Pests in Long-Term Lettings: Landlord and Tenant Duties

In short

In a long-term tenancy, who pays depends on when the infestation arose: if it predates or coincides with the tenant moving in, it falls to the landlord under the duty to provide decent housing; if it appears during the tenancy, the analysis depends on its origin and the cost may fall to the tenant as routine upkeep. In practice, proving which came first is very hard, which makes negotiation and speed more effective than conflict.

Many owners alternate between short-term letting and ordinary tenancies, or run both in the same building. Pests do not tell the difference — the law does. A tenancy creates a long relationship, with reciprocal duties and a cost-sharing arrangement that no nightly stay involves.

This guide sets out what changes for a landlord, and why the same prevention logic as in holiday letting remains the best investment: fast, documented treatment always costs less than a dispute running for months.

Providing a decent property: the starting duty

The Act of 6 July 1989 requires the landlord to provide a decent dwelling, and the decree of 30 January 2002 — supplemented by the ELAN Act of 2018 — specifies that the dwelling must be free of any infestation by pest and parasitic species. The duty therefore clearly bites on the state of the property when the keys are handed over.

A tenant who finds bed bugs or a cockroach colony in the first weeks of the tenancy is entitled to ask the landlord to end the infestation at the landlord's cost. In practice, the development time of these species often points to prior presence, especially in a building already affected.

During the tenancy: who pays for treatment?

The tenant must use the property peaceably and handle routine upkeep; the landlord must guarantee quiet enjoyment and carry out repairs other than tenant repairs. An infestation appearing during the tenancy sits precisely on the boundary between those two duties.

Courts reason case by case, taking into account the origin of the infestation, the state of the building, when it appeared and how the parties behaved. An infestation spread across the building or linked to a defect in the fabric (cracks, ducts, damp, refuse chute) leans towards the landlord; one that was clearly imported and made worse by the tenant's inaction leans the other way.

In every case the technical urgency comes first: the longer the delay, the larger the population, the higher the final cost and the more bitter the dispute. Treat first and settle who pays afterwards is almost always the better economics for a landlord.

Getting access to treat

A landlord has no unrestricted right of entry to a let property. To bring a technician in, you need the tenant's agreement, in practice by letter or e-mail offering several time slots and explaining what the visit involves.

Bed bug treatment also requires active preparation by the tenant: linen washed at 60 °C, furniture pulled away from walls, clear access to skirting boards and bed bases. Without that cooperation the treatment loses much of its effect. A preparation sheet sent in advance avoids most wasted visits.

Whole buildings: treating at the right scale

In a block of flats, treating one flat often just moves the problem. Bed bugs and cockroaches use service ducts, skirting boards and pipework to take refuge with the neighbours during the work, then come back.

A landlord who owns several flats therefore has an interest in having them all treated at the same time and in asking the building manager for work on the common areas: cellars, bin rooms, ducts, refuse chutes. That is the only scale at which eradication lasts.

Your checklist

Move-in inventory expressly recording the absence of pests
Written response within days to any tenant report
Quote and professional treatment rather than arguing about cost first
Preparation sheet given to the tenant before the technician's visit
Follow-up visit always scheduled
Written alert to the building manager if several flats are affected
Prevention contract for buildings and multi-unit portfolios

Frequently asked questions

My tenant reports bed bugs — do I have to pay?

If the infestation existed when they moved in, the cost is yours under the decency duty. If it appears later, the analysis depends on the origin and the state of the building. Because priority is hard to prove either way, the cheapest route is to act fast and then discuss how to share the cost.

Can the tenant refuse the intervention?

They must allow work needed to keep the property in good condition. A persistent refusal, documented in writing on your side with offered time slots, generally counts against them in a dispute — and makes the infestation worse in the meantime.

Can I deduct the cost from the deposit?

Only if the cost genuinely falls to the tenant and you can justify it (invoice, findings, inventory). An unfounded deduction is regularly challenged and rejected. Always document the origin and date of the infestation.

Should I treat before every new tenancy?

Systematic treatment is not necessary, but a check between tenancies is — it is the only moment when the property is empty and fully accessible. In a building already affected, a preventive treatment at re-letting avoids a dispute in the first weeks of the next tenancy.