Forum Spotlight: Suspected moth infestation

A landlord posted on our forum this month a question about a suspected moth infestation at their rental property.

The landlord said that three years ago the same tenants had reported an issue with moths in bedroom. The issue was dealt with at the time - with the landlord both using treatment and providing a brand new bedroom carpet.

However this month the tenants contacted our landlord again to report another moth infestation. The tenants had asked the landlord to replace the carpet again.

Our landlord wanted to know whether it was their responsibility to deal with the issue again this time. They said prior to the tenants moving in there was no problem with moths. They took to our forum to ask for opinions.

The responses on our forum

The first person to comment on the thread said they had experience in dealing with moths, so empathizes with our landlord and said they can be quite difficult to get rid of. They advised in future to not get carpets with wool content as this can attract moths.

In their view, it is now the tenant’s responsibility to deal with the issue. Unless the landlord thinks there could be a chance they as the landlord or perhaps a worker bought the moths into the property. 

The next landlord to offer their viewpoint suggested that determining who is responsible for dealing with the issue isn’t clear-cut.

They asked whether the property had been inspected by the landlord recently, adding that they regularly inspect their rentals as this is helpful to spot any signs of infestation from any creature and nip the issue in the bud. This landlord also suggested the issue could be caused by insufficient vacuuming/cleaning at the property, and went on the recommend brands of vacuum cleaner to help remedy the issue and prevent it from recurring. 

Then, an advisor from our Landlord Support Team joined in on the thread.

They confirmed where the landlord stood in relation to responsibility for treating the issue.

The adviser said if the moth infestation occurred at the beginning of the tenancy, it is likely to fall under the remit of the landlord (to deal with), however from the information provided this doesn’t sound like the case here. These pests tend to fly in through the window or communal area.

The adviser said that practically to avoid further damage to their property landlords will carry out the treatment and you may wish to do so with the clear warning that you will not carry out further treatments as these moths have been introduced by the tenant and the tenant should ensure that the property is maintained to avoid the infestation, and should infestation occur they treat it.

Read the original forum post here.