Arg! Mice!

When the weather cools as it is at the moment going into autumn, mice become a problem (colder weather encourages mice inside where they can be warm and have nice things to eat). Mice and other pests are difficult to get rid of once established. Here are our recommendations for preventing and treating mice problems.

We recommend using poison (available from hardware stores) to eradicate mice - the smell from one little mouse body is very small, usually not noticable, and not long lasting. Apparently mice head towards water when they are poisoned (it must make them thirsty), so that should lure them outside to die. Place poison in areas mice frequent – under the stove, in the hot water cupboard, in the attic, under the house, and anywhere else that seems likely - think 'dark, undisturbed, safe, warm'. Keep it out of reach of pets and children, and always follow directions carefully. If it is block baits, secure them as per the instructions. If mice can carry them away, they will store them somewhere and may never get around to eating it - expensive and ineffective, so secure your baits.

We recommend also blocking any gaps or holes mice might be using with foil scrunched into a tight ball and wedged in - apparently they cannot chew through that, it must make their fillings tingle (try putting poison in hole first - double whammy). The smell of mint is said to repel (try essence), as is pepper sprinkled along walls they run along - if you don't hear tiny sneezes, it must be working!

Traps need to be set so the snapping part faces the wall in a dark area (e.g. behind stove or couch) and baited with peanut butter. Cheese is not as reliable. Check traps daily, and when no mice have been caught for 2 days in a row, scrub clean, refresh the bait, and move to another area. If you use plastic traps like 'The Better Mousetrap', be aware that as the traps get old, the spring may loosen and only trap the mice. If you find a mouse clattering around with the trap attached, it is time to get a new trap. Of course, if the clever mouse is only caught by its paw, not neck, it won’t be killed either. Dispatch the mouse before it passes on the trick to its friends. Putting it in a jar in the freezer for a couple of days to euthanize it (out of sight, out of hearing) works if more direct methods do not appeal. Do NOT release mice elsewhere, they will just make baby mice to invade your property. It more humane to kill one mouse than them and their whole extended family.

Periodically check behind fridge, stove (including warming drawer), and inside the Hot Water Cupboard, and clean up any food and all mice droppings. You can monitor the effectiveness of the measures by how quickly droppings re-appear, so clean them up regularly.

Ensure food mice would like, such as pasta or rice, is stored in sealed containers as they can chew through plastic packets. Keep cupboard doors closed. Keep all areas tidy so there is nowhere for them to nest or hide, remove food waste, and wash dishes frequently. Check any areas where newspapers, bedding, or clothing is stored long term to ensure they are not forming nests in these. Remove rubbish frequently, and use bins that seal to avoid feeding them inadvertently.

We recommend landlords treat properties for mice and other pests annually. However, beyond that, it is tenants’ responsibility to take care of mice within their own homes. Everyone needs to take action on the mice to keep their population at acceptable levels, so it should not get worse as the weather cools further.

Street Appeal works wonders

How often do you sit in front of your property and really have a good long critical look at it? Probably just about never, I'm guessing. I'd say a more typical day is rush up parking where you can, carry stuff inside and get to work. Next time, stop for a minute. Perhaps park down the street a way, and really look at the property as you walk towards it. Drive towards it from a different direction every once in a while. Stand on the footpath on the opposite side of the road and take a good long look. What do you see? Hopefully, you see what everyone else sees, because that is what you need to see.

I have a property that a former owner painted pink. Not just one shade but two shades of candy pink. Not just in solid blocks, but in stripes, one per line of cladding. It is very distinctive. It clashes beautifully with the red roof.

I've known for a while that it probably only appeals to the former owner, and me as a purchaser as I knew it was easy fixed. It put all other buyers off, which is why I got it for a good price. What I forgot was tenants care about these things too. They don't want to live in 'the candy striped house'. So it sat there with very few enquiries until I got off my butt and got out that paintbrush. (To be fair, I was working on the inside of the property figuring it was where the occupants would spend all their time, and that looked great, but no one was coming inside to see)

Now, the street side of the property, is one colour, a trendy warm creamy brown (called Molesworth, if you're interested). Within 2 days of painting the first coat, I have lots of people turning up to see the house. Now I have my pick of tenants. How long did it take to make the difference? Well, about a month of being thick, then just one afternoon of painting. Sigh.

Sometimes these things are just so obvious we overlook them. What are your candystripes that are keeping tenants away from your property? Identify, then act.

Is your Electrician any Good?

A client sent in this photo of insulation in his investment property which had been left this way after his electrician had done some work on the lights. In my opinion, they haven't finished the job.

A good electrician puts back insulation after they move it. Some may argue that it isn't their job - they're sparkies, not fluffers (or whatever the slang for insulation installers is). Nonsense. If they moved it, they put it back. No excuses.

The electrician in question has compromised the thermal properties of the building with their carelessness. They are costing the occupant (tenants in this case) heating costs, and as this matter only came to the landlords attention when a prospective purchaser obtained a building report, it could have cost them the sale. They now need to spend more money getting someone up there to re-lay the batts. Hardly fair is it, when the sparky could have spent just 5 minutes setting it right before they packed up their tools.

When you are choosing tradespeople, choose ones that are tried and tested. Ones that take pride in their work, and always do the best they can. We fire tradies that treat properties as 'just a rental' because they have forgotten that it is someones home, and someones retirement income. If they don't respect that, they don't get work from us. Be as discerning. It is your home, or your retirement, on the line.

What we're doing for Earthquake preparedness

February we were rocked by Christchurch, in March, Japan. It’s really hammering home the ‘be prepared’ motto of the scouts.

We are getting enquiries from people looking for safe houses due to concerns about earthquakes.

What have we done to be prepared? We have prepared a basic survival kit at the office of course (and our homes), but we also need to think of our tenants. In emergencies like these, tenants will have issues with properties and need assistance, and we will be the front line for dealing with it. Unfortunately, we are likely to be affected by the event too, and may not be able to travel to work until it is safe.

So, we’ve devised a plan that will enable us to help from wherever we can get electricity, phone coverage, and internet.

We are switching the software package we use to one that can be run from ‘the cloud’ (which is a fancy name for ‘on the internet’) should we need to operate away from the office. We have some internet-based phone lines to keep the lines open should landlines go down, and cell phones of course.

We are advising tenants and owners that any emergency updates can be found on our Facebook page. This will enable tenants and owners to report on their status and that of their property, and is an open forum to create a helping network. We have a plan to check properties for safety, and track tenants who have disappeared to minimise confusion at such a difficult time.

We are advising owners to ‘quake safe’ their properties to minimise damage. Chimneys falling have been a significant hazard during quakes. Hot water cylinders ‘walking’ has been another.

We’re also offering help to those in Christchurch. We’ve publicised available properties for those affected by the quake and wanting to get out of Christchurch. We’ve offered breaks away for the property managers down there, and to relieve some strain of the work they need to do. Many have offices and staff severely affected.

Are we over reacting? A recent visit to Plimmers Ark in the CBD reminded me that a magnitude 8.2 quake struck Wellington in 1855, causing significant changes to the landscape (ever wonder why the ‘Basin Reserve’ is called that? It was going to be a shipping basin prior to the quake raising the land at least 2m in the CBD, changing plans to a cricket ground instead. The damage to brick structures explains why the old Government Buildings, opened in 1876, was made of wood, albeit in the style of stone. The motorway to Petone would never have been built had the land not emerged from the sea – it used to be impassable at high tide). If it happened before, it could happen again. Are your properties taken care of by people who care what happens to them and your tenants should the worst happen?