Who is responsible - Tenant or Owner (1 Viewer)

[MyLeftHand]

Not saying if i'm the landlord or the tenant, but who should be responsible for animal control on the property? Things like trapping and removing destructive and/or dangerous animals? Things like snakes, armadillos, groundhogs, alligators, etc. NOT talking about insect control like lawn grubs, termites, carpenter ants.

 

[Ditka Butkus]

They are wild animals........owner has no responsibility to have them removed.....So if tenant wants them removed he pays....IMO

 

[Long Ball Larry]

whats the lease say?

 

[Godsbrother]

They are wild animals........owner has no responsibility to have them removed.....So if tenant wants them removed he pays....IMO

This is my opinion too.

 

[fatguyinalittlecoat]

My guess is that the lease says something like "tenant is responsible for anything not specified in this lease."

 

[timschochet]

whats the lease say?

The only answer that counts. There is no "should" in real estate. Everything is negotiated beforehand. Both parties' responsibilities are clearly stated.

 

[Jobber]

Animal control, landscaping, painting, etc should be built into the monthly rent. The owner has the ability to raise rent if needed.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

They are wild animals........owner has no responsibility to have them removed.....So if tenant wants them removed he pays....IMO

This is my opinion too.

in general, this seems right, though if there is some pre-existing condition in the house allowing this to happen, there might be some argument. though the tenant likely accepted as is, so the argument may not get far in court. the landlord could feel compelled to act in some way though.

 

[kentric]

Unless its stipulated in the lease, such items should be the responsibility of the owner. If the washer/dryer breaks, its the responsibility of the owner (unless stated otherwise in the lease). A racoon setting up shop in a house would detract from the home's value. If it detratcts from the houses value, that should be on the owner's plate to rectify IMO.

 

[Ditka Butkus]

Unless its stipulated in the lease, such items should be the responsibility of the owner. If the washer/dryer breaks, its the responsibility of the owner (unless stated otherwise in the lease). A racoon setting up shop in a house would detract from the home's value. If it detratcts from the houses value, that should be on the owner's plate to rectify IMO.

I would agree that the owner would be responsible for a wild animal within the structure as you describe but if a wild animal is setting up shop in the yard the owner would not be responsible for its removal. If that was the case the tenant could say....hey those pesky squirrels in the trees annoy me...I would like you to remove them.

 

[Godsbrother]

Unless its stipulated in the lease, such items should be the responsibility of the owner. If the washer/dryer breaks, its the responsibility of the owner (unless stated otherwise in the lease). A racoon setting up shop in a house would detract from the home's value. If it detratcts from the houses value, that should be on the owner's plate to rectify IMO.

I would agree that the owner would be responsible for a wild animal within the structure as you describe but if a wild animal is setting up shop in the yard the owner would not be responsible for its removal. If that was the case the tenant could say....hey those pesky squirrels in the trees annoy me...I would like you to remove them.

Agree with this.

 

[MattFancy]

Seems like it would be the tenant to me. The owner can't help if snakes get into the yard.

 

[glock]

whats the lease say?

The only answer that counts. There is no "should" in real estate. Everything is negotiated beforehand. Both parties' responsibilities are clearly stated.

Should be.

 

[belljr]

Owner...imo.

Animals can be dangerous. Especially with children around.

 

[Fennis]

Not saying if i'm the landlord or the tenant

so go ahead and tell us now

 

[Bucky86]

Tenant IMO.

Pests like rats,roaches,mice which can directly effect the home structure and can provide health problems for those living under the roof are different and should be taken care of promptly. Owner has no control over a wild animal jumping a fence and shouldn't be responsible. Same as he shouldn't responsible if you are walking your dog on your front lawn a coyote attacks it.

 

[Drifter]

Depends - things like bees, rodent or insect infestations in the house should be the owner's responsibility. Things that don't pose a hazard to health or structure would be the tenant's responsibility if they choose to do something about it.

 

[belljr]

Tenant IMO.

Pests like rats,roaches,mice which can directly effect the home structure and can provide health problems for those living under the roof are different and should be taken care of promptly. Owner has no control over a wild animal jumping a fence and shouldn't be responsible. Same as he shouldn't responsible if you are walking your dog on your front lawn a coyote attacks it.

so if a ground hog gets into your yard and decides to build it's home under your deck you think it should just be left there until the tenant pays to have it removed?

