Pest Control: Your Problem or Your Landlord's?

Tatiana Enriquez of Miami's North Bay Village had a pest control problem. She'd wake in the night to find giant cockroaches frolicking in her apartment. But there was nothing in her rental lease that obligated her landlord to deal with the infestation, so she was on her own.

It's not unusual for rental apartments to have pests. And, as Enriquez discovered, it's rare for leases to address potential pest control problems. So renters need to ask landlords the right questions up front.

"Tenants should always ask if the landlord provides pest control, or if it is the tenant's responsibility," advises Miami Realtor and landlord Patrick Jaimez. "Dealing with pests is never specifically the landlord's or the renter's responsibility. It's all dependent on the property, the property owner and the tenant."