Landlords and tenants are encouraged to communicate early, act quickly and co-operate fully to address problems of pests.

It is the landlord's responsibility to exterminate pests unless the landlord can establish that the tenant caused the problem. That may be difficult to do. Attempts to determine fault should not delay efforts to exterminate the pests.

There are pests (bedbugs/mice/cockroaches/etc) where I live.

What are my rights and obligations as a Tenant?

• Firstly and most importantly, you need to tell your landlord so the landlord can take appropriate action to exterminate the pests.
• You have a right to habitable premises, which means accomodation free from infestations of pests. 
• The landlord must act promptly to address the problem.
• You must co-operate with the landlord's efforts to exterminate pests.
• In severe cases that can not be remedied quickly, and in all cases when the landlord does not take reasonable steps to exterminate the pests, you may be able to terminate the tenancy immediately for cause.
• Talk to your landlord and work with your landlord to solve the problem.

A tenant has reported pests (bedbugs/mice/cockroaches/etc).

What are my rights and obligations as a Landlord?

• When you rent a place for people to live, you have a contractual and statutory obligation to provide habitable premises to the tenants.
• Premises infested with pests are not habitable and you may be liable to pay damages to the tenant for breach of contract.
• If you can show that the tenant caused the infestation:
  • You may be relieved of liability for damages and
  • The tenant may be liable to pay your costs and damages.
• Encouraging tenants to report problems early so you can act quickly and prevent the the problem from spreading protects your investment.
• Keep your tenants informed and work with the tenant to solve the problem.