Pests policy

Version 1.0 June 2024

1 - Scope

1.1. This policy sets out our approach to pest control and advice.

1.2. This policy covers all customers that live in Sovereign Network Group (SNG) properties, including general needs customers, older persons, those in supported and temporary housing, key workers, shared owners and leaseholders.

1.3. The tenancy agreement of individual households, and the fact that SNG repairing obligations to leaseholders and shared owners are different to those for customers, will always be considered when establishing liability.

1.4. SNG will hold contracts with approved pest control contractors, who will ensure the health and safety of our buildings and customers with regards to pest control processes.

1.5. This policy meets The Regulatory Framework for Social Housing.

1.6. This policy applies to all customers who reside in properties owned and managed by Sovereign Housing Association Limited and/or Sovereign Living Limited only. Customers who reside in properties owned or managed by Sovereign Network Homes and its subsidiaries should refer to the applicable policy.

2 - Purpose and objectives

The aims of the Pests Policy are:

To provide suitable pest control advice.
To make clear which responsibilities and accountabilities lie with the Local Authority, with SNG, and with customers, when dealing with pest infestations.
To ensure that SNG customers are treated in a consistent and equitable way.
To ensure that SNG meets our legal, regulatory and Housing Ombudsman’s expectations regarding pest control.

3 - Policy statement

We will work closely with Local Authorities to manage our responsibilities. Section 5 and 6 of this policy explains how we will manage pest control issues in customers’ homes and in communal areas.

3.1. Local Authority responsibilities

3.1.1. Under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949, Local Authorities have a statutory duty to ensure their neighbourhoods are kept free from rats and mice as far as is practically possible. This duty may be fulfilled by:

Carrying out inspections
Destroying rats and mice on land that they occupy
Serving an enforcement notice on the owner or occupier of the land to ensure it is clear of pests.
Take appropriate action to deal with statutory nuisance

3.1.2. Although many Local Authorities do offer pest control services, their duty to keep their neighbourhoods free from pests does not mean that they are required to provide a pest control service.

3.1.3. Under the Public Health Act 1936, Local Authorities have the power to serve notice on the owner or occupier where premises have vermin or other infestations, and request removal. The Act also gives Local Authorities the right to enter and do the works itself, cleansing or destruction of filthy or verminous articles, and recover the expenses and/or costs from the owner or occupier.

3.1.4. Local Authorities also have the ability to take action against feral pigeons, house doves, pigeons, starlings or sparrows under the Public Health Act 1961.

3.1.5. Part 3 of the Environmental Act 1990 gives Local Authorities power to serve abatement notices his section is wide enough to cover pest infestation. If the problem is the occupier’s responsibility,then the Local Authority may undertake the works, but recover the expenses and/or costs from the occupier.

4 - Definitions

In the interest of making this policy as clear as possible for SNG staff and customers, the following definitions are provided:

4.1. Pests

The term ‘pest’ is used as a generic term for vermin, this is any organism, usually an animal which is judged as potentially carrying disease that can harm humans in the homes they occupy. Pests are commonly considered to be a public nuisance, due to their effect on the home, health, or environment. Types of animals and insects considered to be pests include wasps, bees, fleas, bed bugs, mice, rats, cockroaches, feral pigeons, and ants.

Animals such as foxes, bats, badgers, other wild birds, crickets, sand lizards, slow worms, snakes and common frogs or toads are not considered pests but may present some nuisance. Many of these are protected under The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which prohibits the killing or injuring of these animals, investigation and action can be taken by police, Natural England, Environmental Agency and National Wildlife Crime Unit. Wild European species of animals (including birds) and their eggs are also protected under Offences under the Habitats Regulations 2017. Customers and staff should seek clarification before taking action.

Japanese Knotweed and other invasive species may also be classified as a pest as they can cause structural and environmental damage. Removal and destruction of these species need to be dealt with in accordance with relevant legislation.

Japanese knotweed is particularly hard to eradicate compared with other plants, requiring multi-year treatment with herbicide or excavation and there is also an ongoing risk that the plant will regrow, either because it is only made dormant by herbicides or because fragments of the plant remain in the soil.

5 - Pests within a property

5.1. The Local Authority’s pest control or Environmental Health team can give customers help and advice in dealing with problems with pests and vermin. Some Local Authorities may have a pest control service which customers may be able to use, although there may be a charge for it.

5.2. In the first instance, customers are requested to review their tenancy and/or lease agreements or any other agreements with us, which will determine who is responsible for removing and eradicating any pests or infestations. We will assist them in this if required. The customer is responsible for keeping their properties clean and tidy, as lack of upkeep can cause pest infestation and escalate the problem, making pest removal difficult to eradicate and stop entirely.

5.3. Customers are expected to seek advice and take appropriate action to deal with any pests or infestations, for example using ant powder to address an ant infestation.

5.4. SNG will only become involved with infestations where:

the Local Authority has deemed that there is a statutory nuisance which they consider we are responsible for dealing with
there is an infestation in several connected properties
the infestation is in a communal area
the pest was proven to be present at the point of letting
it’s as a result of a defect in the home. If there are any defects to the property allowing pests to get inside, we will carry out works to stop access.

5.5. Leaseholders are responsible for resolving issues of pest control within their properties; this should be verified by checking the lease.

