With multiple living spaces in one residence or building, condos and apartments offer a major disadvantage in the battle of “pest free” living spaces. Uncontrollable factors such as food sources and cleanliness (or lack thereof) make multi-unit living spaces an inviting space for nesting pests.

Here are some tips for you as a landlord, or renter in a multi-unit dwelling.

1. Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are attracted to carbon dioxide and warmth. (ie. your breath). This makes them particularly drawn to spaces with many living and breathing creatures such as hotels, apartments, and condos. The best way to protect your property from a bed bug infestation is to clean, sanitize and vacuum up all common spaces as much as possible. Ask your tenants to do the same in their own dwellings as well. Seal any and all cracks in walls and windows, and try to minimize the amount of furniture (hiding spaces) that these pests could call their own. Pro tip: decorate with light colours (bedding/curtains).

2. Rodents

Rodents are a nuisance at all times, but most especially when they are seeking shelter. When the weather starts to turn, we will receive an influx in calls with regard to mice and rats who have made their way inside looking for food and warmth. To protect your property, follow these important steps:

• Regular maintenance on the full exterior of the unit. This includes sealing all windows, soffits, brick/siding issues, closing up vents with safe products, and clearing away an debris from the unit that will give a rodent leverage to come inside.
• Ask tenants to stay alert and diligent on any issues they see. The faster we can get to the issue, the less damage the unit will endure.
• Call in an expert to help pest proof your unit. For the little cost in doing so, it may save you A LOT more in the end.

3. Cockraoches/Ants

As with any pest, it’s so important to keep your home/unit sealed properly in order to avoid a pest issue. In the fall and winter, we field a lot more calls for cockroaches and ants. This is partly because there are more people “living” indoors during the colder months as oppose to spending that time outside. This means there are more meals inside, more debris inside, more crumbs inside and more to keep up with inside. For anyone with a busy household, we all know that keep up with cleanliness is always a little harder when the majority of your time is spent indoors. For that reason, we MUST be more diligent with our surroundings in order to avoid a possible infestation.