Landlord or Tenant: Who Pays for Pest Control in the UK?
In most cases the landlord pays. If pests get in because of the condition of the building — holes, gaps, broken drains, defective doors or windows — that is the landlord’s responsibility, and a clause in the tenancy saying otherwise does not change it. If the infestation was caused by how the tenant lives in the property, the tenant pays.
That is the short version. The detail matters, because this is one of the most common disputes we are asked to put in writing.
This is general information, not legal advice. We are a pest control firm, not solicitors. For a specific dispute, speak to Citizens Advice, Shelter, or a housing solicitor.
The law in plain terms
| Legislation | What it means for pests |
|---|---|
| Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.11 | The landlord must keep the structure and exterior in repair. That includes drains, gutters and external pipework — the usual ways rodents get in. |
| Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.12 | A clause trying to contract out of those repair duties is void unless a county court has authorised it. |
| Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 | Amended the 1985 Act so a home must be fit for human habitation at the start of the tenancy and throughout. A serious infestation can make a property unfit. |
| Environmental Protection Act 1990 | A severe infestation can amount to a statutory nuisance, which the council can act on. |
The fitness duty carries an important exception: a landlord is not liable where the unfitness is caused wholly or mainly by the tenant’s own breach of their obligations. That is the hinge the whole question turns on.
Who pays, situation by situation
| Situation | Usually |
|---|---|
| Infestation already present when the tenancy began | Landlord |
| Rodents entering through gaps, holes or defective brickwork | Landlord |
| Rats from a damaged or defective drain | Landlord |
| Pests arriving from communal areas or a neighbouring flat | Landlord or freeholder |
| Birds nesting in guttering or under the roofline | Landlord |
| Infestation caused by waste left to build up, or food left out | Tenant |
| Fleas brought in by the tenant’s pet | Tenant |
| Bed bugs | Depends — see below |
Bed bugs are the genuinely difficult one
Bed bugs do not come through holes in the wall and they are not a hygiene problem. They arrive on luggage, second-hand furniture, clothing, or from an adjoining flat. That makes cause very hard to establish, which is why they produce more disputes than every other pest put together.
In practice: if they appear within the first few weeks of a tenancy, the usual inference is that they were already there and it falls to the landlord. If they appear two years in, shortly after the tenant returned from a trip, the picture is different. In a converted block where several flats are affected, it becomes a building-wide problem for the freeholder or managing agent.
What settles these arguments is evidence, which is why a written report from whoever treats it matters more here than anywhere else.
What a tenant should do
- Report it in writing — email, not a phone call. Date it.
- Photograph everything. The pests, the droppings, the damage, and any hole, gap or defect you can see.
- Give the landlord a reasonable chance to act. What counts as reasonable depends on severity; rats in a kitchen is days, not weeks.
- If nothing happens, contact the council’s Environmental Health team. They can inspect and, where there is a statutory nuisance or serious hazard, require the landlord to act.
- Keep every receipt if you end up paying for treatment yourself.
You cannot be evicted simply for reporting a disrepair or pest problem, and retaliatory eviction protections exist precisely for this situation.
What a landlord should do
- Act quickly. A mouse problem left for a month becomes a fitness-for-habitation argument.
- Treat and proof. Treatment alone deals with the symptom. If you do not seal the entry point you will be paying for this again next autumn, and the tenant’s case gets stronger each time.
- Get it in writing. A report setting out what was found, what was treated and what caused it protects you if the cause is disputed.
- Do not rely on a clause. A tenancy term making the tenant responsible for all pest control does not override sections 11 and 9A. It can set day-to-day expectations; it cannot transfer a statutory duty.
HMOs are different again
In a house in multiple occupation, shared kitchens, high turnover and communal areas mean problems spread between rooms fast, and the manager’s obligations over common parts are more extensive. Most HMO landlords we work with move to scheduled visits rather than waiting for a callout, because it costs less overall and keeps the licensing file clean.
Common questions
Need it dealt with, and documented?
We work with landlords, letting agents and tenants across South London. Written report after every visit.
General information only, correct as at November 2026, and not legal advice. Law and guidance change. For a specific dispute, contact Citizens Advice, Shelter or a housing solicitor.