Cleankill

Cleankill Pest Control’s Managing Director Paul Bates looks at the complicated issues around unwelcome visitors in your premises and how to keep on the right side of the law.

 

Pests are categorised as a plant or animal detrimental to humans or human concerns. Some species have special protection by law, or restrictions on the methods that can be used.

Unlike fixed assets you might be responsible for, the management of pests is a constantly changing and evolving challenge. Weather is a factor, as are the people who use the buildings. They could bring pests into a property or poor housekeeping could result in an influx of pests especially when doors and windows are left open during the summer. 

Generally, each season presents different pests to deal with. During cold periods it’s mostly rats and mice who are looking for warm places to nest and food supplies; in Spring, it’s pest birds as they frantically search for nesting sites; and as the weather warms up it’s wasps, ants and flies that suddenly appear in abundance.

Weather patterns are a huge influence on insects and their ability to breed. Also, if residents are outside more during good weather they are more likely to spot and be bothered by crawling and flying insects.

The managing agent is responsible for an infestation that is located or caused within the building structure or communal areas. If this breach causes an issue inside the leaseholder flats, then it would be the managing agent’s responsibility to resolve. However, determining the cause of an infestation issue is not always easy, and it is critical to ensure the issue gets resolved quickly to avoid it spreading to other properties.

Often in blocks the problem has already spread to other properties and establishing the root cause of the infestation is not possible. If an individual flat in a block is managed by one agent, but the block common areas are managed by a different agent then the two agents will need to speak. Anything that originates from the leaseholder property will need to be resolved by that leaseholder.

The source of any infestation can be a very difficult thing to prove, especially if it is affecting other flats/tenants, and/or has been a long-standing problem that has been allowed to spread.

A specialist contractor may need to be instructed to carry out a survey and/or investigation of how a problem may have originated, and how it can be resolved. It is important, as with so many agent/tenant queries, that the agent contacts a pest control contractor to deal with a suspected infestation without delay.

 

Key advice

The safety issues from treating pests are the legal responsibility of the landowner/ freeholder (not the contractor). A professional contractor will be able to provide you with RAMS documentation detailing how the pest control work can be carried out safely, and how any risks identified can be managed. They will also be able to provide you with COSHH sheets.

• Act promptly to prevent an infestation from spreading to other areas
• Check your proposed contractor belongs to the British Pest Control Association
• Ask the contractor to provide COSHH sheets for any chemicals used on site
• Obtain a copy of the contractor’s Public Liability Insurance

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