Tenant asking for pest control to spray all backyard for bugs

[Liuba Soldatova]

Hello, 

I am new to being a landlord, and my tenants just moved into a beautiful new construction home, with a backyard that has not been formally landscaped. It is fenced in and there is some grass covering the backyard, which I have a lawn person taking care of. My tenants emailed me telling me they would like the backyard "sprayed for bugs." I stayed in the house for 8 months, and aside from occasional ants and a couple of yellow jackets, I did not see any other pests. I searched and did not find any specific requirements for the state of North Carolina that demands that the landlord is required to hire pest control to spray the entire backyard. I replied to the tenants and told them that if they would like to they can hire pest control and have the backyard sprayed. Am I in the wrong here. Looking for any advice. 

[Payton Haight]

Hi Liuba, did your tenants provide any more information outside of requesting that the yard is sprayed for bugs? Are they concerned about mosquitos? Based on the info you provided, your response seems reasonable. Of course if there is a large wasp nest or some safety issue, you should get that taken care of as soon as possible. In the future, this may be a good item to clearly call out responsibility in your lease, if it is not already. That will eliminate any confusion on the topic in the future.