ryan0583 Posted April 1, 2012 Report Share Posted April 1, 2012 Our previous tenant moved out at the end of February. The agent encouraged us to refund his bond, and having inspected the property and found it to be fairly dirty but in acceptable condition, we (reluctantly) agreed. We've now had the cleaners in who have discovered there are fleas in the house. The tenancy agreement explicitly stated no pets. The letting agents we use did not find that the tenant had a cat during the interim inspections, although my wife had noticed a cat scratching post when she visited the property when he had just moved in, and she informed the letting agent of this. I have also noticed small holes which look like claw marks in the curtains. My question is do we now have no choice but to pay the exterminators to get rid of the fleas? If we can prove that the fleas in the house have come from an animal, is there any way we can force the former tenant to pay the bill as he was in breach of the tenancy agreement in having an animal in the house? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grampa Posted April 1, 2012 Report Share Posted April 1, 2012 If you have a copy of the inventory I would have a punt at getting the cost from the agent for not doing their job propertly. If you are planning to use the same agent again tell them if they dont get the cost from the tenant or pay themselves you will go else where. They may take commercial decision and pay up on that basis or offer half. Though in the agents defence it is not unusal for a tenant to move a pet in without permission and unless it is obvious on the day of inspection it wont always be picked up upon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave A Posted April 2, 2012 Report Share Posted April 2, 2012 I know it doesn't help, but I moved into a house with cat fleas in the past. A simple aerosol from the supermarket got rid of them, you have to use it more than once due to the spray not killing the eggs. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grampa Posted April 2, 2012 Report Share Posted April 2, 2012 I had fleas in my office last week, don't know where they came from. No pets, No carpets and no heating on. Though i have had a few tenants in the office, maybe i should fumigate them before they come in. Something like the disinfectant showers you get at public swimming pools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave A Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 Grampa, that would definitley show what a caring and compassionate landlord you are, I dare you to do it...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richlist Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 Having fleas in your office just goes with the job. I bet you'd rather have fleas and people walking thru the door than no fleas and no business. Having a quarantine / fumigation area ain't gonna do much towards improving your turnover. I'd just stick with getting the occasional fleas treated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grampa Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 When we had mad cow disease on the farms you had to walk through a shallow trough of disinfectant maybe something like that as a compromise. Thing is with fleas and mosquitoes , if there is only one in the building it will find me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mortitia Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 Ryan- you can get rid of fleas and their eggs yourself by repeatedly spraying and hoovering (yes it sucks up the eggs which can lie dormant for up to 2 years). Dispose of dust carefully. Make sure you hoover and spray around skirtings and in cracks - they hang out there too. Get a carpet spray for this online from somewhere like Best pet Pharmacy or similar. A good quality one cost £15+ and can't be got at the supermarket. Mortitia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richlist Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 ......and of course getting fleas is not all bad news cos the cost of getting rid of them is tax deductable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carryon Regardless Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 Am I correct in thinking cat fleas are worse than dog fleas (well ex dog, ex cat, you know what I mean). The departed T insisted her little doggy had no fleas, yeh right. "My dog doesn't smell", but I know it had a nose cos I could see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grampa Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 Now I did hear (not sure if true) there is no such thing as dog fleas as they cant live (for a long period) and breed on dogs but they can on cats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carryon Regardless Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 What is the difference between Dog fleas and Cat Fleas? This is the sort of info I'm finding. Lots of contradicting enet expertise out there, like here really. My best understanding 'so far', loads of different types of flea, many specific to regional location. For our benefit there is difference between the dog and cat flea but we're unlikely to see it (differences too small). The cat flea is much more common as the dog is more likely to have the cat flea than the less common dog flea. Treat the property with a good product from the pet store rather than supermarket. Treat 3 times or more each 14 days. The eggs hatch every couple of weeks 'or so' depending on temperature and humidity. Vacuuming is good, then bin the bag full of developing larvae and fleas (preferably in the T's next abode). In your own kitchen bin would be silly. I can't say I'm too concerned about this bit but treatments for pets is specific, for example some doggy treatments could kill off a cat, then they get smelly fast, and that's undesirable as they often hide somewhere out of sight first. For those that like cats, I'm told they're better in a curry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richlist Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 My best understanding 'so far', loads of different types of flea, many specific to regional location. Yes I can confirm that is true. Here in Essex we have lots of different types of fleas......the worst is the so called tenant 'flea-bag' who moves in, trashes your place and doesn't pay rent. Difficult to eradicate but an aerosol spray .....preferably spray tan often does the trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carryon Regardless Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 are there similarities to the, midnight flit flees, flees with HB, wrecks and flees, flees to Shelter and flees to CAB (same breed I believe). These are possibly an easier infestation to deal with than the stays that require authority removal techniques to dispose of them. Although not generally known for sucking blood they have the ability to suck the life from the able bodied leaving them requiring medication and even mental attention. If the pests are not dealt with using methods as laid down by the knowledgeable the state will offer extensive rest in a hostel of their choice but this will require a cost contribution. All are extremely unpleasant and expensive though. The nuisance of these pests has an amazing ability to return in many differing forms for up to 6 years after assumed eradication. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grampa Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 For those that like cats, I'm told they're better in a curry. They make a nice pair of fur gloves also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carryon Regardless Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 They make a nice pair of fur gloves also. as long as they're not too itchy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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