5.6. Whilst the responsibility for dealing with the pests doesn’t sit with SNG, there may be very exceptional circumstances where we may consider offering financial or practical support to customers as a goodwill gesture and/or in accordance with our Vulnerability and Reasonable Adjustments Policy. These very exceptional cases (discretionary and to be determined by SNG) may be where there is clear evidence of unaffordability over a long period of time or the ability to deal with the infestation has already failed after many attempts. This includes situations where there is a risk to their well-being or to other households through the pests spreading, or where the cause of the infestation does not solely rest with the customer. The customer must be willing and able to help and assist us in carrying out remedial works with no inference or refusal of access.

5.7. Stages to eradicate pests:

Where baiting or other treatments are necessary, the leaseholders/tenants will be expected to have undertaken any actions advised by pest control experts. If the leaseholder/tenant fails to do so and the infestation continues or becomes quickly re-infested, we will issue warnings and may recharge them for remedial works.

6 - Pests in communal areas

6.1. When there is a pest infestation in a communal area, it is the responsibility of SNG to ensure the infestation is managed.

6.2. Failure to deal effectively with infestations in communal areas may present a health risk to customers leading to enforcement action by the Local Authority.

6.3. Keeping communal areas clear and disposing of waste responsibly will help to limit the chances of pest infestation in our customers’ homes and in communal areas. We will remove waste which has not been disposed of in a reasonable and timely manner and may take enforcement action against customers who are creating risk by not disposing of waste appropriately or storing items in communal areas.

6.4. It's important our customers report any pest problems they notice in communal areas to us promptly.

6.5. SNG will hold a contract with suitably qualified and accredited pest control contractors. The contractors shall carry out the services in accordance with legislation, industry standards and best practice, within reasonable timescales (which could take several months).

6.6. If there is evidence to show that the customer is responsible for infestations because of lifestyle or other choices, this may be considered as a tenancy breach, and possibly environmental risk to others. In these scenarios, we may take reasonable and proportionate action against the customer for breach of tenancy/lease, considering the support needs and circumstances of those involved.

6.7. Access

6.7.1. SNG will work closely with customers to agree access and allow pest control inspections and works to be carried out. If access is refused or delayed, we may take reasonable and proportionate enforcement action.

6.8. Neighbourhood management

6.8.1. SNG will carry out periodic inspections of estates and deal with any issues arising which could result in pest infestation if not addressed.

6.8.2. We will work with management companies and managing agents to ensure agreed standards are met and issues are responded to.

7 - Complaints

7.1. Any customer who is dissatisfied that we haven’t adhered to our policy is able to submit a complaint using our Complaints process.

8 - Performance Monitoring and Responsibilities

8.1. Information on the pest investigation and any treatment will be collected by the Contractor and monitored by the Contract Manager and will include the following:

Visit dates
Pests found
Treatments/baits used and their location
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health data
Recommendations to maintain the site as a pest free environment
Regular meetings to review the performance of the contract, including the cost of works.

8.2. Where an Environmental Health Department has served notice on SNG to carry out pest control treatments, this work will be monitored under the same process as all other Environmental Health Notices. SNG will attempt to carry out the required work within the statutory timescales in the notice and keep customers informed.

9 - Related documents

SNG Tenancy Agreements
SNG Lease Agreements
Lettings Policy
Tenancy Policy
Anti-Social Behaviour Policy
Neighbourhood Management Policy
Pets Guidance
Repairs and Maintenance Policy
Safeguarding Policy
Hoarding and Problematic Clutter Guidance
Vulnerability and Reasonable Adjustments Policy

10 - Legislation and Regulation

The legislation listed in this policy is not intended to cover all legislation applicable to this policy. To comply with paragraph 1.1 of the Regulator of Social Housing’s Governance and Financial Viability Standard, which requires adherence to all relevant law, SNG will take reasonable measures to ensure compliance with “all relevant laws” by reviewing policies and procedures and amending them as appropriate. Any queries relating to the applicable legislation should be directed to the policy owner.

Public Health Act 1936 & 1961
Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949
Landlord and Tenant Act 1985
Environmental Protection Act 1990
Common Law Nuisance and Private Nuisance
Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014
Regulatory Code 3.4.1
The Complaint Handling Code
Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018
Wild Mammal Protection Act 1996
Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
Animal Welfare Act 2006
The Habitats Regulations 2017
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986
Regulatory of Social Housing Framework for both the Homes and Neighbourhood and Community Standards
Housing Health and Safety Rating System under Housing Act 2004

11 - Equality and diversity

We will apply this policy consistently and fairly and will not discriminate against anyone based on any relevant characteristics, including those set out in the Equality Act 2010.

At SNG, our commitment is to make sure that no individual or group experiences unfair, discriminatory, or prejudicial treatment in recruitment, pay or promotions, housing, or any other service we provide, such as lettings, tenancy advice, repairs or rent collection.

SNG strives to be an open, inclusive, and diverse organisation where everyone has a right to be treated with dignity, fairness, and respect. As an organisation we value the diversity and talents of all individuals and the richness that brings to our culture.

We understand the varying needs of our residents and communities and promote equality of opportunity in employment and service provision.

We deliver appropriate, accessible, and flexible services, being tolerant, understanding and not judging others or their lifestyle choices. We stand up to and challenge prejudice, discrimination, and harassment in all its forms.

12 - Review

This document will be reviewed every 3 years or sooner if significant changes occur in the relevant legal or operational landscape.