By Kevin Sukovich, Owner, Webenex Services Pest Control · Updated October 2026
A tenant leaves a voicemail: there's a cockroach on her kitchen counter. One unit, one bug, one complaint. It's easy to file it under routine maintenance and move on.
According to UF/IFAS, an actively growing German cockroach population is about 80% nymphs and 20% adults. If the population in that unit is actively growing, the roach she saw is probably the visible minority. That's a reason not to wait on the first complaint.
An actively growing German cockroach population
This guide is for the person who signs the pest control contract: the property manager, portfolio owner or HOA board. It covers who is responsible under Florida law, what to look for in a multi-unit program, the questions to ask any vendor, and a 7-step protocol for tenant complaints. We're a Clermont-based commercial pest control company, and property managers and HOAs are one of the groups we serve.
In this guide
One infested unit can become a building problem
German cockroaches don't stay put in one cabinet. UF/IFAS notes that cracks and crevices give them places to hide, and that sealing those gaps and reducing clutter shrinks both harborage and population size. In an apartment, think about what sits behind cabinets, under sinks and along plumbing lines. When one unit reports roaches, ask your provider whether the units sharing a wall or a plumbing line should be checked too. If you want the numbers on how fast a German cockroach population can grow in theory, our post on 7 signs your business has a pest problem covers it.
Bed bugs raise the same question. UF/IFAS describes how, once indoors, bed bugs can spread room to room and into adjacent units in multi-family housing.
So the day-one decision isn't "treat or don't treat." It's "treat one unit, or find out how far this goes."
Who is responsible: landlord versus tenant in Florida
Not legal advice
I'm not an attorney, so treat this section as a starting point for a conversation with your lawyer. Check your lease and Florida law.
Section 83.51 governs landlords and tenants. If you manage an HOA or condo association, your declaration and your association attorney decide who is responsible for common areas and units.
For rentals, the key statute is Florida Statutes section 83.51. For dwellings other than a single-family home or duplex, section 83.51(2)(a)1 says the landlord must make reasonable provisions for the extermination of rats, mice, roaches, ants, wood-destroying organisms and bed bugs. That duty applies unless the parties have agreed otherwise in writing, which is why the lease matters as much as the statute: read what yours says about pest control before you assume who pays.
The same section covers tenants who must leave during treatment:
Rent
If a tenant has to vacate for extermination, the landlord isn't liable for damages but must abate the rent.
Vacate period
A tenant is only required to vacate for up to 4 days.
Notice
The landlord must give 7 days' written notice, in person, by mail or by email.
There's also a limit. Under this section, the landlord isn't responsible to the tenant for conditions created or caused by the negligent or wrongful act or omission of the tenant, a member of the tenant's family or another person on the premises with the tenant's consent. Whether a situation meets that standard is a legal question, not a pest question, so don't decide it from an inspection report alone.
Read the current statute text on the Florida Legislature's site, have your attorney check how your lease lines up with it, and make sure your pest contract gives you the documentation you'd want if a responsibility question ever comes up.
The big three in multi-unit housing: German roaches, bed bugs and rodents
Section 83.51 names roaches, bed bugs, rats and mice among the pests landlords must make reasonable provisions to exterminate. You won't be the one inspecting, but you decide how fast each report gets handled and what your maintenance staff watch for.
German cockroaches
What to do differently: inspect, then check the neighbors. A tenant's message can't tell you which roach it is or how far it has spread, so have a licensed technician look before anyone treats. Ask maintenance staff to report what they see in kitchens and bathrooms during routine work orders. For what to look for and what each sign means, see 7 signs your business has a pest problem.
Bed bugs
What to do differently: move fast and think in terms of the building. Treat a bed bug report as a building issue, keep your first reply to the tenant neutral, and get an inspection scheduled quickly. Our guide to bed bug prevention for hotels and vacation rentals walks through a fuller response routine you can adapt for furnished units and turnovers.
Ask every vendor whether bed bugs are included in their plan or quoted separately, and get the answer before you need it.
Rodents
What to do differently: think about the structure, not just the unit. According to UF/IFAS, seeing rats in the daytime may point to a large population, so don't treat a daytime sighting as a one-off. Ask maintenance staff to report droppings, dark greasy rub marks along walls and gnaw marks on food, building materials or wire. The 7 signs post explains how to read each one.
What a multi-unit program includes: turns, common areas and per-building documentation
The approach
Ask any vendor to explain their method. We use integrated pest management (IPM): find the source, treat only where needed, prevent the pests from returning, and document visits.
