Pest prevention may be necessary, but you can do more important things at your properties. But a building’s infrastructure needs to be regularly maintained and cared for to keep animals and insects from getting in and becoming a nuisance or even causing damage. But there is a more important reason: pest control will not only keep tenants happy, but it will also keep them healthy since bugs like ticks and roundworms that spread diseases can cause serious, even fatal, problems.
Clean the hallways, basements, attics, and outdoor areas very well.
Do your own pest control: keep food clean, take leftovers off counters and other surfaces, put them in trash bags they can tie, and put them in trash cans with lids. Recommend that tenants spray down the insides of their trash cans every few weeks.
Also, tell them to clean their pantries often, wipe down their counters, and not leave dirty dishes with food in the sink overnight. If you take away what bugs and animals want, they will go somewhere else to eat.
Avoid water drops and pools.
Pests are attracted to water, so do your own pest control by ensuring that you fix any pipes, hoses, or gutters that are leaking. Also, make sure the channels don’t touch the building’s base. Remind your tenants to regularly check the lines under their sinks, dishwashers, and garbage disposals for water. Even the most minor drips can bring in pests.
Learn to identify the most common pests in your area.
Pests can be very different from one place to another, but you can’t find brown recluse spiders everywhere. You do your own pest control to know how various pests look. Even though many of them look the same, they can act very differently and need different ways to be treated and prevented.
If you don’t know what kind of bugs you have, keep the ones you kill and bring them to a local pest control company so they can tell you what they are.
Be on the lookout for bedbugs.
Bed bugs are a big problem in multifamily housing, so be extra careful about them. To avoid them, do your own pest control, tell tenants and owners to change their linens often, and look for signs like dried blood on mattress covers, mattresses, and under dust ruffles.
Think about hiring a pest control company.
In the case of bed bugs, an infestation needs to be stopped quickly by a professional. And if you are in charge of many units, it might be best to hire a pest control company.
Find a company that will send regular checks every month, every other month, or every three months and will be available when needed. Choose a company licensed by the Department of Agriculture in your state and a member of a local, state, or national trade association. It means that the company has access to the most up-to-date information on how to treat and prevent pests.
