One of the first things you learn as a property manager is that running a rental property is an interesting but highly demanding job. This is because people generally expect more when renting than when living in their own home. It is human nature to be more demanding when we know someone else will be responsible for meeting those demands.
In addition to people’s higher expectations of a rental, there is a surplus of rental properties for tenants to choose from. Unlike people who live in their own homes, renters always feel like they can pack up and leave if a rental home does not meet their needs. As a result, property managers are under constant pressure to be more and do more.
They have to manage the relationship with the owner and make sure the asset is profitable. They must learn to expertly navigate the desires of tenants to avoid conflicts. They need to stay up-to-date with the issues that may arise with the structures, systems, and appliances in the home. They must also ensure that the property meets city regulations.
But one of the most difficult problems for property managers to deal with is pest infestation. Unlike other problems, pests are adversarial and will mount an effort to prevent a solution to the problem. For instance, although water damage is notoriously difficult to detect, this is not because water intentionally evades discovery. But pests will do everything to avoid detection.
Pests can wipe out a property manager’s prospects for attracting and retaining tenants or making profits on a property. Why is this?
Why Pests Are A Problem In Rental Properties
- They waste tenants’ food: What food pests don’t eat, they contaminate. Daily, in the US, people fall ill from consuming things contaminated with pest waste or body fluids.
- They carry diseases: There is a long list of ailments that are transmitted through contact with pests or their bites. Many of these illnesses are potentially fatal.
- They make the home unpleasant: Pests, even though hard to detect, will leave a trace of their presence via the foul odors they emit. Pests can devalue a rental.
- They can be harmful: Some pests are directly harmful to humans. Bedbugs and mites will bite people because they need blood to survive.
- They damage property: Pests, like termites and mice, will destroy tenants’ personal belongings. Rats and mice will gnaw on electrical wires and plastic pipes.
- Tenants hate pests: Tenants cannot stand to have pests in their homes. Some tenants are frightened by them, others are allergic to them, and no tenant wants to have them around.
Yet in spite of how much trouble pests cause, they are incredibly hard to find. Pests have mastered the art of concealment and their presence is often noticed only after the problem has reached an advanced stage. Besides, keeping pests out of a rental home is hard because there are so many ways they can get in. How can property managers deal with this problem?
How Property Managers Can Keep Their Properties Pest-Free
The best way to keep your rental free of pests is with a professional pest management program. This involves regular inspections of the property by a qualified pest control expert. By partnering with a pest control company, you will not be trying to get rid of pests after they have entered the home. Instead, you will have a preemptive approach that keeps you one step ahead of pests. There are several advantages to using this strategy.
- Enhanced pest prevention
Pest control experts have a broad-based approach that deals with both pest infestation and its possible causes. They identify the things that make it possible for the pests to survive in an environment and deal with them. - Speedy response
A pest control company will respond speedily to reports of pests in a building and remove them before they have a chance to establish themselves. This reduces the cost to the manager. - Adaptability
The pest control needs of a property change with the seasons; pest control experts adapt their method to suit the time of the year. This makes the method comprehensive and effective. - Consistent service
The effect of a pest-management program is the level of service you offer will become consistent and dependable. Tenants will not experience a pest-free home intermittently but on a permanent basis. - Improved productivity
This will in turn impact your productivity; instead of spending valuable time chasing after pests, you can dedicate yourself to building systems that improve your business. - Happier tenants
The sum of all these will be happier tenants. Happy tenants will have no reason to leave the home. This will improve tenant retention and reduce vacancy rates in your properties.
Finally, you will enhance your reputation as a property manager because you will make more money for the owners and also grow your property management business.
Miche Pest Control
Miche Pest Control is a family owned and operated, full service pest control company that provides residential and commercial pest control services for pests, rodents, mosquitoes, termites, and more in Washington DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. Contact us today!