Is the landlord responsible to get rid of mice in the house I am renting?

Question

Is there a law to prove it?

Answer 1

Yes the Landlord is responsible for pest control. Have you brought the mice problem to his/her attention? If not tell your Landlord. If he/she refuses to resolve your problem contact your local County Clerk's Office for advisement because I do believe there is a law. Good luck!

Answer 2

It would depend if your landlord could prove that they were there by something that you did. I know of a tenant who left a basement door open and found mice after, she was responsible for the cost of getting rid of them. If they are there by other means (not your fault) then your Landlord should be responsible. Contact a local legal clinic in your area for more specific information

Answer 3

Andrew Brucker, a Manhattan co-op lawyer, said that the problem described by the Tenant was generally the responsibility of the co-op corporation. "Depending on the proprietary lease, the allocation of responsibility can usually be found in the section concerning maintenance of the building."

The other option involves making a complaint to the; Code Enforcement Bureau of the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development. *The department will order an inspection, and this may result in a violation being issued. *And that will hopefully make the board take whatever steps are necessary to remedy the problem.
READ MORE:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E04E1D7143DF931A15751C0A9629C8B63
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Apartment toxic mold, cockroaches, asthma, Mice, lead paint,
indoor air quality. If you have bad infestation problems with insects or Mice or bad mould problems, you can bring in your Municipalities City Health Inspectors FREE Of Charge, in the US and Canada.
Read More: http://www.ontariotenants.ca/health/black-toxic-mold.phtml

Answer 4

It really depends on your are you live. Go to the local court house and ask for a copy of your area's tenant laws or look them up in the local library. If it is stated in the tenant laws for your area, then you need to make sure that first and foremost you are not attracting the mice with uncleanly areas, lids on garbage properly disposed of and not lying around. Make sure your house is clean and all food is properly stored. As long as you have done your part to prevent the mice and there is a law stating that your landlord is responsible. Then you must make a written request to him and keep a copy for your records give him ten days to remedy the problem and cite your state or province's law codes in your letter to him. If he doesn't take care of the problem in that time according to your state or province's laws then you start legal action. That's when it would be advisable to contact an attorney in your area who specializes in this type of law and take the copy of the letter you submitted to your landlord. It could be legal grounds for you to get out of your lease without having a bad mark on your credit. Also it would allow for another landlord to allow a lease agreement with you later on if that is what happens. Basically it's cover your own butt and follow the law carefully in this type of situation or else it can backfire. I am currently dealing with a severe bug problem in the place I rent, I have had the good fortune of having a close relative work with attorneys in my area so that is how I found out about these laws. However each area varies in their laws so you really need to find out what your area's laws are first and make sure you are doing your part to prevent the problem. Another thing would be to take pictures use a camera digital or regular that has a date stamp in it, take photographs of the conditions you are living in. This is also another way to cover your own butt so this doesn't backfire on you. Good luck in this. Hopefully you get this remedied in a positive way without problems.

Answer 5

Pest control may be covered in your lease. If it isn't, it's probably your responsibility to take care of the mice inside your house.

However, it's your landlord's responsibility to do something to keep the mice from getting in.

Answer 6

Look on your lease, it will tell you who is responsible. If it is not there, go to the fair housing department in your state / county / city. They should be able to tell you.

I had roof rats in a duplex I was renting once and my neighbor would not grant us access to spread poision in the attic. (after seeing how he lived, I don't blame him but YUCK!) Anyway, I knew they were nocturnal animals and slept during the day. Sooooo, since they kept me up all night running around I decided that it would only be fair to keep them up when they were sleeping. Put my stereo equipment and speaker right under the corner where they were sleeping and put Phanthom of the Opera on continuous play on sound level 10 and left for the day. It took about 3 days before they finally decided to pick up and find another abode. Told my neighbor when he complained about the loud music that it was all his fault and he could change that situation in about 3 seconds or live with it until the rats moved. HA, HA.

Answer 7

Depends on state law if you live in subsidized housing then you have certain rights under federal law. Despite what agreements your landlord tries to hold you to his whims don't matter compared to state law.

If we knew what state you lived in we could give you an answer but you may want to do a search for tenants renters rights pest control and then type in the name of your state.

Some states for example California forbid renters to rent out property known to have rodents and if such a circumstance occur while renting the landlord must either take care of it under their own expense or lower your rent to cover your expenses for pest control.

Check with your state health board and contact a lawyer if you qualify you can find one to work on your case for free. (pro bono)

Answer 8

First off, put your problem in writing to you your landlord and keep a copy. Make sure that all your food is in zip lock bags or plastic containers, so the mice can't get to it. And make sure every thing is clean.

Second,contact the local health department. Mice carry diseases and their waste can make you sick. And, they can force your landlords hand.

Answer 9

I would contact the landlord and let him/her know. If they don't want to do anything, check your lease. Might also check with your local consumer protection office, county, city or state government.

If it is a minor problem, one or two mice a trap might be worth taking care of yourself.

Answer 10

Yes, I believe the landlord is usually responsible for extermination of pests. What does your leasing agreement/ contract say?