any ants, spiders, rodents, roaches or bedbugs, you won’t leave it to chance that the pest you want eliminated will be identified and reported immediately.
A comfortable means of discussing the problem will help encourage reporting; perhaps a check box on the assessment or rent coupon, a suggestion box, or even an online form on your community website will help encourage residents to come forward with the information. Honesty and compassion are important when you are alerted of pest problems. Acknowledge the resident’s courage and show sympathy, because, after all, revealing a pest problem is uncomfortable. Pests suggest uncleanliness in most cases, which casts us in a negative and unflattering light, even when cleanliness may have nothing to do with the pest situation. The real key here is that you cannot fix a problem if you don’t know it exists. And, in the case of pests, the longer they go undetected, the more they spread throughout your community. Our homes are our castles and where we relax and unwind, but everyone has their own personal standards for keeping their home maintained. The goal is to eliminate a pest or pest problem and not judge someone’s housekeeping.
Now that you know you have a pest problem, it’s time to call in the reinforcements, or in this scenario, the community manager armed with an effective pest-control professional. The pest control professional’s job is to locate the pests in their favorite hiding places, strip away their defenses, and successfully rid your community of the uninvited and unwanted nuisance. The pest control professional can rid your community of pests but not unless everyone follows the preparation guidelines to the letter. Ask your professional for preparation handouts for various pests. Share these liberally with residents who report problems. Depending on the pest, the preparation is varied and may range from extensive housekeeping requirements to elaborate luggage guidelines and even to discarding furniture. Caution your residents to avoid using any chemicals to self-treat the problem before their pest control appointments as this can interfere with treatment by the professionals who follow strict guidelines for chemical usage. When possible, obtain samples of pests in carefully contained packaging. Samples provide your professional information on the exact species of pest and will allow them to select a chemical specifically designed to target or attract the pest to eliminate them.
To create a success story in your community, do your homework and choose a pest control professional before a problem exists. 20 | COMMON INTEREST®
When researching a pest control provider
websites to understand how vendors market their products and services and to what audience and industry
if you are their target customer by looking for key words like “commercial” and “residential.” As a strictly residential community, you may face different pest control problems than mixed-use properties, and pest management solutions must fit your needs in order to be effective.
After selecting a couple potential pest control companies to interview (even if you get a referral), take the time to walk through your community common spaces, corridors, trash area, basements, laundry rooms, storage lockers, recycling areas, and playground equipment. These are among the areas that pests most desire to call home. Note any vulnerable areas, such as cracks, holes, doors that are left open for extended periods of time, etc.
Discuss your community’s cultural aspects. Do you have a large population of individuals who travel both domestically and internationally? Are there pets, children, senior citizens, and/or people with allergies that dominate your community? If Jane Doe is against the use of chemicals due to the hazards she believes they cause, she may never call you with a problem.
Do you l both
h
ldren, nate cals ver
During the pest management company interviews, ask each company about their staffing, training and ongoing education programs, how many people work for the company, will there be enough technicians to respond to your community when a major problem arises, etc. Ask about equipment, treatment plans, their success rate and finally, ask for references and check them. The best judge of a company’s performance is in the long line of happy customers willing to give a good reference.
One thing we know for sure is that pests don’t discriminate. Whether your community is composed of old construction, new construction, or mixed-use properties, all are susceptible to bedbugs and other pests simply because pests and their species are a natural part of our ecosystem. Bedbugs travel by hitchhiking rides from one environment to another, and they have reintroduced themselves in this century through international travel. Bedbugs are a very serious pest and if your community has them, ridding yourselves of them will take a good investigative team and great follow-up.
Each treatment plan for pests will likely include more than one visit. The professionals are happy to schedule your follow-up appointments and your residents will appreciate knowing when their homes will next be treated. Take this extra measure as it provides another level of confidence in the community manager, and requires residents to think about future steps and the current situation. The manager’s role is to assure the residents and the community of the ability to handle the problem and successfully deliver a pest-free home at the end of treatment.
Refrain from discussing the costs of treatment until the treatment is over. If pressed, have the individual contact
A Publication of CAI-Illinois Chapter
ntrol companies he time to walk orridors, trash ers, recycling are among . Note any at are left
provider, visit company s market their products nd industry. Determine ooking for key words a strictly residential t control problems agement solutions e.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60