Pest control - is the tenant completely responsible or does this fall under minor repairs?

[Bek]

Hi all,

Looking for some advice. We moved into this 20+ year old condo in July 2020 and signed a 2 year lease. We signed the TA in the depths of circuit breaker so were unable to physically inspect the property until the handover. We had to move as our family was expanding and we were previously living in a one bedder.

When we first moved in, a few things needed to be fixed so the LL's agent organised for a handyman to come to fix them. While finishing the works, the handyman found a cockroach nest in the fuse box of the water heater under the kitchen sink and helped to clean it out.

Since then, there appears to be new cockroach activity on and off (despite our best attempts to keep the kitchen spotless and clean - we wipe down thoroughly after cooking, don't keep any snacks in the cupboards - yes, we now keep our chips, biccies etc in the fridge, organised a cleaner to come weekly to clean the kitchen and every few weeks will clean out all the kitchen cabinets, bought cockroach bait).

Am now thinking of getting pest control but worried that the fumes would be harmful for us and our little one.

On top of this, in one of the bathrooms, there seems to be an infestation of drain flies we cannot get rid of. Likely since the condo is about 20 years old, the drains are filthy inside. We have tried using moth balls (as recommended by many websites) but they still just keep coming back.

So my question is: Is it completely our responsibility to pay to try to eliminate these pest issues etc or is this partly the landlord's responsibility to help keep this place liveable?

We are ok to pay if thats the case but somehow don't think we are the problem since we are now so meticulous about keeping the kitchen clean and after 10 years of renting overseas and 2 previous years in a newer condo in Singapore, we have never had a previous pest problem.

Thanks so much for any inputs!!

[caren22]

Hi all,

Looking for some advice. We moved into this 20+ year old condo in July 2020 and signed a 2 year lease. We signed the TA in the depths of circuit breaker so were unable to physically inspect the property until the handover. We had to move as our family was expanding and we were previously living in a one bedder.

When we first moved in, a few things needed to be fixed so the LL's agent organised for a handyman to come to fix them. While finishing the works, the handyman found a cockroach nest in the fuse box of the water heater under the kitchen sink and helped to clean it out.

Since then, there appears to be new cockroach activity on and off (despite our best attempts to keep the kitchen spotless and clean - we wipe down thoroughly after cooking, don't keep any snacks in the cupboards - yes, we now keep our chips, biccies etc in the fridge, organised a cleaner to come weekly to clean the kitchen and every few weeks will clean out all the kitchen cabinets, bought cockroach bait).

Am now thinking of getting pest control but worried that the fumes would be harmful for us and our little one.

On top of this, in one of the bathrooms, there seems to be an infestation of drain flies we cannot get rid of. Likely since the condo is about 20 years old, the drains are filthy inside. We have tried using moth balls (as recommended by many websites) but they still just keep coming back.

So my question is: Is it completely our responsibility to pay to try to eliminate these pest issues etc or is this partly the landlord's responsibility to help keep this place liveable?

We are ok to pay if thats the case but somehow don't think we are the problem since we are now so meticulous about keeping the kitchen clean and after 10 years of renting overseas and 2 previous years in a newer condo in Singapore, we have never had a previous pest problem.

Thanks so much for any inputs!!

as far as I know this is the landlord problem so feel free to contact him/her
I had the similar case of cockroaches infestation and they managed to find that they were coming through the small hole near vent shaft in kitchen and their main nest was couple of floors below

[Bek]

Hi @cacacaren, Thanks for the reply! Can I ask, did your landlord cover the entire cost?