Is my landlord responsible for mice?

Often. Mice usually get in through gaps around pipes, in floors and walls, or through damaged air bricks — defects in the structure the landlord must repair. The landlord should find and seal the entry points as well as treat the mice.

Is my landlord responsible for rats?

Often. Rats commonly come in through damaged drains or holes in the fabric of the building, which are usually the landlord’s to repair. Councils also have specific powers over rats and mice under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949.

Is my landlord responsible for bedbugs?

It depends when and how they appeared. Bedbugs usually arrive on furniture, luggage or clothing, so a later infestation can be harder to attribute. Bedbugs that were there when you moved in point towards the landlord.

Is my landlord responsible for cockroaches?

Often where they come through drains, gaps or shared parts of the building, and usually not where food and rubbish are drawing them in. As with other pests, the question is how they are getting in.

My tenancy agreement says pest control is my responsibility. Is that right?

It can make you responsible for problems you cause, but it cannot remove the landlord’s duty under Section 11 to repair the structure, exterior and installations — including the defects that let pests in. Section 12 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 prevents a tenancy agreement contracting out of that duty.

Can the council make my landlord deal with pests?

Often, yes. Environmental health can act under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949, the statutory nuisance rules and the Housing Act 2004. If the council is your landlord it generally cannot enforce against itself, so use its complaints procedure and then the Housing Ombudsman.

Can I stop paying rent until the pests are gone?

Usually not. Withholding rent carries serious risks, including possession proceedings. Read can I withhold rent for repairs? before considering it.

Is your landlord responsible for pest control?

Written by The RemedyBridge editorial team · Updated 23 September 2026 · How we write

Quick answer

Your landlord is often responsible for pest control in a rented home, but it depends on why the pests are there. Your landlord is usually responsible where pests get in or live because of something the landlord has to keep in repair — gaps in walls, damaged drains, a broken roof — and, in England, where an infestation makes the home unfit to live in, including one that was there before you moved in. You are usually responsible where the problem comes from how the home is used, such as food or rubbish left out. A tenancy agreement can add to this, but it cannot take away the landlord’s legal repairing duties.

Key points

The pests themselves are rarely the legal question — how they got in usually is. Entry points in the structure, drains and exterior point towards the landlord. The legal detail is in vermin and pest infestations.
An infestation present when you moved in points towards the landlord: in England a rented home must be fit for human habitation from the start of the tenancy.
Problems caused by how a home is used — food left out, rubbish not dealt with — are usually the tenant’s to resolve.
A tenancy clause making you responsible for pest control cannot remove the landlord’s duty to repair the defects that let pests in.
Councils have their own powers over rats, mice and conditions that put health at risk, and many run a pest control service.
Once Awaab’s Law Phase 2 takes effect — currently scheduled for 30 November 2026 — social landlords in England will need to investigate and deal with domestic hygiene hazards, which include pests, within fixed timescales. See Awaab’s Law.

Who is responsible for pests?

Pest control is not a separate legal duty with its own rules. Responsibility follows the ordinary rules about repair and fitness, applied to how the pests got there.

Your landlord, usually, where pests get in through defects the landlord must repair — holes and gaps in walls, floors or the roof, damaged air bricks, broken drains, or defective windows and doors.
Your landlord, usually, where the home was infested when your tenancy began, or where in England an infestation you did not cause makes the home unfit for human habitation.
You, usually, where the infestation comes from how the home is used — food not stored away, rubbish not dealt with, or pests brought in with belongings.
It depends, where pests come from a neighbouring home or shared parts of a building. The landlord’s repairing duty can extend to the structure and exterior of the wider building where it owns or controls them.

That is the same test the law applies to any disrepair — see what counts as housing disrepair.

Who pays for pest control?

There is no general rule that landlords must pay for every pest treatment, or that tenants must. Who pays follows who is responsible. Where the cause is a defect the landlord must repair, the landlord should deal with the defect as well as the pests — treating an infestation without sealing the way in usually means it comes back.

Social landlords often have their own arrangements for pest control, and many councils run a pest control service — some free for certain pests, some charged. Your tenancy agreement or tenant handbook may say how pest control is arranged.

If you arrange treatment yourself, keep the receipt and the technician’s report. Reports often record how the pests are getting in, which is usually the question that decides who has to act.

Does my home have an infestation?

