Pest Control PRO LLC
This is the checklist we use on rental properties in Central Ohio. It is the practical version of a pest program: what gets inspected, how often, what gets documented, and what a lease should say so a problem does not turn into a dispute. Printable PDF version here - use it on your own property, no credit required.
1. Inspection cadence
- Occupied units: quarterly, or monthly in buildings with active roach or bed bug pressure.
- Vacant units at turnover: inspect and treat before the next lease starts, and document that the unit was clear.
- Common areas: hallways, laundry rooms, trash areas, shared wall voids, sewer connections - monthly where there is history.
- Exterior: once in fall (before overwintering) and once in early spring (before emergence).
2. Per-unit documentation
Every visit needs a record per unit, not a building-level note. The record is what you use for health inspections, audits, and tenant communication.
- Unit number, date, technician
- What was found (species, evidence, which rooms)
- What was treated and what was recommended
- Entry points observed - this is the part that predicts whether the unit holds
- Follow-up date and the result of the follow-up
- Photos of evidence and of sealed openings
3. Entry points to check in every unit
- Door sweeps and exterior door gaps
- Window frames, panes, and trim - the usual fall-invader route
- Soffit vents, crawl space vents, roof-line gaps
- Utility penetrations: plumbing, electrical, HVAC lines entering the structure
- Foundation cracks, gaps at slab, gaps where vegetation touches the roof line
- Sewer connections and floor drains in shared areas
4. Bed bug protocol
- Report within 48 hours. Delay is what turns one unit into a building.
- Treat the affected unit plus the units on both sides, above, and below.
- No tenant self-treatment with hardware-store sprays - it spreads populations and destroys evidence.
- Vacuum clusters rather than crushing them, then document.
- Treat at turnover and record the unit as clear before the next lease.
5. Rodents
- Exclusion first. Trapping alone removes animals; the openings stay open and new rats replace them.
- Check crawl spaces, joists, cabinet bases, and attic connections for droppings, rub marks, and gnaw evidence.
- Chewed or stripped wiring on conductors is a fire risk, not just a nuisance - document it.
- Recheck seals on the next visit. A seal that fails is the reason a unit reopens.
6. Seasonal timing in Central Ohio
- September-October: stink bugs, boxelder bugs, Asian lady beetles on sunny walls. Seal now; vacuum clusters, do not crush.
- November-February: mice and rats in heated structures, nesting in voids and crawl spaces.
- February-March: overwintered pests wake up on the first warm days and move back out to breed.
- Spring: ants, carpenter ants, termites active; mud tubes and hollow wood show up on inspection.
7. What a lease should say
- Tenant is responsible for sanitation, food storage, trash, and reporting within a defined number of days.
- Landlord is responsible for structural entry points, common areas, and professional treatment.
- No tenant-applied treatments without notice - it invalidates evidence and complicates treatment.
- Access terms for entry, notice period, and follow-up visits.
- What happens at turnover, and who pays for what.
This is practical guidance, not legal advice. Have your lease language checked for Ohio specifics.
8. Red flags that a program is not holding
- The same unit reopens more than once in a year.
- Findings repeat across visits with no change - that means the entry point was never closed.
- Treatment records exist but no inspection record.
- No photos, so there is no way to prove the unit was clear at turnover.
- Recurring complaints in common areas while units are treated individually.
Get a program quote
Pest Control PRO LLC runs documented programs for rental properties and managed buildings in Central Ohio. Programs are scheduled service, so they require a card on file. Call 614-592-4616 for a free quote, or use the landlord and property manager page.