Unit turns
Turnover is a good time to inspect, because the unit is empty. Add a pest check to your turnover list: under sinks, behind appliances, inside cabinets and around the bed area of any furnished unit. Finding droppings or bed bug signs before move-in beats hearing about it from a new tenant.
Common areas
Trash rooms, laundry rooms, mail rooms, clubhouse kitchens and maintenance shops belong on a recurring schedule, because no tenant lives there to report a problem. Exteriors count too: eaves, signage and other structures.
Per-building documentation
Read this part of the contract closely. A Florida rule requires the pest control company to keep its own records, including contracts, at its licensed business location for at least two years. That rule doesn't include a general requirement to give customers routine service records. So if you want per-visit reports, write them into the contract: date, units and common areas serviced, what was found, what was applied, and recommendations such as a door sweep or a gap to seal. Ask for them organized by building.
Pricing structure
Ask each vendor how the price is built: per building, per unit, or another way, and what a tenant callback, a unit-turn inspection or an added building costs. Compare proposals on the same building list and the same inclusions, not just the bottom line.
Questions to ask any vendor before you sign
What is your Florida pest control license number?
What pests does the plan cover, and what is quoted separately?
How do you handle bed bugs?
How is a tenant callback scheduled, and does it cost extra?
What's in each visit report, and can we get reports by building?
What happens if a problem persists after re-treatment?
What are the contract term and the cancellation terms?
Can you show proof of insurance, and how do you handle after-hours issues?
At Webenex, for comparison
Every one of our commercial plans covers eight pest groups, including cockroaches, rodents and ants. Termites (including WDO reports and colony elimination), bed bugs and mosquitoes are separate services, quoted separately. Free re-services are included with our service plans, and under our published terms, if an issue persists after two consecutive re-treatments, we refund your last full service payment. Our Florida pest control license number is JB309802.
If you'd like us to look at what your buildings need, inspections are free and you'll get a quote before any work starts. You can request one on our commercial pest control page.
Handling tenant complaints with a repeatable response protocol
Every complaint should get the same handling, no matter which building or which staff member takes the call. Here's a protocol to adapt.
Log it the same day. Unit, date, what the tenant saw and where. Ask for a photo.
Don't diagnose over the phone. Schedule an inspection.
Check the neighbors. If activity is confirmed, ask whether units sharing walls or plumbing should be inspected.
Plan vacate time correctly. If a tenant must leave for treatment, follow the notice and vacate rules in section 83.51 covered above, and talk to your attorney about rent abatement. Keep the tone neutral: whether a tenant caused a condition is a question for your attorney, not your first reply.
Tell the tenant in writing. Send three things: what was reported and what happens next, your provider's prep list in plain language, and the date and time window of the visit.
Plan for access problems. Decide in advance who confirms that prep is done and what happens if a tenant won't allow entry. Your lease and your attorney should shape that answer.
Treat, document, follow up, review. Get the visit report, calendar a follow-up and confirm the result with the tenant in writing. Once a quarter, review the log by building and look for clusters. Three complaints from one stack is a building problem, not three unit problems.
Frequently asked questions
Who pays for pest control in a Florida rental?
Section 83.51 doesn't answer that in dollar terms. For dwellings other than a single-family home or duplex, section 83.51(2)(a)1 says the landlord must make reasonable provisions for exterminating rats, mice, roaches, ants, wood-destroying organisms and bed bugs, unless otherwise agreed in writing. Under that section, the landlord isn't responsible to the tenant for conditions created or caused by the negligent or wrongful act or omission of the tenant, a member of the tenant's family or another person on the premises with the tenant's consent. Check your lease and Florida law, and ask your attorney.
How often should apartments get pest control?
Section 83.51 calls for "reasonable provisions" for extermination. Set the frequency in your written plan, based on each building's history, turnover and complaint log. Ask your provider to explain the schedule they recommend, and to keep common areas and exteriors on a recurring rotation separate from unit callbacks.
What do I do if a tenant reports roaches?
Log the report, ask for a photo and schedule an inspection rather than guessing at the species. Then follow the 7-step protocol above, including checking neighboring units.
Before you call a vendor
Have your building list, unit counts, current vendor and recent complaint log ready. Inspections are free, and you'll have a quote before any work starts.
Call or text us to set up your inspection, or request a call back on our commercial pest control page.
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Call or text (407) 360-7325