Finally arrived in phoenix. Rental house pool and bug bites help (Chandler: credit, new home)

[AZcatFan]

Hello all. My family has arrived in Chandler and have a couple of problems (aside from being homesick).

1. Our pool is FILTHY. The bottom is covered in dirt and top is covered in leaves. I don't mind trying to clean it but I know nothing about pools and chemicals. The owner is to handle chemicals and maintenance. Shouldn't the pool be ready to swim in when I move in?

2. And more importantly. Bugs. I have killed at least 5 crickets in 24 hours inside of the house. Also my wife has 9 bug bites on her arms and legs in the first day. All are huge and puffy, ranging from 3-5 inches diameter. We decided to start looking around for bugs on our hands a knees and found around 10 tiny bugs in our livingroom alone. I know we are responsible for pest control but should the owner do anything at all before we move in? Or do ee just need to handle it now that we are here?

I just want my wife and kids to be happy and not feel gross and uncomfortable in our new home. Thank you all again for your help.

[locolobo13]

Have you called the owner and told him the pool needs maintenance? If not try that.

When you call the owner mention that you are going to call in a pest control person. Maybe the he/she will have a recommendation.

Are you already moved in? If not this might be the perfect time to have the place thouroughly "debugged".

[Zippyman]

Be careful with pest control. Some of the big names like to set people up on expensive monthly contracts. The poison is good for ninety days if it's done properly. You an do it yourself very inexpensively, there are threads in the "house" forum about that.

Personally, as a landlord, I do pest control right before move-in to avoid the situation you're experiencing and let the tenant know they're on their own after that. My pest guy charges me about $30 per visit, the size of the house isn't an issue unless it's a really huge house.

I don't rent houses with pools, but I'd expect it to be usable on day one if the landlord is responsible for upkeep. In my area of town smaller homes with pools seem to pull a couple hundred a month more in rent in the spring and summer, so you're probably paying for that upkeep whether you're getting it or not.

[LBTRS]

The pool should be ready to use before you move in, if not that tells you something about your landlord. I'd get on his case because you have about a month left to use the pool this year.

I'd hire a pest control guy to come and do the entire place the first time and knock all the bugs down. After that you can do it yourself to save money. Make sure he does the entire yard, walls, garage, inside, etc. the first time. After that it won't take so much and I've never done inside my home after the first visit.

Welcome to the valley of the sun!

[LBTRS]

Speaking of bug bites my wife just came and complained to me that my daughter has 15 bug bites on her and she comes home from school with more each day. My daughter thinks she is getting them at the bus stop. We're investigating the situation now, are you sure yours are coming from inside the house and not outdoors?

I wonder if the wet monsoon weather could be causing biting bugs to be out now?

[Zonie5]

that many bug bites and bugs seen in house sounds more like a "newbie "thing . after you have been here and settled down the bugs won't be near as bad . here in Arizona you can expect bugs just about year round .

[Cida]

Is this a rental? Why don't you just call your landlord?

[AZcatFan]

Thank you all for your help. I did call the rental company and they pointed out that pest control is my responsibility. I will call an exterminator and then keep up treatments on my own
. Aside from that we are loving Chandler. I hope its not usually this humid though!

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by AZcatFan

Thank you all for your help. I did call the rental company and they pointed out that pest control is my responsibility. I will call an exterminator and then keep up treatments on my own
. Aside from that we are loving Chandler. I hope its not usually this humid though!

Don't let them push you around too much, pest control may be your responsibility, but you've already mentioned that pool care *isnt* your responsibility, and they're already behind the eight ball there. I've been both a tenant and a landlord in Phoenix, much of the the law is biased heavily in favor of the landlord here, which is fine, but the landlord still has to honor their side of the contract.

If the landlord is doing it right, you are buying them a "free" house after about seven years, in exchange for that, you get the right to "quietly enjoy" that house during that time. Being eaten alive by bugs in the first week, and having a messy pool out back isn't my idea of quiet enjoyment.

[Captain Bill]

Did you do a walk through inspection with the property manager prior to moving in?
Did the property manager provide you with a Rental Lease Owners Property Disclosure Statement?

If they did not provide you with a walk through, or a move-in walk through form, then you need to fill one out for yourself; take pictures; and submit a copy of the completed form to the landlord. It should be done within 5 days, but if they have not provided you with the form, then do it now and submit it.

You can view the sample forms here:

http://www.aaronline.com/law-ethics/...-checklist.pdf
Residential Lease Owner’s Property Disclosure Statement ~ 08/11

You should read and become familiar with the laws below: The Tenant Rights and Responsibilities Handbook has forms to give notice to the landlord.

Tenant Rights and Responsibilities Handbook:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...MqU4GQ&cad=rja

Arizona Landlord and Tenant Act:
http://www.azsos.gov/Public_Services...eb_version.pdf

The first paragraph of § 33-1324: Landlord to maintain fit premises... may apply to your pool. According to your description the pool is not in a condition to be used, and would actually be unhealthy to get into that water. Find the necessary form in the Tenant Rights and Responsibilities Handbook and submit that for in the proper manner; and follow up. Also provide verbal notice.

Since the crickets were in the home when you arrived, you should ask the landlord to take care of them. They should not have been in the home prior to your move in. That was the landlords responsibility. After that initial treatment then you would be responsible. Know that crickets are food for scorpions so they do need to be exterminated right away or you will most likely get scorpions in the home.

You need to find out what is doing the biting. Is it possible that there are bed bugs? The landlord should have provided you with an information sheet on bedbugs. You may need to have a doctor tell you what type of bug is biting.

Tenant Screening | Tenant Screening Credit | New Arizona Bedbug Law Will Require Shared Responsibility For Landlords and Tenants | Tenant Screening Blog

http://www.doctorevictor.com/docs/be...info_guide.doc

BedBugs Arizona Information Resources and Treatment Advice