The signs vary by pest, but these are the common ones:

Droppings, especially along walls, in cupboards and behind appliances.
Gnawed packaging, wiring or woodwork.
Scratching or scurrying noises in walls, floors or ceilings, often at night.
Nests of shredded paper or fabric, or burrows close to outside walls.
Greasy smear marks along skirting boards and around holes.
Bites, and small dark or blood spots on bedding and mattress seams — often a sign of bedbugs.
Live or dead insects around sinks, drains, kitchen units and bins.
A persistent musty or stale smell.

Knowing what you are dealing with helps, because it points to how the pests are getting in — and that is usually what decides who has to act.

What the council can do

Councils have their own powers, whoever your landlord is:

Under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949, councils must take steps to keep their area free from rats and mice, and can require owners and occupiers to deal with them.
Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, premises in a state that is prejudicial to health can be a statutory nuisance, which the council must investigate and can require to be put right.
Under the Housing Act 2004, environmental health officers can assess hazards in a home, pests among them, and take enforcement action against a landlord. See HHSRS explained.

A council generally cannot take enforcement action against itself, so if the council is your landlord, use its complaints procedure and then the Housing Ombudsman. See environmental health inspections and council housing disrepair.

Section 82 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 also allows a person affected by a statutory nuisance to take proceedings in the magistrates’ court directly. The vermin and pest infestations page explains how that route works.

What to do next

Tell your landlord in writing what you have seen, where and since when, and ask it to find and seal how the pests are getting in. See reporting repairs.
Take dated photos or videos of droppings, damage and any gaps or holes, and keep a simple log.
Store food in sealed containers and deal with rubbish promptly — it helps any treatment work, and shows the problem is not coming from how the home is used.
If your landlord does not act within a reasonable time, use its complaints procedure. Social housing tenants can then go to the Housing Ombudsman free of charge.
For rats, mice or a serious risk to health, contact your council’s environmental health or pest control team.

Evidence to keep

Dated photos and videos of pests, droppings and damage.
Photos of gaps, holes, damaged air bricks or drains where pests may be getting in.
Copies of every report to your landlord, and its replies.
Pest control reports and receipts, including any the landlord arranged.
Notes of health effects, and of any food or belongings you had to throw away.

Important limitations

This is general information about the law in England and Wales, not advice about your home.
Who is responsible often turns on how the pests are getting in, which may need a pest control technician or surveyor to establish.
Tenancy agreements differ, and some add obligations for either side.

You may not need us — free routes first

You can often resolve repairs for free. Depending on your situation you may be able to:

report repairs to your landlord in writing and keep a dated copy;
use your landlord’s formal complaints process;
take dated photos and keep a record of what you reported and when;
give your landlord a reasonable chance to put things right.

See all free help options

Frequently asked questions

Who pays for pest control in a rented property?: It depends on the cause. Where pests get in through defects the landlord must repair, or were there before you moved in, the landlord is usually responsible. Where the problem comes from how the home is used, the tenant usually is. A tenancy agreement may add to this, but it cannot remove the landlord’s repairing duties.
Is my landlord responsible for mice?: Often. Mice usually get in through gaps around pipes, in floors and walls, or through damaged air bricks — defects in the structure the landlord must repair. The landlord should find and seal the entry points as well as treat the mice.
Is my landlord responsible for rats?: Often. Rats commonly come in through damaged drains or holes in the fabric of the building, which are usually the landlord’s to repair. Councils also have specific powers over rats and mice under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949.
Is my landlord responsible for bedbugs?: It depends when and how they appeared. Bedbugs usually arrive on furniture, luggage or clothing, so a later infestation can be harder to attribute. Bedbugs that were there when you moved in point towards the landlord.
Is my landlord responsible for cockroaches?: Often where they come through drains, gaps or shared parts of the building, and usually not where food and rubbish are drawing them in. As with other pests, the question is how they are getting in.
My tenancy agreement says pest control is my responsibility. Is that right?: It can make you responsible for problems you cause, but it cannot remove the landlord’s duty under Section 11 to repair the structure, exterior and installations — including the defects that let pests in. Section 12 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 prevents a tenancy agreement contracting out of that duty.
Can the council make my landlord deal with pests?: Often, yes. Environmental health can act under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949, the statutory nuisance rules and the Housing Act 2004. If the council is your landlord it generally cannot enforce against itself, so use its complaints procedure and then the Housing Ombudsman.
Can I stop paying rent until the pests are gone?: Usually not. Withholding rent carries serious risks, including possession proceedings. Read can I withhold rent for repairs? before considering it.

Sources

RemedyBridge provides a free initial check for housing disrepair problems in England & Wales. The result is a guide only and never tells you that you definitely have a claim. Checking your situation is free.