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!!

I’d look at your lease agreement. Some say any pest infestation is your responsibility unless it was there when you first moved in and you reported it in your inventory.
Other lease agreements say it’s not your problem but the LLs- this is usually for older homes though. By older I mean 100yrs old plus where there are structural quirks such that a tenant could not reasonably prevent a future infestation.

It really comes down to what your specific agreement says.

2.5 years? Its your issue. Be prepared to be charged for it if you insist the landlord does it. You are responsible for keeping your home clean and bug-free. What do you think happens when furniture isn't moved - its disgusting because you get dust, insects, detritus and in your case, bugs.

How difficult is it to just get a bug cleaner yourself and apply it?

You can fix the problem your self and if you can shut the room for 24 hours, you don't need to leave the property.

I'll find the links to the products you need on Amazon.

It is your problem not the LL. if they've eaten the carpet/ laid eggs in it then you might have to replace it. My son didn't Hoover his bedroom for six months and we had the most horrific infestation.

Definitely your problem rather than the LL’s. If the infestation was there when you moved in it would be on them but you’ve lived there for 2.5 years so it’s definitely your responsibility.

If you had a flea infestation for example you couldn’t blame the LL so this is no different. Get some moth killer and vacuum.

There are larvea, male and females

You spray to kill the larvea and the females and you will need a room fogger spray to kill the males.

You need a face mask and gloves but nothing more technical. You can leave window open to spray but shut to use the fogger and seal the door if it doesn't seal itself when you close it.

Pest Expert Formula ‘C+’ 1ltr Cluster Fly Killer Spray https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B010E2GZGQ/ref=cmswwrcppapiii_J8dPFbM29CVEM

Hoover. Spray. Set off fogger. Leave 24 hours.

The instructions on these Formula C products is pretty straightforward.

You will need to replace the carpet.

I think you should immediately deal with the moths. It is an ongoing thing - they will come back so you hoover everything and you spray regularly.

Get it properly under control then discuss the replacement carpet with the landlord. If the rest of the property is synthetic carpet I would warrant the LL has had moths before!

Once under control, use the diamond cages and sticky pads in corners to keep an eye on the buggers.

They need Wool and Human skin cells to flourish. They need the right temperature and then they are prolific.

Good luck

It sounds a bit dramatic to say you can’t stay there. Can’t you Hoover up the ones in the carpet now you have exposed them and squash and bin any you see on the walls? If you didn’t have an infestation a few months ago and do now, then it really isn’t your landlord’s responsibility’s as they were not there when you moved in, and I’d agree with others that your landlord could make a claim against your deposit for the carpet damage.

They are super hard to get rid of and most treatment from pest controllers does not guarantee they won’t return. You will have to be very careful with clothes and furnishings when you move or they will come with you. We had some in our tenement flat and they moved with us unbeknown to us. They attacked a carpet behind a door in a short space of time, but clearly I hadn’t been good at hoovering into the corner. Good hoovering stopped it spreading further but we still get the odd one flying around. We’ve resorted to replacing the carpet to a synthetic one so hopefully that and freezing woollens will see them off finally.

Your responsibility. The property didn’t have moths when you moved in, as you say, you have moved the furniture and seen none. Somehow you have picked up these moths from another property or outside and brought them in. It’s a bummer though.

If they weren't there three months ago then how is it anyone's responsibility but yours?

I'm a landlord (of one property) and the tenancy definitely says tenants are responsible for pest control. Re carpet moths -we had some in our own home and I was totally responsible because they'd been quietly reproducing under the long basket which I should have moved to hoover beneath. So sorry OP but I think it's you're problem :(

There isn't a straighforward law about this. Generally, it's your responsibility if the infestation wasn't there when you moved in unless it is a health hazard, then it is the landlord's responsibility (eg rats). It would also be your responsibility if you caused the infestation (eg leaving rubbish out that has attracted mice).

I think the fact that it is the landlord's property that is being damaged and carpet moths are largely unavoidable, makes it a bit of a grey area. Personally, I would pay for professional treatment if I were the landlord as it is my carpet. I would view it as property maintenance. Whereas, I wouldn't pay if they were clothes moths.

It must be your responsibility

A council house tenant wouldn’t expect the council to be responsible for cleaning. A home owner wouldn’t expect the mortgage lender to come clean their house.

Why do you think it’s anyone else’s issue? You need to clean all your carpets at least 4 times a year to prevent infestations like this. You can’t expect anyone else to be responsible.

