Inspection FAQs: What do I do about mice/infestations in my unit?

For an apartment to be leased by a Metro Housing|Boston Section 8 voucher holder, the apartment must meet the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Housing Quality Standards (HQS) and the supplemental inspection requirements of the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). For this reason, it is important to address inspectional issues accordingly as they are occurring and address matters with the tenant first. Units in which are not within HQS may result in termination of payments or termination in the HAP contract.

What do I do about mice/infestations in my unit?

The first step and tenant obligation is to address the issue with your owner or property management company about the infestation. If you have not reported the issue but property management contacts you about the issue, you must work with them on resolving the matter. You as a voucher holder must maintain the unit in a clean and sanitary condition as noted in our Model Lease under Tenant Family Obligations section. To remove the issue, the owner will need a licensed exterminator to perform exterminations which may take several sessions to complete. You must allow access to your unit for these exterminations and will need to work out the schedule with the owner.

Please note, the report will indicate whether or not the infestation is tenant caused. In those cases the report will be forward to our inspections department and you will need to clean the affected areas per your tenant obligations after extermination.

If you have reported the issue to the owner/property management and they do not respond in a reasonable timeframe or do not fix the issue, report this to our agency with proof you attempted to resolve the issue with the owner. Our agency will conduct an inspection within five business days if it is reported and proven you have attempted to address the issue with the owner and have not received communication on the removal. Proof can consist of emails or text messages between you and owner.

Who pays for the extermination?

We do not or will not cover the cost of exterminators. The owner will need to discuss the matter with you directly and Metro should not be involved in this transaction.

Can the owner just lay down some traps?

No. The owner must have a licensed exterminator correct the issue. Once resolved, you and the owner can discuss cleanliness or issues with the unit.