We've had this tenant almost six years. She has always made petty & often unjustified complaints. (i.e. curtains are blowing, but windows are shut, no, window was not all the way shut at top, but boyfriend was supposed to have done it)

Now, since we finally went up on her rent, she is whining about more. Said the tub faucet was dripping all day, when in fact is just drains back from the shower periodically.

This costs us a service call because DH doesn't run do as much as he used to. So now, it is bug complaint again. Before it was crickets, and we did get handyman to spray under crawl space, but this time I told her we are not responsible for bees or ladybugs that get into a house.

What does your lease say?

Lady bugs - there really isn't a treatment for that. We have them bad in Iowa and I have called 2 different places and asked about treatment. Hot soapy water is what they told me.

Bees? Inside the house? Does she have a nest in the house? Or one right outside the door? If so, tell her to knock it down.

Sounds like she is the biggest pest! I started say back to them, whatever the subject "Really? My house too, you know what I do, I just pick up those lady bugs and throw them outside" or "Really? My house too. I just learn to push that little silver round thing down after a shower so it doesn't drip water" Company loves misery.

after 30 days -- its on the tenant. Maybe they have bugs left over from first tenant-- maybe and we take care of that.

Second -- yea we have those too and you'll have to do what we do-- handle it. It comes with the territory.

You need a "frivolous maint" visit charge in your lease. 50.00 if I have to go on a false visit.

Have lots of these: my stove isn't working or no hot water or the heat won't come on. YUP it's locked off for no pay to the gas company-- 50.00 frivolous visit charge.

The main problem in this scenario is the lease doesn't set out who is responsible for what. That needs to be fixed immediately, regardless of what other steps you take. My lease is clear: after 30 days all bug treatments are on the tenants. We treat in between tenants as needed with a professional pest control company, and that gives us a 90 warranty. We do not warranty for bed bugs, though. Those we detect between tenants using "SenSci" volcano traps. If the trap is clean, we are bed bug free.

The second problem is you have a whiney tenant. I do not deal well with that, so my answer is if they are unhappy they need to take the "Happy Clause" and buy out their lease for a fee = to 6 weeks of rent; 30 days notice and last months' rent are still required. Again, this is all spelled out in our lease.

If your lease does not address these things, you can try to say it is "standard operating procedure", but don't expect a whiney tenant to accept that. So then you have to go with what is customary in your area and negotiate. Typically, bug treatment would be the responsibility of the tenant in SFH, in my humble opinion, especially if the problem was not noted at move in. Bugs are a fact of life, although this cold weather may kill many of them for the coming year!

To Do list for the future:

1) Fix your lease. It should address bugs.

2) Elevate screening criteria. Whiney people don't usually just become whiney overnight. Yes, some do go bad, but in the cases when I've had whiney tenants, I got back and look at my notes during screening and typically find where they pushed back against our process or asked for lots of favors, etc.

It's resolved, I hope. Did give her the happy clause speel, she insists that isn't what she wants. So, I hope this cuts down on some of it. I mean pictures of a few lady bugs on the window sill and floor and one dead hornet just set me off.

Pat, that was entertaining. I have one like that. Your story reminds me of the call I got from a tenant once who asked if my husband would come over to kill a spider for her because she was afraid of spiders and he husband was at work.

I suggested a broom or a can of raid or calling her own husband to come home from work to take care of it for her.

When I told my husband about that call he said said he was grateful I nipped that in the bud because he’s not going to do husbandly duties without getting husbandly benefits. We got a laugh out of it anyway.

Check your lease. Strengthen it if needed. If she's been there 6 years, is she on "month to month"? If so, send a lease change with new terms on pest/insects.

Raise the rent AGAIN! If she asks why you keep raising rent, don't be specific...but just say that you have to "keep rents at a level that allows us to be profitable after including all costs of operating the business".