Fleas

[Paul Thurston]

Hi Guys,

I have just purchased an older style home in country victoria and my tenants have complained to my agent about a flea problem.

The agent paid my first months rent minus the costs of a flea bomb kit. This I was happy to go along with, even though the agent failed to even inform me of the situation and just went ahead and reimbursed the tenant for the cost of the flea bomb kit.

I just received this months rent, minus another months worth of flea bomb kits.

I thought that the agent would at least have the decency to inform me and at least provide me with a receipt for the goods.

Don't get me wrong here, I'm not stingy, but if I was a tenant with a flea problem I would throw a flea bomb kit in with my grocery shopping and get on with life. To me, it's like saying;
'Hey, Landlord, I've got a fly on the wall, and a spider in my bathtub, whatcha gonna do about it' ???

I guess this tenant could just go on bitching about his fleas and continuing to charge me for flea bomb kits till he moves out. (I dare say that he will take his fleas with him).

Bthway, He has a dog which I agreed to. I guess I could suggest that the fleas are perhaps due to his dog?

The Real Estate agent is closed over Xmas & New Year so can't do much for a week or two.

What are my rights here.

Regards,

Paul.

 

[bubbleroo]

Hi Paul,

I'd suggest that you check your lease agreement. You may have signed to agreed that any maintenance under $100 does not need your authorisation.

I had eperienced with fleas problem before & it was because tennants had a dog. I would definitely discuss with agent again as to avoid repeated fleas problem in future.

cheers
bubbles

 

[always_learning]

Just my experience with summer fleas in country Vic, is that the buggers breed outside somewhere and are brought into the house by the dog, cat, maybe on your clothes. I remember my little King Charles Spaniel, you would bath him with flea-shampoo and he would be 100% flea-less, a few hours latter he would have these tiny fleas on him from running around outside.

Short of nuclear weapons or airborn crop-dusting of DDT I dont have any solution. As a landlord however I would just send a 12pack of fleabombs and say..."It's just the natural wildlife, get used to it, or use one of these every week during summer."

 

[geoffw]

I'd suggest that you get a professional pest person in. You've lost a lot already, and you are likely to keep doing so while the situation continues.

The pest person should be able to find the cause of the problem. If it's their dog (as it sounds), you should be able to stop losing further amounts from rent- and maybe even to claim back some of the flea bomb money you've lost already.

 

[Paul Thurston]

Thanks Guys

Thanks guys for the feedback.

I just hope that the fleas on my property are the hard working professional type fleas and bite this 'SOB' on the arse REAL HARD! Make him justify his flea bombs!

Wonder if he want's me to wipe his shitty arse or pick up his groceries and laundary whilst I'm at it.

If there were money in fleas, guess I'd be a rich man.

Now just where did I put that hoop? ........ Ally'up!


Cheers,

Paul.

 

[Brenda Irwin]

When I first moved into my ppor there were fleas hatching in the dirt under the house.

My dogs were really copping it with the fleas.

I got Revolution, a monthly spot-on preparation for dogs from my vet and put lime in the dirt under the house.

To date, three years later, still no fleas.

ps: My tenant's leases state that it is the tenants repsonsiblility to pay for a professional pest exterminator upon vacating the lease. However, if fleas were already in residence when the tenant moved in, then it is your responsibility to provide pest extermination.

 

[hwd007]

Speak to your Vet also about how fleas breed or search the web.

 

[Olly]

It's common to get fleas in the Summer months with or without pets, although they do provide good transport for hitching a ride into the house.

Flea bombs will only kill what's alive inside the house, once their eggs hatch you get another round of flea infestation or more come inside the house traipsed in by people or pets.

To really get rid of them you have to spray the outside area as well as treat the inside. And as far as pets are concerned you need to treat the animal and their bedding and any other spots they like to lay as there is likely eggs or adult fleas there waiting for a ride to another place.

You also need to know the cycle of fleas so you do it all over again after the eggs have hatched.

They may just disappear after the Summer months but if not, just letting off a bomb or two every now and then will never treat the fleas once and for all.

A friend of mine who has dogs that live inside the house used to make up a mixture in one of those backpack spray things and go all around the skirting boards etc in the house and also do the doggy areas and outside as well - never had a flea problem. He used to do it monthly.

I have a 5 month old pup and have had no fleas up until now. But, just came back from 3 days at my sisters place in the Royal National Park where the dog went to the beach, played in the surf, rolled in the sand etc and now she's lousy. Hmm where's my backpack spray thingy...............


Cheers
Olly

 

[natmarie73]

Well as I see it - it's your tenants dog so its his flea problem. Were there fleas in the house when he moved in? If not then it is likely his dog has caused the flea problem in the first place and I would be making him pay for a total professional flea extermination on vacation.

In the meantime, if he cant deal with the fleas tell him to either get rid of the dog or at least keep it outside your house.

Nat.

 

[hwd007]

Yes that makes some sense. You will likely never get rid of fleas so long as the dog comes inside, as dogs go anywhere outside and pick them up and then bring them back in.

Yes perhaps a clause in the contract that says, tenants with pets take on full responsibility for flea control in the premises.

I mean really! , next the tenant will be asking you to pay for veterinary bills to cover the flea baths, and other treatments for the dog including the devastating psychological effects it's had on the dog and how that has impacted on the tenants life enjoyment and stress levels and then he may sue you for damages and then may perhaps sue the Flea Bomb company for making a doggy Flea control kit and then they may perhaps sue you for not overseeing its correct application by the tenant, who then you can sue for negligence by not reading and applying the instructions of the kit to the letter etc... etc.. etc... blah blah ... Ha Ha. : /

The tenant clearly has a responsibility to be reasonable in their claims. One or two kits OK, but that should be it. It's then up to the tenant to take all reasonable measures to help ensure that they do not further contribute to the risks associated with Flea outbreaks, which include keeping the dog outside or in an irradiated room or at least flea bathing the dog regularly during peak flea periods. perhaps weekly : /

contracturally, whatever the tenant and yourself signed off on I expect will be binding over and above all this. If the place was already flea infested then the tenant likely does not have a leg to stand on as they accepted it in that condition. If it later became flea infested then they also have little ground as they bought a dog into the house. It will very much depend on the terms and conditions of your lease agreement.

 

[Gill Bates]

I would get the house treated by a professional. This would help avoid any disputes about the effectiveness of the flea treatment.

At the same time i would also say to the tennent. Ive done my part, you now need to ensure that you have a treatment program to ensure their dog is host/carrier of fleas. If they do not do this the fleas will quickly return . ie make sure they know the removal of fleas is now their their responsibility.

Flea bombs can only be used in enclosed areas, open areas ( like dirt ) also need to be treated.

Also , check ur tennency agreement special conditions that the pest treatment , at the end of the tennency is by a accredited professional operator - if it does not specify this , then ur property manager has slipped up.

 

[JustAMum]

If after you have checked your agreements, and if you decide to cop the option of agreeing to a one off proffessional pest extermination - get the tenant to agree that when he moves out that as well as getting the carpets steam cleaned (assuming you have this clause in your existing agreement), he must get a proffessional pest exterminator through as well, and that your property manager must get a copy of this at the end of the tenancy.

If this is not in the existing agreement - get the property manager to add a new clause to the existing agreement to this affect - and signed by all parties.

Agreements can be added to - life changes - but things need to be in writting and signed so they can be 'enforced'.

I would love to here what clauses the agent had about the pet in the agreement.

Looking forward to hearing the resolution to this saga.

JAM