In most tenancy agreements I have had, pest infestations are the tenant's responsibility

The ‘responsibility’ is a matter for your lease

The ‘fault’ is the little buggers: I had an infestation which cost thousands to deal with

The solution: get rid of the carpet: ask your LL to replace with synthetic which is not expensive. Other solutions are pesticides: I used this but would not with a baby in house, I think you need to make this argument to your LL

You really do need to Hoover under furniture every 3-4 weeks minimum to stop them getting established, and to hot wash (60 degrees), dry clean or freeze EVERY cloth item you own including soft furnishings

Also get rid of rattan /wicker items & anywhere else they might nest (eg a fabric covered box, laundry baskets)

Now you need to check all your clothes & treat or get rid

Sorry this has happened to you : infestations can start so easily (an open window, even a new item of clothing) and they are then a b@#£-h to get rid of

My infestation was from a feather cushion: cost me £1k to sort, not including the clothes I had to get rid of

Has put me right off wool anything...

To clarify - the furniture under which I've found them sits with a flat front along all edges apart from the one at the back, so baby couldn't have gotten her hands underneath or could I simply push the vacuum underneath like I do for side tables, coffee tables, beds etc. I am clean, promise.

I totally understand that it is my responsibility for the upkeep of the property, to which it is in the same (if not better; we've updated massively with LL permission, they've approved) so it's not a case of negligence etc.

Thank you for all of your opinions, still very mixed and from looking at citizens advice, it is indeed a grey area unless it is worded in our tenancy agreement, which it isn't!

Thank you to those who provided links to self pest control, I'll look into these as well as having someone come out and then potentially look to claim some/all of the cost back and I suppose the damage to the carpet is inevitably going to come out of our deposit, which I guess is understandable. It's more the infestation that I urgently want to get dealt with especially now they've been disturbed and have ventured out of their hidey-holes!

You need to get rid of the carpet ASAP then pest control to fog the entire house. Then launder all linen / soft furniture as best as possible. Then spray curtains etc. Bag up blankets etc. Put down repellent/ traps. Replace carpet. Hope for the best. Good luck

Op bless you no one is saying you're dirty x
Carpet moths are buggers though and our homes are full of opportunities for them.
It took an infestation for me to be wise to their ways. I am (quite) clean but they still enjoyed my hospitality ☹️

I never move furniture 😒

We had this at our last house. Despite my being really clean they got in. They love wool! The only thing that got rid of them was chemicals and removing all the carpets. It still took two years to get rid of them for good. I would buy the chemicals and make a start if I were you but it would be up to the landlord to replace the carpets

Another vote here for Formula C! I noticed them around the edges of my carpet and just sprayed there.

I wouldn’t bother spending much on trying to treat the carpets, they will have to be pulled up anyway. The LL will have to prove his case to take the cost from your deposit and can only charge a fraction of the cost so he has to prove how old they were ( LL expected to change carpets every seven years I think).

Concentrate on your clothes as detailed above and when you move into the new property keep a sharp eye on the carpets as huge numbers of homes are infested. We had to recarpet our entire house with a synthetic one and still the tiny bastards are trying to eat my clothes.

Don’t feel too bad. It’s been a bad year for moths here in France, so I imagine for U.K. as well. I have Persian area rugs that are all wool and I purposely do not set them under any furniture because of the moth and carpet beetle risk. I’ve been killing moths on sight all summer long, I’d say 3x the usual number. I hoover all of every rug twice a week including the fringe. Once a month, I roll them up, hoover the underside and clean the floor under them and their underlay/protector as well.

Wall to wall wool carpet is not a bright idea to begin with, and it’s not your fault you have it because you didn’t choose and install it. If you can replace the carpet yourself with LL permission, it might be cheaper and nicer than living with it and letting LL spend as much of your deposit as they want to when you leave.

Clothes moths are persistent buggers.
They love wool, but will make do with leather, dust (skin cells) and pretty much any natural fibre.
Once you have them, they're very hard to completely eradicate but you can get on top of it. They're harmless in themselves and once you vacuum and fog the room you'll be fine. You don't need to stay away for more than a few hours.

Why do you need to take your baby out of the property? Carpet moths are annoying and a serious infestation is horrid, but they're not dangerous (well, other than to your wool items).

We had a nasty one in a fitted wardrobe due to previous owners replacing all the carpets with new synthetic ones but leaving the bloody wool one underneath the new carpet in the wardrobe .

I'd noticed them and was cleaning madly but couldn't work out why they were still eating my clothes until I lifted the new carpet [shudder]. It was almost threadbare from their munching.