Tenants, termites, and tenting, OH MY! A few years ago, we had the unfortunate situation of termites in our six-unit apartment complex. This blog covers how to navigate the process of termites in your rental property. We cover how we discovered them, the tenting and fumigation process, communication and method of guiding our tenants, and all the nuts and bolts that came along with this experience.
Discovery
Our termite story begins with a tenant informing us that she noticed a few tiny pinholes around her front door frame and molding. On the floor directly underneath, she saw fine dust. Under the advice of our pest control company, she was asked to place blue painters’ tape over the holes. If the hole appears through the tape again, we have termites. Indeed, holes were there a few days later. Ugggh! How could we have termites in our rental property?!
After picking our stomachs up off the ground, we immediately scheduled our pest company out for a complete pest inspection. The apartment in question is in the front of our six-unit building. After investigating the basement, the inspector confirmed there was a small infestation of dry wood termites. Dry wood termites, unlike subterranean termites, live inside the wood, making soil treatment pretty much useless.