Cockroaches are gross. They’re sneaky, they like to live in trash, and they’re hard to kill. What’s not to hate? If you’re a residential property manager, you probably like them even less than the average person. Nothing ruins a properties’ reputation quite as fast as a cockroach infestation. A surprisingly major part of your job is making sure that can’t happen.

Unfortunately, preventing cockroaches can be quite an undertaking. Roaches are very persistent, infamously difficult to kill, and very good at infiltrating buildings. Luckily, cockroach prevention isn’t impossible. All it takes is a little elbow grease and a few tips from the pros. You provide the elbow grease, and we’ll provide the tips! To keep cockroaches out of your residential property, you have to…

Eliminate their access to food sources. 

This is the number one tip when it comes to cockroach prevention. If there are dumpsters on your property, keep them clean. We recommend rinsing them out weekly after the garbage is collected. That prevents any grime or refuse from building up.

 If your building has a trash chute, get it professionally cleaned at least every six months. If you haven’t figured it out already, cockroaches love garbage and waste. If the rental property you’re in charge of is dog-friendly, make sure the wastebaskets are cleaned daily. Dog waste is a huge draw for waste-lovers like roaches. 

Eliminate their access to water.

We know it’s impossible to make sure that no loose water gets anywhere in the property you manage. That said, there are ways to limit what’s available to potential pests. Stay on top of plumbing fixes. Repair any leaky faucets or pipes as soon as they’re reported. Check the property’s perimeter regularly to check for pools of standing water. When you find them, figure out where they came from and fix the problem.

Keep the perimeter protected.

If roaches can’t get in, they can’t cause problems in your building. Perimeter control is a great way to keep them out. Walk around the perimeter of your building regularly. Look out for holes in screens, cracks in doors, worn-out weather stripping, crumbling brick, and broken concrete. Any time you see problems, fix them immediately. 

Keep yard debris, firewood, and shrubs away from the perimeter. Pests love hiding out in places like this before sneaking inside. If there aren’t any hiding places around the perimeter of your building, pests are less likely to find their way inside.

Train your tenants.

We know it’s nearly impossible to get everyone to attend an in-person training session, even if you offer snacks. That’s why we recommend posting fliers or sending out training emails to your property’s tenants. Teach them about exclusion best practices for cockroaches like the ones listed in this post. Ask them to let you know immediately if they notice any pests in their rental. Be communicative and accessible, and they should respond in kind.

Whether you manage a duplex or a high rise, you know the importance of pest prevention. If, despite your best efforts, you ever suspect that your building has a cockroach problem – don’t worry! All you need to do is call up the team at Assured Environments. We’ll send someone out to quickly, quietly, and efficiently get pests out and your property back in order.