Re: Bat in Rental house - Landlord Forum thread

Re: Bat in Rental house by Annie, CA on June 26, 2012 @21:51

No,they can't sue you. Rodents are a natural occurrence. You did not go to their house and place a bat in it. You did the appropriate thing which was to find an exterminator. That is all you can do. You may want to negotiate a lodging expense based on the fact they cannot return to the home for two weeks.

I had a problem with rats a few years ago in one of my Apt. buildings. I hired an exterminator immediately. All of the tenants were irate with me and thought they could sue me. My attorney did not agree and neither did theirs. I did not attract the rats to the building nor did I plant them there.

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Re: Bat in Rental house by Kristine (New Jersey) on August 3, 2012 @15:38	[ Reply ]

1. Bats are not rodents. Completely separate organisms in different orders, chiropetra and rodentia. 2. Calling an exterminator is not all that can be done. A professional needs to inspect the entire house for all structural defects by which the bats can enter, and remedy them; for example, draft guards in attic openings, all holes down to 1/8 inch caulked/filled, openings under shingles, chimney stops, etc. When a landlord is properly informed of bats, these steps are required by law as remedy. Additionally, a professional should be hired to clean the house with professional grade HVACS, as bat droppings are associated with serious airborne disease such as histoplasmosis, which has symptoms similar to pneumonia.