Or is my landlord - carpet moth infestation!!

[DriftGames]

I need to know where I stand here. Been here 2.5 years, notice given for the end of this month a few months ago as we are moving to a bigger property.

Today I moved 2 pieces of furniture in the lounge and found large carpet moth infestations. They've eaten the wool carpet beneath a set of drawers and a console table in the lounge.

I've contacted my landlord and explained, asking if they can arrange treatment ASAP as I now have to take my 11mo out of the property until it is safe to return. By infestation I mean thousands, and now I've disturbed them they're climbing the bloody walls (not envy).

The landlords have come back saying it's our problem as it's our responsibility to look after the house.. it's spotless. Not a mark. These were under furniture - how could I know?! Luckily we've made arrangements to stay at our holiday caravan (with the correct permissions from the councils involved), but this in turn means we cannot work until the house is treated and cannot stay here either.

Who's problem is this to fix? Happy for my head to be given a wobble if needs be but I'm struggling to see how this is my fault!!

What does your lease say?

@SofiaAmes the general 'maintain the property and all fixtures etc' but nothing about insect infestations!

You don't move your furniture when you hoover?

Offer to go 50/50 on the cost?

You need it done quickly, I don’t know if it’s your problem or your LL’s but if you’ve been there over 2 years it’s not cut and dried.

www.inoculandpestcontrol.co.uk/pest-control-news/landlord-responsible-pest-control/

Is it your furniture or your LL’s?

I actually think this is your problem. You’ve not been hoovering which has allowed the moths to settle in.

I'm a LL.
This would be my problem in my property, and we just have a standard estate agency agreement.
Its my understanding that my Tennant keeps the property clean and fixes damage they cause. I do the rest.

Also- I absolutely can not move all my furniture to hoover underneath, its too heavy!

I’ve had moths before so while I don’t move my furniture, I check around the sorts of corners that moths like to be in when I’m hoovering. You can see the signs! Bloody hate the bastards.

Are you supposed to move furniture when you hoover? 🤔 We might pull the settees out once in a blue moon but the beds? Drawers? Wardrobes? Not a hope in hell.

Sorry OP no words of advice from me, just trying to work out if I've commited a Mumsnet cardinal sin and will be deemed a slovenly scruff or not

Don’t move any soft furnishings into your new house or likely they will come too I’ve been trying to get rid of the pests for eight years and I still have them. Start bagging and freezing your clothes and linens and keep inspecting regularly. Good luck!

Oh and get those little blue papers to tuck into the freezer bags to kill any you’ve missed

You’ve been there a long time so I would guess it’s your problem. If you had only recently moved in then it’s likely it was pre-existing and therefore the landlords problem.. if the furniture is yours then adds more weight to the ‘your problem’ camp..
I would worry also about the security deposit at the end, they may try to dock you for damage to the carpet!

I think after 2.5yr any infestations are your fault and your responsibility.

You are responsible as the tenant. Had there been moths when you moved in it would be the landlord’s responsibility. However, you mention you have been there just over 2.5 years and I assume there were no moth infestations when you first moved in. If it came into dispute with a deposit service, the cost would be deemed yours. There are very few circumstances in which pests during a tenancy are the landlord’s responsibility and it sounds like this is not one of them.

They may contribute as a gesture of goodwill in order to expedite the process and avoid further damage but they are under no obligation to do so.

We had them and we put down hardwood flooring in the end. Only thing that would get rid of the fuckers.
Did you not see them occasionally on the walls? Even though ours were under the bed ( which we don't move - shoot me) we still saw the occasional one hopping about.

I think its your problem, you've not hoovered under furniture for 2 and a half years? With a baby there that could put their hands under or chuck things out of reach?

I’m a landlady and would sort this out for you regardless of how long you’ve been a tenant.
What if it was a mouse or rat infestation?

I think it's your issue. Lots of hoovering then carpet moth spray, leave for a while & hoover again. Repeat till they're gone.

@PolPotNoodle

I think its your problem, you've not hoovered under furniture for 2 and a half years? With a baby there that could put their hands under or chuck things out of reach?

^ I agree & magine they would want the damaged carpet replaced too.

@BathshebaAndGabriel

I’m a landlady and would sort this out for you regardless of how long you’ve been a tenant. What if it was a mouse or rat infestation?

Mice and Rats are also the tenants responsibility if they occur during the tenancy. They are attracted by unhygienic conditions or food being left out, so it would be unreasonable for a landlord to be expected to resolve this issue.

The only time it is a landlord’s ‘fault’ or obligation to resolve is if the pests got in because of a structural fault.

OP should have pest control visit in the first instance and provide a report to prove it isn’t through negligence in order to recoup the costs

I think this is your problem. If you had bed bugs or fleas would you expect the landlord to deal with that too?

According to this website, the ways to avoid carpet moths are regular hoovering and carpet cleaning, not leaving dirty laundry around and keeping food remnants wrapped and refridgerated, all of which are on you as the tenant.

I'd expect a deposit deduction for a proportion of the cost of replacing the damaged carpet.

Who on earth moves their furniture to hoover? Is all their furniture made of rattan or something?

@funnylittlefloozie

Who on earth moves their furniture to hoover? Is all their furniture made of rattan or something?

I do! Not every single daily hoover, obviously, but once a month or so. And carpets get cleaned (with a domestic machine) about every 3 months, so we'd move the furniture for that too. How an earth can anyone clean effectively if they never move their furniture?

I don't lift our console table every time I hoover, of course not, but we rearranged our lounge maybe 2 months ago to accommodate the masses of shite a 11mo has, so the carpet got a full clean in every corner and no sign of any damage or the moth larvae at that point, so it's definitely a recent thing.

We've never seen them anywhere in the house until today, otherwise I image we could've gotten on top of it before now. None of the other carpets (synthetic) have got this issue, thank god. The house is very clean and tidy, I vacuum every day, wipe down all surfaces daily etc. I probably don't clean the windows enough but who does?

Seems like a mixed bag of opinions here!!

After 2.5 years I don't think you can blame the LL. it's just one of those things.