This policy sets out Amélie Housing approach to management of common household pests. This policy applies to all staff, contractors, tenants, applicants and volunteers of Amélie Housing.
It sets out
- The responsibilities of Amélie Housing under the Residential Tenancies Act 2010 in relation to pests and
- Instances in which Amélie Housing will pay for pest treatment in property common areas and properties
- Instances where pest treatment will be treated as a tenant charge
Managing common pests
Common pests found in properties can be but are not limited to cockroaches, fleas, and less commonly, bedbugs.
Amélie Housing will encourage tenants to keep their property free from common household pests such as cockroaches through a proactive approach to property care.
This includes:
- Management of rubbish
- Not leaving food in common areas or kitchens
- Wiping up and managing spills
- Provided pest control in common areas for shared apartment buildings
Tenant responsibility for pets control
As defined by the Residential Tenancies Act (2010) the tenant is responsible for cleanliness, repairs and damage. The tenant will:
- Keep the premises reasonably clean, including taking responsibility for:
- Pest management
- General cleaning
- Removing their rubbish
Bed bug infestation
- Tenants are required to notify Amélie Housing immediately if they suspect a bedbug infestation
- Treatment for bedbug infestation will require tenants to relocate from their property into temporary accommodation for up to three days
- Amélie Housing will access support for tenants to prevent bed bug infestation from occurring again, including assessment and access to soft furnishing if required
Flea Infestation
- Tenants are required to notify Amélie Housing immediately if they suspect a flea infestation
- Tenants will be responsible of the cost of pest control if it can be reasonably determined that the issues occurred due to lack of property care or bringing the pest into the premises (bedbugs), or an animal has not been properly treated for fleas, resulting in a flea infestation
Tenants will be notified of any additional tenant charges for pest control. Tenants can appeal pest control charges through Amélie Housing’s appeals policy.
When tenants are not responsible for pest control
Tenants will not be responsible for the cost of pest control if:
- An infestation of any type occurs from a common area
- An infestation of any type occurs from a neighbouring property
- A tenant is highly vulnerable and, even with access to appropriate support could not have reasonably been assessed as taking steps to avoid the infestation.
Amélie Housing Responsibility for Pest Control
Amélie Housing will undertake pest control in common areas of units and apartment complexes.
Amélie Housing will undertake pest control in instances where neighbouring apartments cause an infestation from one apartment to another.
Amélie Housing use of Pesticide Products
Amélie Housing will notify all tenants, and household members of upcoming pest treatments. This includes a Product Safety Statement. A PDS explains the type of pesticide to be used and the safety of use in pest control situations.
Amélie Housing will provide information about contractors, dates and times for pesticide treatments to take place
Pest Control in common areas
Urgent repairs are not specified in the Residential Tenancy Act. Amélie Housing defines urgent repairs as problems which cause the tenant a high degree of disruption and/or may lead to more serious problems or higher costs if unattended.
Sensitivity to chemicals
If you, a household member or child have a medically assessed and documented sensitivity to chemicals used in common pesticides, please provide a medical report to Amélie Housing. In this instance, other arrangements may be made.
Complaints and Appeals
If a tenant is not satisfied with a service provided by Amélie Housing or does not agree with a decision it has made, they can ask for a formal review. To do this, the tenant can complete a review of decision form.
Details on how to make a complaint, provide feedback or lodge an appeal are found in Amélie Housing Complaints and Appeals policy.
Additional information for NSW Tenants:
If a tenant is unhappy with the outcome of an appeal to Amélie Housing, they can lodge an appeal Housing Appeals Committee. The Housing Appeals Committee is an independent agency that reviews certain decisions made by staff of Community Housing organisations and Housing NSW. For information on the Housing Appeals Committee call 1800 629 794 or go to www.hac.nsw.gov.au.