Signs you may have a pest problems claim
- Droppings in cupboards, under units or along skirting boards
- Scratching or scurrying noises in walls, ceilings or floors
- Holes, gaps or gnawed areas around pipes and vents
- Cockroaches or ants appearing regularly
- Bed bug bites or signs on mattresses and bed frames
- Food packaging chewed or contaminated
When pests are your landlord's responsibility
Pests become a disrepair issue when they are getting in through defects in the structure, such as holes around pipes, broken air bricks, gaps under doors, damaged drains or crumbling brickwork, which the landlord must repair under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. They also make the home unfit under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, which lists "domestic hygiene, pests and refuse" as a hazard. In blocks of flats, infestations that move through communal areas, ducts and shared walls are almost always the landlord's problem to tackle building-wide. Many tenancy agreements also make the landlord responsible for pest control outright.
Common infestations
- Mice and rats entering through gaps in the structure or from defective drains, contaminating food and gnawing wiring.
- Cockroaches in blocks with warm service ducts and poor refuse facilities.
- Bed bugs spreading between flats through walls and floors.
- Ants, silverfish and woodlice, which thrive in damp buildings and point to an underlying damp problem.
- Pigeons and birds nesting in roof spaces and blocked gutters.
Why it matters
Rodents and cockroaches carry disease and trigger asthma. Bed bugs cause painful bites and sleeplessness. Families throw away food, bedding and furniture, and the stress of living with an infestation is considerable. Landlords who respond with one visit from a contractor and no repair of the entry points leave the problem to return.
What you can claim
- Proofing works to block the entry points, repair of drains and brickwork, and professional treatment of the infestation.
- Compensation as a percentage of rent for the period affected.
- Replacement of contaminated food, bedding, mattresses and furniture.
- Compensation for ill health.
Evidence that helps
Photograph droppings, gnaw marks, insects and entry holes. Keep pest controllers' reports. Note each sighting and each report to the landlord.
Think you have a housing disrepair claim?
Tell us what is wrong with your home and we will check, free of charge, whether you can claim repairs and compensation on a no win, no fee basis.
Pest infestations: your questions answered
My landlord says pests are my responsibility. Are they?
Only if you caused the infestation, for example by keeping the home in a condition that attracted them. Where pests are entering through defects in the building or spreading from elsewhere in the block, the landlord is responsible.
Do I have to pay for pest control?
No, where the infestation is linked to disrepair or affects the building as a whole. If you have already paid, the cost can be claimed back.
Can I claim for a mattress and bedding ruined by bed bugs?
Yes, as special damages, along with the cost of laundering or replacing clothing.
The council treated the mice but they came back. What now?
Treatment without proofing is not a proper repair. Report the return in writing and ask for the entry points to be sealed; the failure to do so is disrepair.