Preventing pests in rental properties

Pest control and advice

You may find all of a sudden you have extra unwelcome visitors in your property, but please do not panic! In order to prevent mice, rats, ants, slugs, woodlice, earwigs, silver fish or other crawling insects infestations, please keep to the following tips:

• Keep your house clean, especially the kitchen, as pests get attracted by food sources
• Cover attracting substances tightly and clean the furniture surface
• Sweep the floor after meals, even little messes can attract pests
• Always cover the foods you don’t keep in the fridge
• Never leave dirty dishes in the sink. Wash them up after each meal
• Keep rubbish bins far from your house
• Take the rubbish out regularly, keep a lid on the bin and don’t allow it to overflow or have collections of rubbish at the side of the bin
• Don’t allow moisture to accommodate on counters and other surfaces, as some pests will keep looking for water wherever they can find it and stay near its sources
• Please check if there are any broken air bricks, drain covers or holes in the outside wall which might be allowing entry to give the Landlord the opportunity to repair the affected area.

Please report the issue via your WhatsApp group or by calling the office on 01522802020. Your Landlord will arrange for a contractor to attend as soon as possible.

Ants, woodlice and silverfish:

If you already have insects in the property first try and figure out where they are entering the property. Then line the suspected entryways with anti-pest substances. Your local supermarket, household store, or online will sell a variety of powders, pellets or sprays for £5 and under. Especially for smaller insects a product labelled for ants will treat most small insects like woodlice, silverfish and earwigs. Use as instructed on the packet and treat any affected cracks and crevices. If you cannot find the point of entry sprinkle along doorways, window frames and air bricks. In some instances, especially if the issue is left unattended, a specialist pest controller may be required. If they deem the infestation has been caused due to cleanliness; lack thereof, or poor attention to the day to day running of a property (any of the above mentioned tips have not been adhered to) you will be responsible for the cost.

Silverfish like damp places, so you will find them mostly in bathrooms & kitchens, around the sink area. These are harmless. Please ensure the bathrooms are well ventilated, and extractor fans are working to make sure the room isn’t damp. You can purchase powders which can help get rid of them for up to 12 weeks at a time. 

Slugs and Snails:

You may not see a slug, but you may see the glistening trail they leave behind. These are harmless, but better to stop them from coming into the property where we can. If you notice a trail, please try to find the beginning of it; there could be a hole or a small gap. This will be where they are creeping in from. When you find it, please try some powder or salt and let us know where the hole is so we can look into getting it blocked. 

Flies:

We understand flies are annoying, especially in the height of summer, when they seem to appear everywhere. Please make sure that all bins, especially food recycling caddies, are emptied on a regular basis and the property is clean and tidy with regular hoovering and wiping over the sides. You can get fly traps or fly spray from most shops if needed.

Vermin:

Please ensure all the preventative tips above have been enforced before reporting the issue. If you are satisfied you have taken all the action necessary please report the issue via your WhatsApp group or by calling the Cloud office on 01522802020.

If you fear the infestation has been caused due to an issue you have triggered you can take action to resolve the issue by purchasing products to remove the mice or rats or invite a specialist to resolve the issue for you. There are lots of helpful guides online.If you have any evidence of bigger pests, please notify the office. This includes holes in food packaging, droppings or if you are able to video/photo anything unusual for us. We can then get a Pest Control contractor to investigate further.