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Comment by W3zzy | Hacker News Reader

But is it the landlord's issue?

Most leases have clauses stating something to the effect that tenants are responsible for keeping their units reasonably clean and sanitary. If tenants start complaining about roaches, a good landlord will do a bit of investigation and remind tenants of the importance of cleanliness, proper disposal of trash, etc.

At least in Oakland, it's the landlord's responsibility to manage pest control. It needs to be done at a building level, or else the roaches will just get shuffled around.

Yeah a good landlord will do pest control but cockroaches are...cockroaches. If you do pest control but have tenants who are leaving food waste out, not disposing of trash properly, etc. it will be a game of whack-a-mole.

As far as communities are concerned, the best places to live are the places where landlords/management and residents/tenants both do their parts to keep things clean and habitable. Teamwork makes the dream work.

Definitely, it needs both sides.

a "good" landlord will lecture the tenant without solving the problem and a "bad" landlord will double the rent

> ...a "good" landlord will lecture the tenant without solving the problem

Huh? When it comes to pests, it takes effort on both sides, especially in environments that are prone to pests. A landlord can pay for regular pest control services but if there are tenants who don't store and dispose of waste properly, it can reduce their efficacy.

Good luck with that. I have seen landlords that flat out deny there is a roach issue.

I meant that in our country vermin is a tennants issue, not the owner's. Only when the state of the building (large holes) facilitates the ingres of insects or rodents you could mobilise tge landlord.

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