Finding termites coming out of the vents in a rental
Termites emerging from indoor vents and crawling around the exterior make tenants feel helpless, scared, and ashamed to invite guests over. Dealing with difficult letting agents leaves renters struggling to get the entire unit treated and figuring out how to keep pests away from their specific flat for good.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Caulking up cracks and empty spaces in the wallsDid this help you?
- 2Using boric acid to dry them outDid this help you?
- 3Arranging individual pest control appointments through the landlordDid this help you?
- 4considering whether to contact pest control directly or approach the landlordDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Last week I moved into a flat in London and found German cockroaches in the kitchen.”source ↗
“The letting agents have already been difficult with me and I’m pretty certain I won’t be able to convince them to treat the entire unit - however I’d like tips on how to keep them away from my flat specifically.”source ↗
“How can I prevent them coming back to my flat for good?”source ↗
“It might seem ridiculous but as a young female living alone I feel a bit helpless and scared. I also feel ashamed to even invite anyone over as I’ve even seen one in my bedroom.”source ↗
“Something living in my attic not sure what either mice or rat or possibly birds.”source ↗
“My tenancy agreement basically says that I am responsible for pests unless it can be proven it’s the landlords fault.”source ↗
“I’m unsure what to do in this situation, I’m a girl on my own so I’m not going up there, do I contact pest control or myself or go to my landlord and ask for help?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 5Landlords only use glue traps for pest problems
- 5Exterminators won't treat cluttered or unsanitary homes
- 2Why won't the mice in my townhome go away?
- 3When should I hire a process server for an unresponsive tenant?
- 4Dealing with severe mold in a rental when management won't act
- 6How to stop animals from digging trenches around house foundations