Who pays for pest control in your student house?
Mice or rats in a rented room in Groningen? You do not have to wait for your landlord to arrange anything. Call us, we come out, and you get an invoice you can pass on to them. Here is exactly how that works.
The short answer: book it yourself, send the bill on
Most students we speak to have already lost two or three weeks waiting for a reply from their landlord or housing provider. In the meantime the mice are still breeding. You do not have to wait, and you do not need anyone’s permission to have pest control done in your own home.
The way we work with students in Groningen is simple:
- You call or email us and we agree a time.
- We come out, find the cause and treat it.
- You get an invoice from us, in your own name.
- You send that invoice to your landlord and ask them to reimburse it.
Why your landlord usually ends up paying
Under Dutch law vermin in a rented home is treated as a gebrek: a defect the landlord is responsible for putting right, unless the tenant caused it. That is why in most cases the cost ends up with the landlord, even when you were the one who picked up the phone.
The exception is when the problem clearly comes from how the property is used: rubbish that is never taken out, open food in a shared kitchen, a window propped open all summer. In practice that is rarely clear-cut, and it is never a good reason to leave an infestation alone. Your rental contract can say something about it as well, so it is worth reading before you send anything.
Asking your landlord to reimburse the invoice
Put it in writing, by email, so there is a date on it. You can copy this:
Dear [name],
There was a [mouse / rat] problem in my room at [address]. I had it dealt with by a professional pest control company, Vakwerk de Jonge Ongediertebestrijding, and the invoice is attached.
Vermin in a rented home is a defect (gebrek) that the landlord is responsible for, so I would like to be reimbursed for this amount. Please let me know when I can expect the payment.
Kind regards, [your name]
Attach the invoice and any photos you took. Keep the email; you will need it if there is a discussion later.
Would you rather report it first?
You can of course report the problem to your landlord before anything is treated and ask them to arrange it. That works well with landlords who react quickly. Give them a deadline in the email, a week is reasonable for mice and a couple of days for rats, and say that you will arrange it yourself and pass on the invoice if you have not heard back by then.
If your landlord refuses
You have more options than you think, and they are free:
- Het Juridisch Loket gives free legal advice to tenants.
- The Huurcommissie can rule on defects in a rented home and can order a rent reduction for as long as a defect is not fixed.
- Your student union or tenants association in Groningen deals with this regularly and knows the local housing providers.
If several rooms in the house are affected, report it together. A landlord takes five signatures more seriously than one.
What does it cost?
That depends on what you have and how far it has spread. A single room with mice is a different job from a building with rats in the crawl space. Call or email us and we will tell you what we would do and what it would cost before we come out, so there are no surprises on the invoice you have to hand on.
Doing it together with your housemates
Mice and rats do not stop at your door. If your housemates hear the same noises, book it as a house rather than as one room: it is cheaper per person, it actually solves the problem, and one invoice for the whole house is easier to put in front of a landlord than five separate ones.
Are you a landlord or property manager yourself? Then have a look at our Dutch page about ongediertebestrijding voor verhuurders en studentenhuizen.
Sending this to your landlord?
Our Dutch page for landlords and housing providers explains the same thing from their side: ongediertebestrijding voor verhuurders en studentenhuizen.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What students in Groningen ask us about paying for pest control.
Can I arrange pest control myself as a tenant?
Yes. It is your home. You do not need your landlord’s permission to have mice or rats dealt with in the room you rent. You get the invoice in your own name and you can ask your landlord to reimburse it afterwards.
Will my landlord actually pay me back?
In most cases yes, because vermin in a rented home counts as a defect the landlord has to fix. Report it in writing, keep the invoice, and ask for reimbursement by email so there is a record. If they refuse, Het Juridisch Loket and the Huurcommissie can help you, free of charge.
What if my landlord says I caused it?
A landlord can only argue that if the problem clearly comes from how the property is used, for example rubbish that is never taken out. An old building, gaps in the facade, an open crawl space or a sewer problem are not your responsibility. If there is a discussion, the fact that you reported it in writing and had it dealt with properly works in your favour.
Do I have to tell my landlord before I call you?
No, but it is a good idea. An email with a date on it makes reimbursement much easier. If you would rather we spoke to your landlord ourselves, we can do that too, but you do not have to wait for it.
Do you invoice students directly?
Yes. You get a normal invoice with our company details on it, which is exactly what you need to claim the amount back from your landlord.
How much does it cost?
It depends on what you have and how far it has spread. Tell us what you are seeing and hearing and we will tell you what we would do and what it would cost before we come out.
Do you speak English?
Yes. You can call, email or use the form on this page in English, and we will reply in English.
Not sure who should pay in your situation?
Just ask
We are happy to help and we are reachable almost any time. We reply quickly to messages sent through this form.