Ants and Tenant Law

[beinneighe.livejournal.com]

As ant season is starting up, I wanted to get a head start and ask: Does anyone know anything about tenant law when it comes to being overridden by carpenter ants? I'm not actually foreseeing any problems this year, but it seems like a good thing to know and would've been useful in previous years.

Comments

[bobobb.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure about tenant laws, though this would probably fall under "pests". Carpenter ants can be really bad for the property, so I'm surprised that your landlord would let it go. Did you try to get it resolved last year and your landlord ignored it? Are you being covered by a management company? If so, the management company could be considered negligent for not letting the owner know about the problem or resolving it. Either way, if you haven't in past, I would start recording everything (e-mails, phone calls, dates, who you talked to, videos of the infestations etc.) when a problem does arise.

[beinneighe.livejournal.com]

Last year, my landlord begrudgingly half-assedly addressed it, but not until I spent two nights elsewhere because it was that bad. By the time he got around to it, it was mostly resolved. Thanks for the advice--with this particular landlord, recordkeeping is crucial :)

[pigshitpoet.livejournal.com]

ants are tenants too

[beinneighe.livejournal.com]

This is true. But until they start chipping in for rent, they need to find their own unit.

[pigshitpoet.livejournal.com]

so it goes..

the landlord has spoken
; )

[hahathor.livejournal.com]

Only if there's more than nine and fewer than eleven of them.

[beinneighe.livejournal.com]

THIS IS THE BEST THING I'VE HEARD IN FOREVER

[madrigal.livejournal.com]

You win the internet.

[pigshitpoet.livejournal.com]

; )

truly

[somerfriend.livejournal.com]

I can't cite the law, but you should insist they take care of it. In my experience, it is something that normally is pretty easy to address, unless there is some major source (eg wet wood somewhere). Where do you see them, primarily?

[beinneighe.livejournal.com]

The kitchen and the external wall, especially the part of the kitchen with an external wall. I make sure that I keep everything as dry as possible (e.g., no soaking pots) because I've heard that they're attracted to water. I'm on the first floor, so it's possible that there's something rotting in the basement; I never go down there.

[somerfriend.livejournal.com]

Sounds like just a general kitchen attraction, rather than some wet wood somewhere. Spray with the can from Home Depot or Tags inside sink cabinet and along perimeter. Take care if you have pets per product directions. Will ptobably take care of it in a few days. If not a secod treatment or lsndlord calling Best Pest would.

[beinneighe.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Will give that a try.

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

I've heard that it's a bad idea to spray chemicals yourself, since it disperses the ants all over the place and makes it much harder for an exterminator to solve the problem.