To think this infestation is my landlord's responsibility??

[RevoltingPeasant]

We have recently moved house, into a rental property. As soon as my partner walked in, he remarked, 'Umm, spells doggy'. Shortly after, we started getting little itchy bites on our feet and ankles.....

So the property has a flea infestation - boak.

We emailed the letting agents, as it is a managed property, and said that we wanted them to get an exterminator out or pay for a clean. They contacted the LL, whose response was: "he was satisfied that the previous tenants had had the property chemically cleaned. He did not dispute that there were fleas in the property, but he could not be sure of their origin. Therefore, he advised that we buy some flea-killing products and use them ourselves."



AIBU to think that if you move into a property and there is an infestation then LL should sort it out?? He can't be sure of their origin, eh! Well, we've never had fleas before in our lives and the other tenants clearly did, so it's not difficult to see where they came from.....

/breathes/

[cuteboots]

Im sure its the landlords job to sort this out for you. YADNBU

[Tanif]

You could always pay to have the place cleaned and then withhold the money from the next month's rent.

[fluffles]

i think it is your LL's responsibility.

i say this as somebody who was a LL for a while and my tenants got bed bugs - clearly nothing to do with me, they'd been in there months before the bed bugs appeared - but i was advised it was my responsibility as a LL and therefore i think your LL is misinformed.

[DooinMeCleanin]

Fleas could come from anywhere. You could have brought them in on your socks after visiting a pet home or a business infested with them.

They are not hard to get rid off. Invest in some Frontline spray for the house and hoover religiously for a few days, paying particular attention to nooks and crannies. Boil wash any bedding that might be effected.

An exterminator is over kill.

[RevoltingPeasant]

But Dooin the bites started as soon as we moved in, and the previous tenants did have a pet. I haven't visited anyone with a pet for months and months. It's pretty obvious to me that they are from the property.

Why should I have to pay out for cleaning products for something like this? Why should I spend time hoovering religiously and boilwashing stuff? I am paying this guy £800 a month for a house - surely if it's got vermin in it he should sort it out?

I am not normally confrontational/ litigious but I am really steamed over this.

[LaBellaSantaCaterinadiSiena]

This happened to me (as a landlord). Basically it is the tenant's responsibility if it occurs during your tenancy.

That said, my tenants complained of flies about 3 weeks into their tenancy, and I paid for the pest controller to go out on that occaision as a gesture of good will, but reminded them that it would be their responsibility after that..

[RevoltingPeasant]

And Cleverything, yes, it has been cleaned. I'm sure the previous tenants did clean, in perfectly good faith. But these things aren't foolproof. So if it hasn't worked and we have just moved in and inherited this problem, surely the LL should sort it out, rather than us having to pay??

[RevoltingPeasant]

La Bella we moved into the property on Friday afternoon and complained on Sunday - as soon as we could get to an internet connection!! The problem hasn't started during our tenancy but was there from when we moved in.

[Mabelface]

Landlord's responsibility, most definitely, as the infestation was there when you moved in.

[ProcrastinatorGeneral]

The problem with fleas is tat they live off the animal. They only hop on to feed. The damn things could have been there years. They can go dormant in the cold too, so if the place was empty for a long time with no heating it could have looked like they weren't there:(

If your landlord digs his heels in, I can recommend indorex spray to get rid of the fleas. Huge can is about £19 but I got some for just under £8 online. It will treat a medium sized house.

Good luck!

[RevoltingPeasant]

Thanks Proscratinator (good name ). Tenants had moved out previous week, so not empty long at all.

[VFVF]

Eurgh, this happened to us. Why don't you nicely threaten them with environmental health? And check your contract, if it says something along the lines of the landlord will reimburse any rent paid if the house isn't in a fit state to be lived in that may be worth a try? Also ring your local council, ours sprayed for free.

[RevoltingPeasant]

Thanks all who commented - quick update - we told the agents we really weren't happy and lo and behold, the LL says it was a 'misunderstanding' and when he said we should buy pesticide ourselves, what he really meant was, he would buy it, and spray the place himself whenever it was convenient to us, oh and he would pop over to introduce himself anyhow.

Anyhow, result! :)

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

YANBU - and I am a LL........ok if the infestation happens when you are living there then maybe up to tenants but given that you had just moved in then the LL should sort it.

Glad he sorted it in the end :)

[biddysmama]

have you tried ringing the council pest control? they sometimes do it for free :)