Termites

[Jc0187]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Arizona
Hello all. First post here. So I rent a house in Arizona and need some help navigating the tenant rights laws. So I've discovered that my garage has termites and ants are living in the walls or foundation of the house. In my lease it states that tenant is responsible for pest control services. However, termites I was told go beyond regular pest control services and should be the responsibility of the landlord. Any advice on this would be great! Thank you.

 

[adjusterjack]

I was a landlord in Phoenix for 20 years so here's my advice:

Send your landlord written notice of the termites and ants (keep a copy), preferably with photos. You can find sample photos on Google Images of what to look for that shows the presence of termites:

https://www.google.com/search?site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1004&bih=538&q=termite+signs&oq=termite+signs&gs_l=img.3..0l7j0i30l3.2283.5737.0.6068.13.10.0.3.3.0.106.896.9j1.10.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..0.13.908.Jb4Tf2ntJ2w

He might leave the ants up to you but termites will destroy his property if he doesn't get the house treated.

Meantime, go to your nearest do-it-yourself pest control store and buy one of the MaxForce products for killing ants. It's not very expensive and I've used it for years and it really works. If you can find the ant hole outside use the granules. If you can't find the outside source there are gels that you can apply inside. MaxForce products make short work of ant populations and a little goes a long way.

There may be spot remedies for termites but, frankly, I don't think that a non-pro is going to have any success battling a colony of subterranean termites (the Arizona kind). As long as you put your landlord on written notice there's no court in the state that will make you responsible for termite damage if the landlord doesn't have the house professionally treated.

 

[Jc0187]

I was a landlord in Phoenix for 20 years so here's my advice:

Send your landlord written notice of the termites and ants (keep a copy), preferably with photos. You can find sample photos on Google Images of what to look for that shows the presence of termites:

https://www.google.com/search?site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1004&bih=538&q=termite+signs&oq=termite+signs&gs_l=img.3..0l7j0i30l3.2283.5737.0.6068.13.10.0.3.3.0.106.896.9j1.10.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..0.13.908.Jb4Tf2ntJ2w

He might leave the ants up to you but termites will destroy his property if he doesn't get the house treated.

Meantime, go to your nearest do-it-yourself pest control store and buy one of the MaxForce products for killing ants. It's not very expensive and I've used it for years and it really works. If you can find the ant hole outside use the granules. If you can't find the outside source there are gels that you can apply inside. MaxForce products make short work of ant populations and a little goes a long way.

There may be spot remedies for termites but, frankly, I don't think that a non-pro is going to have any success battling a colony of subterranean termites (the Arizona kind). As long as you put your landlord on written notice there's no court in the state that will make you responsible for termite damage if the landlord doesn't have the house professionally treated.

I went to a home improvement store and purchased some of that Hot Shot gel and applied it to the trail where the ants are. The ants have built nests inside the house. Between the walls or the foundation, I am not sure. They come out of electrical sockets, medicine cabinets, cracks between the floor and wall mouldings, etc.

As far as the termites go, I really don't know what I am going to do if the landlord says it is my responsibility to fix. I just had a baby in July and funds are super tight and treatment for termites can run into the thousands. Besides, its not even my house. How on earth is the tenant responsible for termites?

 

[adjusterjack]

I went to a home improvement store and purchased some of that Hot Shot gel and applied it to the trail where the ants are. The ants have built nests inside the house. Between the walls or the foundation, I am not sure. They come out of electrical sockets, medicine cabinets, cracks between the floor and wall mouldings, etc.

I try to avoid the pest control stuff at the home improvement stores so if it doesn't work take my advice and get the MaxForce stuff from the d-i-y pest control stores.

As far as the termites go, I really don't know what I am going to do if the landlord says it is my responsibility to fix. I just had a baby in July and funds are super tight and treatment for termites can run into the thousands. Besides, its not even my house. How on earth is the tenant responsible for termites?

A tenant shouldn't be responsible for termites. It won't do any good to speculate on "what ifs." Try my suggestion with a letter to the landlord putting him on notice that there's termites then come back to this thread with the results and we can discuss it further.

 

[Zigner]

I second the recommendation of MaxForce products.

 

[FarmerJ]

If after written notice sent via certified mail your LL will not act regarding the termites Id suggest waiting and sending a second letter via certified mail and if the LL will not do any thing after two letters from you , make sure to save your copies along with the certified receipts in a secure place, then call your city / county building inspections desk and see if they can help you. ( you want to save your copies should your LL try to sue you for termite treatment cost so you have proof you complained and that this LL refused to act )

 

[Jc0187]

As soon as I found out that the garage had termites I notified my property manager via email plus supplied pictures of the termite area. In the email I asked if they intended to send someone out. That was over 12 hours ago and haven't received a response to this.

 

[STEPHAN]

That was over 12 hours ago and haven't received a response to this.

And what did you expect? You didn't call 911 and expected a swat team, did you?

 

[Jc0187]

Nope, just stating that I indeed notified the property management of the issue.

 

[FarmerJ]

Stop using email to make repair or other issues known to your landlord use on paper letter sent via certified mail or confirmed mail delivery , emails do not give you a hard trail to follow which is what the courts would need , in a court room in a statement you said ` Your honor I sent my landlord emails about this problem asking him to take care of it long ago ` to which the LL answered ` I have no records of emails being sent to me ` Just how would you prove that you did complain, report, etc ? On paper communications sent with a method that gives you a receipt are normally accepted by the court as proof that the communication happened. Emails are still too easy to fake and are just as easy to deny getting them.

 

[adjusterjack]

Nope, just stating that I indeed notified the property management of the issue.

Agree with FarmerJ.

The weekend is coming up. Wait until Monday or Tuesday. If you get no response, send a letter with the photos printed out. Attach a print out of the email, too.

I also suggest you look up the property owner's name and address on your county assessor's website and mail him/her the same letter and photos. Most of Arizona's county assessors make it pretty easy to look that up. Post your county and I'll show you how.

One more thing. Anything you send certified with a return receipt, also send regular mail with tracking because people often duck certified mail as bad news. Getting a tracking number for both will allow you to track the mail and confirm delivery.

Yes, it means a trip to the post office and a few bucks spent, but it provides cheap documentation of notice if you need it in court.

I suggest you repeat the mailings every two weeks to both the property manager and the owner.

Squeaky wheel gets the grease.

 

[Jc0187]

Pretty much everything is done electronically. I signed my lease electronically and pretty much all maintenance requests are done online. But I do understand what you're saying. I don't have the owners information. As far as I know, the owner of the house is a corporation. I've tried looking them up and have not been successful.

 

[FarmerJ]

pick up the phone and call your county property tax desk and give them your address and tell them you would appreciate them looking up the taxpayer bill address and to whom the property tax bills go to. this is public information and no one can hide it from you or any other Joe blow out there in the public

 

[Jc0187]

Ok thanks. Will do.

 

[STEPHAN]

If any of the certified letter come back unopened, do not open them. You might later have the judge do that.