This week, we received a maintenance request reporting that rodents had taken up residence in a home.
Being the responsible property managers we are, we immediately dispatched pest control to investigate.
The technician arrived...
Looked around...
Looked some more...
Then politely informed us that the rodents weren't the root problem—they were merely enthusiastic participants in the current living conditions.
Their recommendation?
Address the sanitation concerns first.
Shortly afterward, we received this glowing review:
"There's still rats residing in my unit... you guys are not fixing the issue... I'm gonna see what the city says."
Fair enough.
If the city visits, they'll likely make the same first recommendation our pest control expert did:
Clean the environment so the rodents lose interest in renewing their lease.
Lesson of the Week:
Even the best pest control company can't evict tenants who are being provided an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Sometimes maintenance can fix a leak.
Sometimes maintenance can replace a garbage disposal.
But maintenance can't outwork housekeeping.
Moral of the story:
The fastest way to get rid of unwanted roommates is to stop being the best host on the block.
