019 · 55 posts · 19 votes
    5y

    @Luciano A. Thanks for your response. I’m definitely going to look into these traps

    0Reply
  • Tim Richter
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Peabody, MA · Member since 2019 · 55 posts · 19 votes
    5y

    @Jim K. Thanks for your response. I have tried, but you’re right I need to hit them a lot harder because it hasn’t worked. Plus my tenant needs to clean up a lot otherwise it’s just going to keep happening

    0Reply
  • Tim Richter
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Peabody, MA · Member since 2019 · 55 posts · 19 votes
    5y

    @Caleb Campbell this is a good idea. I’ve contacted MassSave who do a similar thing, and I believe I’m on the waitlist but maybe I have to reach out to them again. Thanks for the post

    0Reply
  • Tim Richter
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Peabody, MA · Member since 2019 · 55 posts · 19 votes
    5y

    @Robert Williams I have a feeling I’m going to have a similar experience. I’ve got another exterminator coming by today for a quote. Let’s see how we do. Thanks for your response

    1Reply
  • Tim Richter
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Peabody, MA · Member since 2019 · 55 posts · 19 votes
    5y

    @Frederick P wallberg dude you’re so right lol

    0Reply
  • Tim Miller
    Rental Property Investor · Laurel, MD · Member since 2016 · 383 posts · 382 votes
    5y

    @Tim Richter 1st get rid of the tenant. 2nd check local laws, you may be able to have tenants pay for extermination. 3. If you legally can, put it in the lease for the new tenant.

    Our leases state tenant is responsible for any and all extermination expenses. Good luck.

    0Reply
  • Linda S.
    Investor · Richmond, VA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    5y

    @Tim Richter,

    If it's  a newer house, and you can see exactly where mice are getting in at-- it's easy!   We just use regular caulk, and fill the holes, and that stops them.   Figuring out the entry points is the absolute most important thing.   You can do traps-- but that won't stop others from getting in.     If it's an older home, and regular monthly or quarterly services is needed, I'd split the cost with the tenant so they have an incentive to keep it clean.  Hope this helps!

    0Reply
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