Tips On Pest Control for Apartment Complexes
It may seem like a boring topic: Pest Control for Apartment Complexes… but it is important for the apartment manager! Roaches, bedbugs, mice, rats, silverfish, ants, spiders, termites, and others pests are all pests that most people don’t think about soon enough. A critical part of keeping your property safe and damage free means paying attention to pest control.
What Can You Do to Encourage Pest Control in Apartment Buildings?
Controlling pests can be difficult in the property where the pests want to attack, especially if you are not residing there. Building a good relationships with your tenants is very important. Plus, working on these five areas of pest control for apartments can help to minimize pest control issues, or even avoid them altogether.
->Check for Moisture Issues
Pests need water to survive and will often be found near places where moisture issues have not been addressed.
Require tenants to report issues:
- leaking faucets or pipes
- pipes that might be sweating
- or seals around windows and doors that may be allowing moisture to come in
Windows and doors can be checked from the outside during regular maintenance checks every few months. The same applies to sheds, garages, or common areas. Make sure that downspouts are directed away from the building and have proper drainage outlets.
->Keep Trash as Tidy as Possible
Rodents are particularly happy when they can find a garbage collection area in an apartment complex that has gone unattended.
Used as a food source as well as a place to find nesting material, a cluttered pile of dumpsters or garbage cans may as well be a written invitation for mice and rats. Avoid this problem by ensuring that routine maintenance checks are being conducted. Ensure that trash bags actually make it into the dumpsters. Dumpster areas are washed down. All trashcan lids are closed, and piles of debris are not found lying about.
->Seal Entry Points for Pests
Be sure that all of your apartment units are as secure from pests as possible by sealing entry points with caulk, copper mesh, or sheet metal. This may include dryer vents, air conditioning or heating ducts, as well as general sealing of cracks in windows and doors.
Perform seasonal checks to make sure that window and door screens do not contain holes and repair or replace them as necessary. Encourage your tenants to report any damage they may find and correct it immediately.
->Write Cleanliness into Lease Agreements
Controlling pests in multi-unit living spaces requires that management, staff, and residents all work together. If it is not already written into your contract or lease agreements, consider adding a clause that includes cleanliness standards.
This includes standards regarding trash removal, housekeeping, and reporting of issues or problems that could lead to pest control occurrences.
->Listen to Your Tenants
Tenants who report pest control problems should receive quick response in order to keep a small issue from turning into a much larger infestation. For example, roaches are able to move from one apartment unit to the next simply through ceilings and shared walls. If a roach problem happens in one unit, then it is likely to be affecting other units and will need to be treated a minimum of three times in order to eliminate the pests during each phase of the life cycle.
The sooner an issue like this is treated, the better the outcome. Listening to a tenant’s complaints about pests is a smart idea as they are your best source of information.
Prevention is always the best form of pest control, but pests can still become a problem. Calling us is the best way to safely rid your condo or apartment property of pests as well as actively preventing them in the future. We hope you enjoyed our Pest Control for Apartment Complexes.
Contact Us
Absolute Pest Control is dedicated to making your home safe for you family. If you have a question about pests or any other pest problem, please call us at 615-220-1933 or click HERE to email us.