 

[Bucky86]

Tenant IMO.

Pests like rats,roaches,mice which can directly effect the home structure and can provide health problems for those living under the roof are different and should be taken care of promptly. Owner has no control over a wild animal jumping a fence and shouldn't be responsible. Same as he shouldn't responsible if you are walking your dog on your front lawn a coyote attacks it.

so if a ground hog gets into your yard and decides to build it's home under your deck you think it should just be left there until the tenant pays to have it removed?

If it's going to effect the structure of the deck then the owner would pay for this....it's in his best interest? The original poster is talking about alligators and wild animals in the yard.

ETA: When I was renting a house in the hills my landlord covered pests like groundhogs in the yard, because they were tearing up his grass. When I had a rattlesnake in the yard and I paid to have it removed myself.

 

[ghostguy123]

If it isn't due to a structural issue, then the tenant is responsible.

Though the tenant could probably have cause to move out and break the lease due to dangerous surroundings on the property.

Or call animal control and maybe it gets done for free.

 

[belljr]

Tenant IMO.

Pests like rats,roaches,mice which can directly effect the home structure and can provide health problems for those living under the roof are different and should be taken care of promptly. Owner has no control over a wild animal jumping a fence and shouldn't be responsible. Same as he shouldn't responsible if you are walking your dog on your front lawn a coyote attacks it.

so if a ground hog gets into your yard and decides to build it's home under your deck you think it should just be left there until the tenant pays to have it removed?

If it's going to effect the structure of the deck then the owner would pay for this....it's in his best interest? The original poster is talking about alligators and wild animals in the yard.ETA: When I was renting a house in the hills my landlord covered pests like groundhogs in the yard, because they were tearing up his grass. When I had a rattlesnake in the yard and I paid to have it removed myself.

ok...this seems to me like a case by case basis imo...but lawyers and nerds get involved and have to have every stupid scenario drawn out ahead of time

 

[sbonomo]

I own several rental homes. Unless the lease stipulates that the tenant is responsible for pest control, this definitely falls on the owner. As others have mentioned, the landlord should reflect general maintenance in the rental price including pest control. At all of my rental properties i include landscaping, pool service and pest control. I don't want the tenants killing my landscaping or ruining my pool.

 

[MyLeftHand]

Not saying if i'm the landlord or the tenant

so go ahead and tell us now

I'm the landlord and the mgmt company that handles my property just dinged me for $400 to have some snakes removed.

Common sense says that it should be the tenant. After all, where is the line drawn? The house is in FL and there are Alligators everywhere. So what if the tenant says " i saw an alligator cross the lawn, i don't feel safe, please remove it". Not only near impossible to find it and get it, but also there's a never ending queue of gators to be removed at great expense.

But alas, lawyers detest common sense and so it comes down to what is in the lease as sbonomo states.

my lease currently states that i'm responsible for "lawn and pest control". very generic and does not specifically exclude anything. P#$$ poor lease IMO and i'll be dumping my mgmt co as a result. but looks like i'm on the hook for this and any other nonsense this PITA tenant decides they want done

 

[RUSF18]

So you as the landlord didn't even look over the lease that your tenants sign?

 

[B-Deep]

Not saying if i'm the landlord or the tenant

so go ahead and tell us now

I'm the landlord and the mgmt company that handles my property just dinged me for $400 to have some snakes removed.

Common sense says that it should be the tenant. After all, where is the line drawn? The house is in FL and there are Alligators everywhere. So what if the tenant says " i saw an alligator cross the lawn, i don't feel safe, please remove it". Not only near impossible to find it and get it, but also there's a never ending queue of gators to be removed at great expense.

But alas, lawyers detest common sense and so it comes down to what is in the lease as sbonomo states.

my lease currently states that i'm responsible for "lawn and pest control". very generic and does not specifically exclude anything. P#$$ poor lease IMO and i'll be dumping my mgmt co as a result. but looks like i'm on the hook for this and any other nonsense this PITA tenant decides they want done

of course you are

lol at a FFA member renting

 

[B-Deep]

I've had it with this MF'n snakes in this MF'n rental property!!!!